Ranks by service

Space Force ranks in order

Specialist 1 to general: the youngest service's titles, how they match the Air Force's, the insignia and the 2026 pay of each grade.

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Used for the 2026 basic pay only.

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Space Force, E-4 · Enlisted

Specialist 4 (Spc4)

Junior enlisted

Space Force Specialist 4 insignia
Specialist 4
ArmySpecialist (SPC)
Marine CorpsCorporal (Cpl)
NavyPetty Officer Third Class (PO3)
Air ForceSenior Airman (SrA)
Coast GuardPetty Officer Third Class (PO3)
2026 basic pay, over 4 years$3,658.50 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-4

The Space Force has 20 rank titles on the Department of War chart. Its four junior enlisted grades are numbered specialists: specialist 1 (Spc1) at E-1 to specialist 4 (Spc4) at E-4. From E-5 the titles follow the Air Force's NCO ladder with one change: the Space Force E-5 is a sergeant (Sgt), where the Air Force has a staff sergeant; then technical sergeant (TSgt), master sergeant (MSgt), senior master sergeant (SMSgt) and chief master sergeant (CMSgt), with one Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force at the top. The service has no warrant officers. Its officers use the Air Force titles and abbreviations, from second lieutenant (2d Lt) to general (Gen); title 37 of the US Code assigns them to pay grades by the same titles. The Space Force belongs to the Department of the Air Force, and its members are paid from the same DFAS tables as everyone else.

What is this rank called in another service?

Space Force Master Sergeant (MSgt) in the Navy

Chief Petty Officer

Pay gradeE-7
GroupChief petty officer
AbbreviationCPO

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

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Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Specialists 1 to 4

The numbered specialist titles replace the airman titles of the Air Force at E-1 to E-4. A specialist 4 is the equivalent of an Air Force senior airman, an Army specialist and a Marine corporal: all E-4, all paid $3,142.20 a month at the start in 2026. The Department of War chart shows Space Force enlisted insignia of their own from E-2 up.

What is this rank called in another service?

Space Force Specialist 4 (Spc4) in the Marine Corps

Corporal

Pay gradeE-4
GroupJunior enlisted
AbbreviationCpl

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

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Officers

Space Force officers hold the same grades and titles as Air Force officers. The chart shows them with the Air Force images, and this site does the same, saying so in each table. The Chief of Space Operations is one of the officers named in the DFAS note on the O-7 to O-10 pay cap.

Space Force enlisted ranks, E-1 to E-9

U.S. Space Force, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
E-1Specialist 1Spc1$2,407.20
E-2Specialist 2Spc2Space Force Specialist 2$2,697.90
E-3Specialist 3Spc3Space Force Specialist 3$2,836.80
E-4Specialist 4Spc4Space Force Specialist 4$3,142.20
E-5SergeantSgtSpace Force Sergeant$3,342.90
E-6Technical SergeantTSgtSpace Force Technical Sergeant$3,401.10
E-7Master SergeantMSgtSpace Force Master Sergeant$3,932.10
E-8Senior Master SergeantSMSgtSpace Force Senior Master Sergeant$5,656.50
E-9Chief Master SergeantCMSgtSpace Force Chief Master Sergeant$6,910.20
E-9Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force (one person)CMSSFSpace Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force$6,910.20

Space Force warrant officer ranks

The Space Force has no warrant officers on the Department of War chart: its officer ladder starts at O-1.

Space Force officer ranks, O-1 to O-10

U.S. Space Force, Department of War chart read on November 1, 2026; pay from the DFAS 2026 tables at the first length of service with a rate.
Pay gradeRankAbbreviationInsignia2026 starting basic pay
O-1Second Lieutenant2d LtSpace Force Second Lieutenant$4,150.20
O-2First Lieutenant1st LtSpace Force First Lieutenant$4,782.00
O-3CaptainCaptSpace Force Captain$5,534.10
O-4MajorMajSpace Force Major$6,294.60
O-5Lieutenant ColonelLt ColSpace Force Lieutenant Colonel$7,295.40
O-6ColonelColSpace Force Colonel$8,751.30
O-7Brigadier GeneralBrig GenSpace Force Brigadier General$11,540.10
O-8Major GeneralMaj GenSpace Force Major General$13,888.50
O-9Lieutenant GeneralLt GenSpace Force Lieutenant General$18,999.90
O-10GeneralGenSpace Force General$18,999.90

Questions people ask

How many ranks does the Space Force have?

The Department of War chart lists 20 Space Force titles from E-1 to O-10, counting positions that share a pay grade, such as Chief Master Sergeant and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force at E-9. None of them is a warrant officer title. Each title is in the tables on this page with its abbreviation.

What is the highest enlisted rank in the Space Force?

Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) at pay grade E-9, and above it a single post, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, the senior enlisted leader of the service, paid a flat $11,166.90 a month in 2026. Below it comes Senior Master Sergeant at E-8. Since rank between services follows the pay grade, the top enlisted grade is E-9 in every service, with the same basic pay table.

Does the Space Force pay differently from the other services?

No. Basic pay comes from the same DFAS tables in all six services and depends only on pay grade and years of service. A Space Force specialist 4 at E-4 with four years of service earns $3,658.50 a month in 2026, exactly what any other E-4 with four years earns. Allowances and special pays can differ by job and location.

Look up next

Rank lookup

Pick a service and a pay grade: the rank title, its insignia, its equivalents and its 2026 basic pay.

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.

2026 pay chart

Every 2026 basic pay rate, E-1 to O-10, by years of service, with the calculator and the DFAS notes.

Army ranks

Private to General: the insignia, abbreviations, unit sizes and 2026 pay of every Army rank.

Marine Corps ranks

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

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