Pay grades
Commissioned officer ranks, O-1 to O-10
Ten grades, two sets of titles, one insignia logic. Company grade, field grade, generals and admirals, and the pay caps that flatten the top of the table.
Look up an officer rank
Navy, O-4 · Commissioned officer
Lieutenant Commander (LCDR)
Mid-grade officer
| Army | Major (MAJ) |
| Marine Corps | Major (Maj) |
| Air Force | Major (Maj) |
| Space Force | Major (Maj) |
| Coast Guard | Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) |
| 2026 basic pay, over 10 years | $9,420.00 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 O-4Commissioned officers hold the ten O grades, from O-1 to O-10. The Department of War chart calls them "the highest in the military": they hold presidential commissions and are confirmed at their ranks by the Senate. The Army, the Air Force, the Marine Corps and the Space Force use one set of titles, from second lieutenant to general; the Navy and the Coast Guard use another, from ensign to admiral, the two columns of title 37 of the US Code. The chart groups O-1 to O-3 as company grade officers, O-4 to O-6 as field grade officers and O-7 and above as general officers, with the naval terms junior grade, mid-grade and flag. Basic pay in 2026 starts at $4,150.20 a month for a new second lieutenant or ensign. From O-6 down it is capped at $15,408.30, and O-7 to O-10 at $18,999.90, the Executive Schedule rates for 2026.
What is this rank called in another service?
Army Colonel (COL) in the Coast Guard
Captain
| Pay grade | O-6 |
| Group | Mid-grade officer |
| Abbreviation | CAPT |
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
The ten grades in every service
| Grade | Army | Marine Corps | Air Force and Space Force | Navy and Coast Guard | 2026 starting pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O-1 | Second Lieutenant (2LT) | Second Lieutenant (2ndLt) | Second Lieutenant (2d Lt) | Ensign (ENS) | $4,150.20 |
| O-2 | First Lieutenant (1LT) | First Lieutenant (1stLt) | First Lieutenant (1st Lt) | Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) | $4,782.00 |
| O-3 | Captain (CPT) | Captain (Capt) | Captain (Capt) | Lieutenant (LT) | $5,534.10 |
| O-4 | Major (MAJ) | Major (Maj) | Major (Maj) | Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) | $6,294.60 |
| O-5 | Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) | Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) | Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) | Commander (CDR) | $7,295.40 |
| O-6 | Colonel (COL) | Colonel (Col) | Colonel (Col) | Captain (CAPT) | $8,751.30 |
| O-7 | Brigadier General (BG) | Brigadier General (BGen) | Brigadier General (Brig Gen) | Rear Admiral Lower Half (RDML) | $11,540.10 |
| O-8 | Major General (MG) | Major General (MajGen) | Major General (Maj Gen) | Rear Admiral Upper Half (RADM) | $13,888.50 |
| O-9 | Lieutenant General (LTG) | Lieutenant General (LtGen) | Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) | Vice Admiral (VADM) | $18,999.90 |
| O-10 | General (GEN) | General (Gen) | General (Gen) | Admiral (ADM) | $18,999.90 |
Bars, leaves, eagles and stars
Officer insignia follow one logic across services: one gold bar for O-1, one silver bar for O-2, two silver bars for O-3, a gold oak leaf for O-4, a silver oak leaf for O-5, an eagle for O-6, then one to four stars. Silver outranks gold at both steps where the shape repeats, a point the insignia quiz tests. Naval officers wear the same collar devices on khakis but stripes on shoulder boards and sleeves with other uniforms, as the chart explains.
When does basic pay rise in this grade?
O-4: rate changes in the 2026 table
11 steps
| 2 or less | $6,294.60 |
| Over 2 | $7,286.40 |
| Over 3 | $7,773.60 |
| Over 4 | $7,881.00 |
| Over 18 | $10,509.90 |
6 more steps in between; the full row is in the table on this page.
What officers lead
The Army ties each officer rank to a unit: a lieutenant leads a platoon of 16 to 44 Soldiers, a captain a company of 60 to 200, a lieutenant colonel a battalion of 300 to 1,000, a colonel a brigade of 1,500 to 3,200, a major general a division of 10,000 to 16,000 and a lieutenant general a corps of 20,000 to 40,000. The unit sizes page has the full ladder. Officers who served more than four years as enlisted members or warrant officers before their commission are paid from the separate O-1E to O-3E rows, which DFAS publishes with the officer table.