Ranks by service
Air Force ranks in order
Airman basic to general, the first sergeant and command chief positions, the warrant officers brought back in 2024, and the 2026 pay of each grade.
Find a rank: title, insignia, equivalents and pay
Air Force, E-5 · Enlisted
Staff Sergeant (SSgt)
Noncommissioned officer
| Army | Sergeant (SGT) |
| Marine Corps | Sergeant (Sgt) |
| Navy | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) |
| Space Force | Sergeant (Sgt) |
| Coast Guard | Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) |
| 2026 basic pay, over 4 years | $3,946.80 a month |
Same pay grade means the same basic pay in every service. Basic pay only: housing, food and special pays are not included.
Everything about E-5The Air Force has 24 titled ranks on the Department of War chart, from airman basic at E-1 to general at O-10, plus first sergeant positions at E-7, E-8 and E-9 and the command chief master sergeant. Its noncommissioned officers start at staff sergeant, E-5, one grade lower than the Army's staff sergeant at E-6, which makes Air Force titles the most often misread across services. Its senior NCOs are master sergeant (E-7), senior master sergeant (E-8) and chief master sergeant (E-9), with one Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force above them. The Air Force had no warrant officers from 1959 until 2024; it graduated its first new ones on December 6, 2024, but the Department of War chart still shows no Air Force warrant title. Officer titles match the Army's, written with spaces: 2d Lt, Lt Col, Brig Gen.
What is this rank called in another service?
Air Force Master Sergeant (MSgt) in the Navy
Chief Petty Officer
| Pay grade | E-7 |
| Group | Chief petty officer |
| Abbreviation | CPO |
Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.
Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Staff sergeant is E-5 here
An Air Force staff sergeant (SSgt) is an E-5, the equivalent of an Army sergeant, while an Army or Marine staff sergeant is an E-6, the equivalent of an Air Force technical sergeant. Reading the pay grade avoids the error: in 2026 an E-5 with four years draws $3,946.80 a month and an E-6 with the same years $4,068.90.
What is this rank called in another service?
Air Force Staff Sergeant (SSgt) in the Army
Sergeant
| Pay grade | E-5 |
| Group | Noncommissioned officer |
| Abbreviation | SGT |
Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.
Warrant officers again
Warrant officers were "phased out in 1959", the Air Force recalls, and reinstated in 2024 to serve in specialized domains "such as cyber, intelligence, and space". The first 30 graduated from the Warrant Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base on December 6, 2024. They are paid from the warrant officer table, W-1 to W-5. Until the Department of War chart adds Air Force warrant titles and insignia, this site lists the grades without inventing a title.
Air Force enlisted ranks, E-1 to E-9
| Pay grade | Rank | Abbreviation | Insignia | 2026 starting basic pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 | Airman Basic | $2,407.20 | ||
| E-2 | Airman | Amn |  | $2,697.90 |
| E-3 | Airman First Class | A1C |  | $2,836.80 |
| E-4 | Senior Airman | SrA |  | $3,142.20 |
| E-5 | Staff Sergeant | SSgt | | $3,342.90 |
| E-6 | Technical Sergeant | TSgt |  | $3,401.10 |
| E-7 | Master Sergeant | MSgt |  | $3,932.10 |
| E-7 | First Sergeant (position) |  | $3,932.10 | |
| E-8 | Senior Master Sergeant | SMSgt |  | $5,656.50 |
| E-8 | First Sergeant (position) |  | $5,656.50 | |
| E-9 | Chief Master Sergeant | CMSgt |  | $6,910.20 |
| E-9 | First Sergeant (position) |  | $6,910.20 | |
| E-9 | Command Chief Master Sergeant (position) |  | $6,910.20 | |
| E-9 | Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (one person) | CMSAF |  | $6,910.20 |
Air Force warrant officer ranks
The Department of War chart still shows no Air Force warrant officer title, although the service graduated its first warrant officers in December 2024. Their pay follows the W grades of the warrant officer table.
Air Force officer ranks, O-1 to O-10
| Pay grade | Rank | Abbreviation | Insignia | 2026 starting basic pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O-1 | Second Lieutenant | 2d Lt |  | $4,150.20 |
| O-2 | First Lieutenant | 1st Lt |  | $4,782.00 |
| O-3 | Captain | Capt |  | $5,534.10 |
| O-4 | Major | Maj |  | $6,294.60 |
| O-5 | Lieutenant Colonel | Lt Col |  | $7,295.40 |
| O-6 | Colonel | Col |  | $8,751.30 |
| O-7 | Brigadier General | Brig Gen |  | $11,540.10 |
| O-8 | Major General | Maj Gen |  | $13,888.50 |
| O-9 | Lieutenant General | Lt Gen |  | $18,999.90 |
| O-10 | General | Gen |  | $18,999.90 |
| O-11 (wartime) | General of the Air Force |  | no table |