United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. While concerned almost exclusively with shipboard security service and amphibious warfare in its formative years, the Marine Corps has evolved to fill a unique, multi-purpose role within the modern United States military.

Ranks

This list is in ascending order. It includes pay grades and abbreviations in the style used by the Marine Corps.

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Enlisted:

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• E-1, Private, Pvt
• E-2, Private First Class, PFC
• E-3, Lance Corporal, LCpl
• Noncommissioned Officers, or NCOs:
• E-4, Corporal, Cpl
• E-5, Sergeant, Sgt
• Staff Noncommissioned Officers, or SNCOs:
• E-6, Staff Sergeant, SSgt
• E-7, Gunnery Sergeant, GySgt
• E-8
• Master Sergeant, MSgt
• First Sergeant, 1stSgt
• E-9
• Master Gunnery Sergeant, MGySgt
• Sergeant Major, SgtMaj
• Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, SgtMajMC

NOTE 1: The E-8 and E-9 levels each have two ranks per pay grade, each with different responsibilities. Gunnery Sergeants indicate on their annual evaluations, called "fitness reports", or "fitreps" for short, their preferred promotional track: Master Sergeant or First Sergeant. The First Sergeant and Sergeant Major ranks are command-oriented, with Marines of these ranks serving as the senior enlisted Marines in a unit, charged to assist the commanding officer in matter of discipline, administration and the morale and welfare of the unit. Master Sergeants and Master Gunnery Sergeants provide technical leadership as occupational specialists in their specific MOS. First Sergeants typically serve as the senior enlisted Marine in a company, battery or other unit at similar echelon, while Sergeants Major serve the same role in battalions, squadrons or larger units.

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NOTE 2: The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is the senior enlisted Marine of the entire Marine Corps, personally selected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Related Topics:
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps - Commandant of the Marine Corps

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Some enlisted ranks have commonly used nicknames, though they are not official and technically improper. For instance, a Master Sergeant, is commonly called "Top". A Gunnery Sergeant is typically called "Gunny", and (much less often) "Guns". A Master Gunnery Sergeant is often called "Master Guns".

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Likewise, Lance Corporals are often referred to (derisively) as "Lance Coolies", "Lances", or "Lance Criminals". Though they are not usually called by rank due to their status as "non-rates".

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Unlike the US Army, no enlisted personnel is referred to as "Sarge", and most NCOs will take offense to the term. Likewise, ranks such as Staff Sergeant or Gunnery Sergeant, are never shortened to Sergeant.

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Warrant Officers

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• W-1, Warrant Officer, WO
• W-2, Chief Warrant Officer 2, CWO2
• W-3, Chief Warrant Officer 3, CWO3
• W-4, Chief Warrant Officer 4, CWO4
• W-5, Chief Warrant Officer 5, CWO5

NOTE 3: A Chief Warrant Officer, CWO2-CWO5, serving in the MOS 0306 "Infantry Weapons Officer" is designated as a special rank: "Marine Gunner". A Marine Gunner replaces the Chief Warrant Officer insignia on the LEFT collar with a bursting bomb insignia. Other Warrant Officers are sometimes informally also referred to as "Gunner" but this usage is not correct.

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Commissioned officers:

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• Company-grade officers
• O-1, Second Lieutenant, 2ndLt
• O-2, First Lieutenant, 1stLt
• O-3, Captain, Capt
• Field-grade officers
• O-4, Major, Maj
• O-5, Lieutenant Colonel, LtCol
• O-6, Colonel, Col
• Generals
• O-7, Brigadier General, BGen
• O-8, Major General, MajGen
• O-9, Lieutenant General, LtGen
• O-10, General, Gen

NOTE 4: There has never been any O-11 "five-star" General rank thus far in the Marine Corps, though such a rank could theoretically be created at any time by act of Congress (the first time Congress were to promote a Marine Officer to such a rank). Historically, O-11 ranks, such as "General of the Army" or "General of the Air Force" (five star General) or "Fleet Admiral" were established during WWII to allow US General- or Flag-grade officers to command foreign officers under the allied command structure who, otherwise, would have technically outranked them (an example would be a British "Field Marshal", a rank which does not exist in the US military but would be equivalent to a five-star General). Currently, no officer in any branch of the U.S. military holds a grade of O-11.

Related Topics:
Congress - General of the Army - General of the Air Force - Fleet Admiral - WWII - Field Marshal

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