officers in pay grades O-4 to O-6, and general officers in pay grades O-7 and higher. The equivalent officer groupings in the Navy are called junior grade, mid-grade, and flag.
Warrant officers hold warrants from their service secretary and are specialists and experts in certain military technologies or capabilities. The lowest ranking warrant officers serve under a warrant, but they receive commissions from the President upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2. These commissioned warrant officers are direct representatives of the President of the United States. They derive their authority from the same source as commissioned officers but remain specialists, in contrast to commissioned officers, who are generalists. There are no warrant officers in the Air Force.
| Army | Navy Coast Guard | Marines | Air Force | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General of the Army (Reserved for wartime only) |
Fleet Admiral (Reserved for wartime only) |
General of the Air Force (Reserved for wartime only) | ||
| O10 | General GEN Army Chief of Staff |
Admiral ADM Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant of the Coast Guard |
General Gen. Commandant of the Marine Corps |
General Gen. Air Force Chief of Staff |
| 09 | Lieutenant General LTG |
Vice Admiral VADM |
Lieutenant General Lt. Gen. |
Lieutenant General Lt. Gen. |
| O8 | Major General MG |
Rear Admiral Upper Half RADM |
Major General Maj. Gen. |
Major General Maj. Gen. |
| O7 | Brigadier General BG |
Rear Admiral Lower Half RDML |
Brigadier General Brig. Gen. |
Brigadier General Brig. Gen. |
| O6 | Colonel COL |
Captain CAPT |
Colonel Col. |
Colonel Col. |
| O5 | Lieutenant Colonel LTC |
Commander CDR |
Lieutenant Colonel Lt. Col. |
Lieutenant Colonel Lt. Col. |
| O4 | Major MAJ |
Lieutenant Commander LCDR |
Major Maj. |
Major Maj. |
| O3 | Captain CPT |
Lieutenant LT |
Captain Capt. |
Captain Capt. |
