Three plain uniform jackets on wooden hangers, olive green, navy blue and blue-grey, hanging side by side on a rail against a pale wall
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
doodleranks

BRITISH FORCES, SIDE BY SIDE

Every stripe
has a team.

SAME LADDER different names

  • Rank tells the team size
  • Officers are commissioned
  • Names change by service
  • Read the sleeve, know the job

A rank is really a job size.

The British Army describes each rank by what it leads: a Lance Corporal a team of about four, a Lieutenant a platoon of about 30, a Lieutenant Colonel a unit of up to 650. The Navy and RAF use different names for the same steps.

Updated

Pick a rank

THE SHORT ANSWER

Three services,
one ladder.

The names differ, the steps line up.
The Army even states the equivalents.

EQUIVALENTS

General = Admiral = Air Chief Marshal

The British Army says a General, a four-star, is equivalent to an Admiral in the Royal Navy and an Air Chief Marshal in the RAF. The RAF adds that the Navy is the senior of the three.

Pick a rank

SOLDIERS

Chevrons on the upper arm

Soldier ranks run from Private to Warrant Officer Class One. A Corporal commands a section of around eight to ten people; a Sergeant is usually second in command of a platoon.

See the numbers

OFFICERS

Rings on the lower arm

In the RAF, officers wear rank insignia on the lower arm of dress uniform and most non-commissioned ranks on the upper arm. Warrant Officers and Master Aircrew are the exceptions.

How to read them

A QUICK RANK CHECK

How many people
does this rank lead?

Pick a British Army rank to see the size of team the Army says it typically leads. The bar shows how big that team is.

Rank check

Choose a rank
Lance CorporalAbout 4

Commands and administers a team of around four people, and is often responsible for large weapons.

Corporal8 to 10

Commands a section of around eight to ten people, often with responsibility for large pieces of equipment.

LieutenantAbout 30

Commands a platoon or troop of around 30 soldiers. The rank is typically held for two to three years.

MajorAbout 120

Commands a sub-unit of around 120 officers and soldiers, responsible for their training, welfare and equipment.

Lieutenant ColonelUp to 650

Commands a battalion or regiment of up to 650 soldiers as its Commanding Officer, typically for two and a half years.

Source: The British Army, Rank Structure (army.mod.uk).

Team sizes are the British Army's own typical figures. Real units vary by regiment and role.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Few officers,
many soldiers.

One figure on the Army's rank ladder,
one on who actually fills it.

12 ranks

Officer ranks, Officer Cadet to Field Marshal

The Army lists 12 officer ranks and 7 soldier ranks. Field Marshal has been the highest rank since 1736 and is now honorary: the last active officer was promoted to it in 1994.

THE LADDER · BRITISH ARMY

62,900 other ranks

Full-time trained Army, 1 July 2026

Ministry of Defence statistics count 62,900 full-time trained other ranks in the Army against 12,300 trained officers: roughly five soldiers for every officer.

WHO FILLS IT · MOD, JULY 2026

Figures from the British Army's Rank Structure page and the MOD's Quarterly service personnel statistics, 1 July 2026 (Table 4).

FOUR THINGS TO LOOK FOR

Reading ranks,
without a chart.

The lower sleeve of a blue-grey air force officer's jacket with pale rank rings stitched near the cuff
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

You do not need to memorise every badge. A few rules from the services themselves get you most of the way.

  1. Check the service first

    The same step has different names: a General, an Admiral and an Air Chief Marshal are all four-star ranks.

  2. Officer or not?

    Officers hold a commission, a formal document of appointment signed by the monarch. Ratings and soldiers rise to Warrant Officer.

  3. Look at the arm

    In the RAF, officers wear rank on the lower arm and most non-commissioned ranks on the upper arm.

  4. Listen for the regiment

    A new Army Private may be called Trooper, Gunner, Signaller, Sapper, Guardsman, Rifleman or Kingsman.

NAVY AND AIR FORCE

Rates, aircrew
and admirals.

Close-up of three embroidered chevrons on the upper sleeve of an olive green army jacket
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

The Royal Navy has two routes in: officer cadets and ratings. Ratings start as Able Rates and can rise through Leading Hand, Petty Officer and Chief Petty Officer to Warrant Officer. Officers start as Midshipmen at Dartmouth and climb to Admiral; Admiral of the Fleet has been honorary since 1995.

The RAF has three structures, not two: commissioned officers, non-commissioned aircrew and non-commissioned other ranks. Officers run from Pilot Officer to Marshal of the Royal Air Force. The Royal Marines are part of the Navy but use ranks similar to the Army's.

Questions

Questions people ask

What are the equivalent ranks in the Army, Navy and RAF?

The Ministry of Defence lines them up like this: an Army Captain equals a Royal Navy Lieutenant and an RAF Flight Lieutenant; a Major, a Lieutenant Commander and a Squadron Leader; a Lieutenant Colonel, a Commander and a Wing Commander; a Colonel, a Royal Navy Captain and a Group Captain; and a Brigadier, a Commodore and an Air Commodore. At four-star level a General equals an Admiral and an Air Chief Marshal. Among other ranks, an Army Corporal matches a Navy Leading Rating, a Sergeant a Petty Officer, a Staff Sergeant a Chief Petty Officer or RAF Flight Sergeant, and a Warrant Officer Class 1 a Navy or RAF Warrant Officer; the RAF also uses Corporal and Sergeant.

Which army rank is equal to a Navy Admiral?

The British Army says a General, a four-star rank, is equivalent to an Admiral in the Royal Navy and an Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force.

What are the British Army officer ranks in order?

From junior to senior, the Army lists 12: Officer Cadet, Second Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier, Major General, Lieutenant General, General and Field Marshal. Field Marshal is now honorary, and the Army does not count a Brigadier as a general officer.

Is a Brigadier a general?

Not in the British Army. The Army says a Brigadier, sometimes called a one-star, is not considered a general officer rank but a field officer rank.

What is the highest rank a soldier can reach without a commission?

Warrant Officer Class One. The Army calls it the most senior soldier rank; a Regimental Sergeant Major is a WO1 and advises the Commanding Officer.

Why is a Staff Sergeant sometimes called Colour Sergeant?

In the infantry the Staff Sergeant rank is known as Colour Sergeant. It is a senior role in a sub-unit covering training, equipment and discipline.

What are the RAF ranks in order?

Officers run from Pilot Officer through Flying Officer, Flight Lieutenant, Squadron Leader, Wing Commander, Group Captain, Air Commodore, Air Vice-Marshal, Air Marshal and Air Chief Marshal to Marshal of the Royal Air Force. Non-commissioned other ranks start at Air Specialist (Class 2) and rise through Air Specialist (Class 1), Air Specialist (Class 1) Technician, Lance Corporal (RAF Regiment), Corporal, Sergeant, Chief Technician and Flight Sergeant to Warrant Officer. Aircrew have their own Sergeant, Flight Sergeant and Master Aircrew ranks.

Which service is the most senior?

The Royal Navy. The RAF notes that in many cases its rank is the junior of the three services, with the Navy having seniority over both the Army and the RAF.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. The British Army: Rank Structure
  2. Royal Air Force: RAF Ranks
  3. Forces News: Royal Navy ranks, how do they work?
  4. Forces News: RAF ranks in order
  5. GOV.UK: Quarterly service personnel statistics, 1 July 2026
  6. Ministry of Defence (GOV.UK): Key to rank codes, April 2020 (Royal Navy, Army and RAF equivalents)

What changed

  • : Added FAQs on the equivalent ranks across the Army, Navy and RAF, the British Army officer ranks in order and the RAF ranks in order. New source: Ministry of Defence, Key to rank codes (GOV.UK).

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