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Military rank abbreviations

SSG, SSgt, 2LT, 2ndLt, 2d Lt, CW2, CWO2: one rank, several spellings. Every abbreviation by service, as written on the Department of War chart.

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Used for the 2026 basic pay only.

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Marine Corps, E-7 · Enlisted

Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt)

Senior noncommissioned officer

Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant insignia
Gunnery Sergeant
ArmySergeant First Class (SFC)
NavyChief Petty Officer (CPO)
Air ForceMaster Sergeant (MSgt)
Space ForceMaster Sergeant (MSgt)
Coast GuardChief Petty Officer (CPO)
2026 basic pay, over 12 years$5,591.70 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-7

Each service writes its rank abbreviations its own way, and the Department of War chart keeps those spellings. The Army uses capitals without spaces: SGT, SSG, SFC, 2LT, CPT, LTC, CW2. The Marine Corps mixes capitals and small letters, also without spaces: Sgt, SSgt, GySgt, 2ndLt, LtCol, BGen, CWO2. The Air Force and the Space Force use small letters with spaces for officers: 2d Lt, 1st Lt, Lt Col, Brig Gen. The Navy and the Coast Guard use capitals for both enlisted and officers: PO2, CPO, ENS, LTJG, LCDR, CAPT, RDML. So a staff sergeant is SSG in the Army, SSgt in the Marine Corps and the Air Force, and a second lieutenant 2LT, 2ndLt or 2d Lt. Some titles have no abbreviation on the chart, such as the Marine and Air Force first sergeant or the Army's E-1 private, which army.mil abbreviates PV1. The table gives all 140 abbreviations on the chart.

How is this rank abbreviated?

Air Force, O-5

Lt Col

Lieutenant ColonelLt Col

Abbreviations as printed on the Department of War chart; capitals differ by service.

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Every abbreviation, grade by grade

Department of War rank chart, read on November 1, 2026; "·" a title with no abbreviation on the chart, "–" no rank. Several entries per cell: ranks or positions at the same grade, in the chart's order.
GradeArmyMarine CorpsNavyAir ForceSpace ForceCoast Guard
E-1PV1·SR·Spc1SR
E-2PV2PFCSAAmnSpc2SA
E-3PFCLCplSNA1CSpc3SN
E-4SPC, CPLCplPO3SrASpc4PO3
E-5SGTSgtPO2SSgtSgtPO2
E-6SSGSSgtPO1TSgtTSgtPO1
E-7SFCGySgtCPOMSgt, ·MSgtCPO
E-8MSG, 1SGMSgt, ·SCPOSMSgt, ·SMSgtSCPO
E-9SGM, CSM, SMAMGySgt, SgtMaj, SgtMajMCMCPO, ·, MCPONCMSgt, ·, ·, CMSAFCMSgt, CMSSFMCPO, ·, MCPOCG
W-1WO1WOWO1–––
W-2CW2CWO2CWO2––CWO2
W-3CW3CWO3CWO3––CWO3
W-4CW4CWO4CWO4––CWO4
W-5CW5CWO5CWO5–––
O-12LT2ndLtENS2d Lt2d LtENS
O-21LT1stLtLTJG1st Lt1st LtLTJG
O-3CPTCaptLTCaptCaptLT
O-4MAJMajLCDRMajMajLCDR
O-5LTCLtColCDRLt ColLt ColCDR
O-6COLColCAPTColColCAPT
O-7BGBGenRDMLBrig GenBrig GenRDML
O-8MGMajGenRADMMaj GenMaj GenRADM
O-9LTGLtGenVADMLt GenLt GenVADM
O-10GENGenADMGenGenADM

Patterns that help

Officer abbreviations follow the title, so the only real choice is the style of each service: LTC, LtCol or Lt Col for a lieutenant colonel. Enlisted abbreviations add a letter for each step: SGT, SSG, SFC in the Army; Sgt, SSgt, GySgt, MSgt, MGySgt in the Marine Corps; SrA, SSgt, TSgt, MSgt, SMSgt, CMSgt in the Air Force. Navy petty officers count down the class while the grade goes up: PO3 is E-4, PO1 is E-6.

What is this rank called in another service?

Army Staff Sergeant (SSG) in the Air Force

Technical Sergeant

Pay gradeE-6
GroupNoncommissioned officer
AbbreviationTSgt

Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.

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Senior enlisted leaders

Each service's top enlisted member has an abbreviation of their own: SMA, SgtMajMC, MCPON, CMSAF, CMSSF and MCPOCG. The senior enlisted leaders page explains the posts.

Questions people ask

Why does the Army write SSG and the Marine Corps SSgt?

Each service sets its own style. The Army writes enlisted and officer abbreviations in capitals, while the Marine Corps writes them in mixed case, such as SSgt, GySgt and LtCol. Both are shown as such on the Department of War chart.

What do PV1 and PV2 mean?

They are the Army abbreviations for its two private grades: PV1 at E-1 and PV2 at E-2, which army.mil uses to tell the two apart. Above them comes PFC, private first class, at E-3. The Department of War chart writes no abbreviation for the E-1 private, which is why this site takes PV1 from the Army's own page.

How is chief warrant officer 2 abbreviated?

CW2 in the Army and CWO2 in the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Coast Guard, according to the Department of War chart. The same pattern runs from CW3 or CWO3 to CW5 or CWO5. The first warrant grade, warrant officer 1, is WO1 in the Army and the Navy and WO in the Marine Corps.

Look up next

Rank equivalents

One table, six services: the rank each service gives to every pay grade from E-1 to O-10.

Rank insignia and quiz

Chevrons, rockers, bars, leaves, eagles and stars: how to read an insignia, with a quiz on all six services.

Marine Corps ranks

Private to General: LCpl, Cpl, GySgt, MGySgt, warrant officers and officers, with insignia and pay.

Air Force ranks

Airman Basic to General: SrA, SSgt, TSgt, MSgt, CMSgt, the new warrant officers, insignia and pay.

Rank lookup

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Official pages behind this page

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Independent publisher of a rank, insignia and basic pay reference for the six US armed forces, built on the Department of War rank chart and the DFAS pay tables

Ranks and pay tables checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

Military ranks and basic pay 2026, read on the Department of War chart and the DFAS tables, last checked on