Reference / Military ranks
Military Rank Comparison: NATO Codes and National Ladders
Look up army, navy, air force and selected marine ranks across all 32 NATO members and eight other countries, with native names, English glosses and cited sources.
Military Rank Comparison: NATO Codes and National Ladders: Groups ranks by their published NATO code. Multiple ranks may share a code, and seniority or qualifications can affect the classification. Non-NATO countries are shown in their own order with no NATO equivalences. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
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NATO-code equivalence describes rank classification, not equal pay, duties or command. Non-NATO countries are shown only in their national order, without NATO codes.
Colonel
Colonel
France
Germany
United Kingdom
Full NATO-code comparison
| NATO code | United States | France | Germany | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF-10 | General of the Army | Maréchal de FranceMarshal of France | — | Field marshal |
| OF-9 | General | Général d’arméeArmy general | General | General |
| OF-8 | Lieutenant general | Général de corps d’arméeArmy corps general | GeneralleutnantLieutenant general | Lieutenant-generalLieutenant general |
| OF-7 | Major general | Général de divisionDivisional general | GeneralmajorMajor general | Major-generalMajor general |
| OF-6 | Brigadier general | Général de brigadeBrigade general | BrigadegeneralBrigadier general | Brigadier |
| OF-5 | Colonel | Colonel | OberstColonel | Colonel |
| OF-4 | Lieutenant colonel | Lieutenant-colonelLieutenant colonel | OberstleutnantLieutenant colonel | Lieutenant colonel |
| OF-3 | Major | Commandant | Major | Major |
| OF-2 | Captain | CapitaineCaptain | StabshauptmannStaff captain HauptmannCaptain | Captain |
| OF-1 | First lieutenant Second lieutenant | Lieutenant Sous-lieutenantSecond lieutenant | OberleutnantFirst lieutenant LeutnantSecond lieutenant | Lieutenant Second lieutenant |
| OF(D) | — | — | — | — |
| OR-9 | Sergeant major of the Army Command sergeant major Sergeant major | MajorMajor (other ranks) Adjudant-chefChief warrant officer | OberstabsfeldwebelSenior staff sergeant major | Warrant officer class 1 |
| OR-8 | First sergeant Master sergeant | AdjudantWarrant officer | StabsfeldwebelStaff sergeant major Hauptfeldwebel (5+ Jahre)Senior sergeant (5+ years seniority) OberfähnrichSenior officer candidate | Warrant officer class 2 |
| OR-7 | Sergeant first class | Sergent-chef (BSTAT)Chief sergeant (BSTAT qualified) | Hauptfeldwebel (unter 5 Jahren)Senior sergeant (under 5 years seniority) | Staff sergeant |
| OR-6 | Staff sergeant | Sergent-chefStaff sergeant | OberfeldwebelSenior sergeant FeldwebelSergeant FähnrichOfficer candidate | Sergeant (3+ years seniority) |
| OR-5 | Sergeant | SergentSergeant | StabsunteroffizierStaff NCO UnteroffizierNCO FahnenjunkerOfficer candidate | Sergeant |
| OR-4 | Corporal Specialist | Caporal-chef de 1re classeChief corporal first class Caporal-chefChief corporal | StabskorporalStaff corporal KorporalCorporal OberstabsgefreiterSenior staff lance corporal StabsgefreiterStaff lance corporal | Corporal |
| OR-3 | Private first class | CaporalCorporal | HauptgefreiterSenior lance corporal ObergefreiterSenior private | Lance corporal |
| OR-2 | Private (E-2) | Soldat de 1re classeSoldier first class | GefreiterPrivate first class | Private (classes 1–3) |
| OR-1 | Private (E-1) | SoldatSoldier | SoldatPrivate | Private (class 4) |
Reference snapshot: 4 October 2026. The NATO tables use STANAG 2116 edition 7 and APersP-01 edition A, version 3 (2022), with later national names from the cited reproductions. Some highest ranks are historical or honorary. Specialist, cadet and regimental variants are not exhaustive.
Sources and scope
NATO Standardization Office: APersP-01 · STANAG 2116 / APersP-01 as reproduced in Wikipedia
Seniority and qualification labels are part of the source classification. A code may contain several national ranks. US warrant-officer grades use a separate WO system and are outside the OF/OR table.
United States · Rank source · Other ranks source · Accessed 2026-10-04
France · Rank source · Other ranks source · Accessed 2026-10-04
Germany · Rank source · Other ranks source · Accessed 2026-10-04
United Kingdom · Rank source · Other ranks source · Accessed 2026-10-04
NATO rank-code standard
STANAG 2116 edition 7 and APersP-01 edition A, version 3 (2022). NATO Standardization Office catalogue: https://nso.nato.int/nso/nsdd/main/standards/ap-details/3319/EN . As reproduced in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO . Accessed 4 October 2026.
Service tables and national sources
National spellings: Wikipedia reproductions of NATO army, navy and air-force tables, officers and enlisted. Start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_armies_officers and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_navies_enlisted . Every service selection links its table. Non-member sources include Japan Ministry of Defense https://www.mod.go.jp/j/profile/mod_sdf/class/index.html and South Korea Military Personnel Management Act, article 3, https://www.law.go.kr/lsLinkCommonInfo.do?chrClsCd=010202&lsJoLnkSeq=1029126493 . Accessed 4 October 2026. No unofficial NATO mapping is used.
How to use it
- Choose a country, service and rank.
- Select the other countries to display.
- Read the NATO-code comparison or the separate national ladders, and filter the full table by code or rank name.
Privacy & limitations
Selections and searches stay in your browser. Rank tables are bundled locally.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Does a matching code mean the same pay or command?
No. NATO codes standardise rank classification for personnel purposes, not pay or command authority.
Are the non-NATO alignments official?
No alignment is assigned here. China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Brazil and Israel are displayed as independent national ladders.
Why are some cells blank?
A dash means the cited table records no rank at that code, or no separate service set is included. Iceland has no standing armed forces; the Coast Guard is civilian. Sources: https://www.nato.int/en/about-us/nato-history/history-by-theme/my-country-and-nato/iceland-and-nato and https://www.lhg.is/en/about-us/ . Specialist, regimental and cadet variants are not exhaustive.
Which standard is used?
STANAG 2116 edition 7 (2021) and APersP-01 edition A version 3 (2022), with national spellings and later names from the cited reproductions. Some highest ranks are historical or honorary.
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