US Air Force Ranks, Pay Grade, NATO Codes
Commissioned Officer
The commissioned officer ranks of the USAF are divided into three sections: company grade, field grade, and general officers. Company grade officers are those officers in pay grades O-1 to O-3, while field grade officers are those in pay grades O-4 to O-6, and general officers are those in pay grades of O-7 and above. If you want to learn more about the US Air Force visit the US Air Force History and Facts Page
Second Lieutenant
In the United States, second lieutenant is typically the entry-level rank for most commissioned officers.
In the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, a second lieutenant typically leads a platoon-size element (16 to 44 soldiers or marines). In the Army, the rank bore no insignia until December 1917, when a gold bar was introduced to contrast with the silver bar of a first lieutenant.
In the U.S. Air Force, a second lieutenant may supervise flights of varying sizes, depending upon the career field, as a flight commander or assistant flight commander or may work in a variety of administrative positions at the squadron, group, or wing level.
What is the Pay Grade for Second Lieutenant: O-1
What is the abbreviation for Second Lieutenant: 2d Lt
What is the NATO Code for Second Lieutenant: OF-1
First Lieutenant
The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank. In navies it may relate to a particular post rather than a rank.
What is the Pay Grade for First Lieutenant: O-2
What is the abbreviation for First Lieutenant: 1st Lt
What is the NATO Code for First Lieutenant: OF-1
Captain
In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, and the United States Air Force, captain is a company grade officer rank, with the pay grade of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the other uniformed services. The insignia for the rank consists of two silver bars, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version.
What is the Pay Grade for Captain: O-3
What is the abbreviation for Captain: Capt
What is the NATO Code for Captain: OF-2
Major
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant commander in the other uniformed services.
What is the Pay Grade for Major: O-4
What is the abbreviation for Major: Maj
What is the NATO Code for Major: OF-3
Lieutenant Colonel
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the rank of commander in the other uniformed services.
What is the Pay Grade for Lieutenant Colonel: O-5
What is the abbreviation for Lieutenant Colonel: Lt Col
What is the NATO Code for Lieutenant Colonel: OF-4
Colonel
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the rank of captain in the other uniformed services–the Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps.
What is the Pay Grade for Colonel: O-6
What is the abbreviation for Colonel: Col
What is the NATO Code for Colonel: OF-5
Brigadier General
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services.
What is the Pay Grade for Brigadier General: O-7
What is the abbreviation for Brigadier General: Brig Gen
What is the NATO Code for Brigadier General: OF-6
Major General
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general. Major general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services, and is the highest permanent rank during peacetime in the uniformed services.
What is the Pay Grade for Major General: O-8
What is the abbreviation for Major General: Maj Gen
What is the NATO Code for Major General: OF-7
Lieutenant General
In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general. Lieutenant general is equivalent to the rank of vice admiral in the other uniformed services.
What is the Pay Grade for Lieutenant General: O-9
What is the abbreviation for Lieutenant General: Lt Gen
What is the NATO Code for Lieutenant General: OF-8
General
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an established grade above general. General is equivalent to the rank of admiral in the other uniformed services. Since the grades of General of the Army and General of the Air Force are reserved for war-time use only, and since the Marine Corps has no five-star equivalent, the grade of general is currently considered to be the highest appointment an officer can achieve in these three services.
What is the Pay Grade for General: O-10
What is the abbreviation for General: Gen
What is the NATO Code for General: OF-9
General of the Air Force
General of the Air Force is a five-star general officer rank and is the highest possible rank in the United States Air Force. General of the Air Force ranks immediately above a general and is equivalent to General of the Army in the United States Army and Fleet Admiral in the United States Navy; there is no established equivalent five-star rank in the other four uniformed services. The General of the Air Force rank is reserved for war-time use only and the grade is not currently active.
What is the Pay Grade for General of the Air Force: Special
What is the abbreviation for General of the Air Force: GOAF
What is the NATO Code for General of the Air Force: OF-10
Enlisted Airmen
Enlisted members of the USAF have pay grades from E-1 (entry level) to E-9 (senior enlisted). While all USAF military personnel are referred to as Airmen, the term also refers to the pay grades of E-1 through E-4, which are below the level of non-commissioned officers (NCOs). Above the pay grade of E-4 (i.e., pay grades E-5 through E-9) all ranks fall into the category of NCO and are further subdivided into NCOs (pay grades E-5 and E-6) and Senior NCOs (pay grades E-7 through E-9); the term Junior NCO is sometimes used to refer to staff sergeants and technical sergeants (pay grades E-5 and E-6).
Airman Basic
Airman Basic (AB) is the lowest enlisted rank in the United States Air Force (USAF), immediately below Airman. The pay grade for Airman Basic is E-1.
As opposed to all other USAF enlisted and officer ranks, Airman Basic has no rank insignia affiliated. The lack of uniform insignia for Airmen Basic is the impetus for the nickname “slick-sleeve”, in contrast to all other enlisted Air Force ranks which wear their stripes/chevrons on their uniform sleeves.
What is the Pay Grade for Airman Basic: E-1
What is the abbreviation for Airman Basic: AB
What is the NATO Code for Airman Basic: OR-1
Airman
Airman is a term used to refer to any person enlisted in the United States Air Force or Other Ranks in the Royal Air Force. It is also a specific enlisted man’s rank in the U.S. Air Force. More informally, it can refer to any member of an air force, or to any pilot, aviator, or aircrewman, military or civilian, male or female. When capitalized, “Airman” can mean any member of the U.S. Air Force, enlisted and/or officer, just as all members of the U.S. Marine Corps are known as “Marines”, and almost all members of the U.S. Navy are known as “Sailors”.
What is the Pay Grade for Airman: E-2
What is the abbreviation for Airman: Amn
What is the NATO Code for Airman: OR-2
Airman First Class
Airman 1st Class (A1C) is the third enlisted rank (E-3) in the United States Air Force, just above Airman and below Senior Airman. The rank of Airman First Class is considered a junior enlisted rank, with the noncommissioned officers (NCO) and senior noncommissioned officers (SNCO) above it.
Promotion to A1C occurs upon one or more of the following: 10 months time in the grade of Airman (or earlier for airmen with specific specialties), completion of three years of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) sponsored by any of the four wings of the service, completion of two years of college-level Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), earning the General H. H. “Hap” Arnold Achievement in Civil Air Patrol, completion of 45 or more college credit hours, or agreeing to an extended-length enlistment (normally at least six years). Those personnel who qualify for these early promotions to Airman First Class wear the insignia of this rank during their basic training graduation ceremonies at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, except for those who signed up for extend enlistment, who receive their promotions to Airman First Class after graduation from their technical training schools. Enlistees who have signed up for initial six-year enlistment periods have usually qualified and done so in return for a guarantee of up two two years of training in Department of Defense and Air Force schools in highly-technical specialties such as electronics, weapons systems, physician’s assistant, or nursing. To qualify for all of this, the enlistee must have graduated from high school and scored highly on Air Force technical aptitude tests. On the bottom line, they spend up to two years in training at the expense of the Air Force, and then they pay back by serving at least an additional four years after their schooling. They also get early promotion to Airman First Class and the E-3 pay grade as additional compensation.
What is the Pay Grade for Airman First Class: E-3
What is the abbreviation for Airman First Class: A1C
What is the NATO Code for Airman First Class: OR-3
Senior Airman
Senior Airman (SrA) is the fourth enlisted rank in the United States Air Force, just above Airman First Class and below Staff Sergeant. It has a pay grade of E-4.
The Air Force promotes an Airman First Class (A1C) to Senior Airman upon a commander’s recommendation after 36 months time in service and 20 months time in the grade of A1C, or 28 months time in A1C, whichever comes first. Outstanding Airmen First Class, limited to no more than 15 percent of the total, may be promoted to Senior Airmen six months early, in a competitive process called Below-the-Zone (BTZ) which normally involves going before a competitive board. Senior Airmen are expected to be technically proficient and begin to develop leadership skills, and may be expected to supervise an airman of lesser rank.
Senior Airmen must attend the five-week Airman Leadership School (ALS), the first course of the Air Force’s College of Enlisted Professional Military Education, before being promoted to Staff Sergeant.
What is the Pay Grade for Senior Airman: E-4
What is the abbreviation for Senior Airman:SrA
What is the NATO Code for Senior Airman: OR-4
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries. The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.
What is the Pay Grade for Staff Sergeant: E-5
What is the abbreviation for Staff Sergeant: SSrA
What is the NATO Code for Staff Sergeant: OR-5
Technical Sergeant
Technical Sergeant, or Tech Sergeant, is the sixth enlisted rank (E-6) in the U.S. Air Force, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant. A technical sergeant is a non-commissioned officer and abbreviated as TSgt. Official terms of address are “Technical Sergeant” or “Sergeant”, although many use “Tech Sergeant”.
Within the enlisted Air Force, promotion to TSgt has historically been the second most difficult rank to achieve (only the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, capped by Federal law, has lower promotion rates) and is the most difficult promotion most career Air Force members achieve. To be considered for a promotion to Technical Sergeant, a Staff Sergeant must have 6 years time in service and 24 months time in grade, however, 10-12 years time in service is normally when this grade is reached. Technical Sergeants provide technical mentorship to junior enlisted members in preparation for entry into the senior noncommissioned tier and promotion to the rank of Master Sergeant.
What is the Pay Grade for Technical Sergeant: E-6
What is the abbreviation for Technical Sergeant: TSgt
What is the NATO Code for Technical Sergeant: OR-6
Master Sergeant
he eighth enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, just above sergeant first class, below sergeant major, and equal in grade but not authority to first sergeant. It is abbreviated as “MSG” and indicated by three chevrons above three rockers.
What is the Pay Grade for Master Sergeant: E-7
What is the abbreviation for Master Sergeant: MSgt
What is the NATO Code for Master Sergeant: OR-7
Senior Master Sergeant
Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) is the eighth enlisted rank (pay grade E-8) in the U.S. Air Force, just above Master Sergeant and below Chief Master Sergeant and is a senior non-commissioned officer (SNCO).
According to Air Force Instruction 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure: SMSgts are key, experienced, operational leaders, skilled at merging their personnel’s talents, skills, and resources with other teams’ functions to most effectively accomplish the mission. SMSgts continue to develop their leadership and management skills in preparation for expanded responsibilities and higher leadership positions. SMSgts normally operate at the operational level of leadership.
What is the Pay Grade for Senior Master Sergeant: E-8
What is the abbreviation for Senior Master Sergeant: SMSgt
What is the NATO Code for Senior Master Sergeant: OR-8
Chief Master Sergeant
Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Master Sergeant, and is a non-commissioned officer. The official term of address is Chief Master Sergeant or Chief.
Attaining the rank of Chief Master Sergeant is the pinnacle of an Air Force enlisted member’s career. Some Chief Master Sergeants manage the efforts of all enlisted personnel within their unit or major subsection thereof, while others run major staff functions at higher headquarters levels. All Chief Master Sergeants are expected to serve as mentors for company-grade and field-grade commissioned officers, as well as noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted members, and to serve as advisors to unit commanders and senior officers.
What is the Pay Grade for Chief Master Sergeant: E-9
What is the abbreviation for Chief Master Sergeant: CMSgt
What is the NATO Code for Chief Master Sergeant: OR-9
Command Chief Master Sergeant
The position of Command Chief Master Sergeant (CCM) was renamed in November 1998. Formerly titled Senior Enlisted Advisor, Command Chief Master Sergeants serve as senior advisors to commanders at Wing, Numbered Air Force (NAF), Field Operating Agency (FOA), and Major Command (MAJCOM) levels. In a Joint command, when an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant fills a DoD-nominative Command Senior Enlisted Leader position (see Note), that individual is also designated as a Command Chief Master Sergeant. Command Chiefs advise the Commander on all enlisted matters, including all issues affecting the command’s mission and operations, and the readiness, training, utilization, morale, technical and professional development, and quality of life of all enlisted members in the organization. Command Chiefs are the functional managers for all Chief Master Sergeants and First Sergeants in their entire command/organization.
What is the Pay Grade for Command Chief Master Sergeant: E-9
What is the abbreviation for Command Chief Master Sergeant: CCM
What is the NATO Code for Command Chief Master Sergeant: OR-9
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF) is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Air Force. The holder of this rank and post represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force, and as such, provides direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. The CMSAF is appointed by the Air Force Chief of Staff (AF/CC) and serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force.
What is the Pay Grade for Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force: E-9
What is the abbreviation for Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force: CMSAF
What is the NATO Code for Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force: OR-9
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