Here is a Jargon Buster showing some key information and all the different military ranks about the four branches of The Armed Forces.
The Armed Forces consists of:
-
Royal Navy - a blue-water navy with a fleet of
commissioned ships. -
Royal Marines - a highly specialised amphibious light
infantry force. - British Army - the UK’s principal land warfare branch.
-
Royal Air Force - technologically sophisticated air force
with a diverse operational fleet.
The British Armed Forces also include standing Forces, Regular Reserve, Volunteer Reserves and Sponsored Reserves.
Military Ranking Guide
The military rank system is hierarchical and conveys the authority and responsibility of the individual.
| Royal Navy | Royal Marines | British Army | RAF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral of the Fleet | Field-Marshal | Field-Marshal | Marshal of the Royal Air Force |
| Admiral | General | General | Air Chief Marshal |
| Vice-Admiral | Lieutenant-General | Lieutenant-General | Air Marshal |
| Rear-Admiral | Major-General | Major-General | Air Vice Marshal |
| Commodore | Brigadier | Brigadier | Air Commodore |
| Captain | Colonel | Colonel | Group Captain |
| Commander | Lieutenant-Colonel | Lieutenant-Colonel | Wing Commander |
| Lieutenant-Commander | Major | Major | Squadron Leader |
| Lieutenant | Captain | Captain | Flight Lieutenant |
| Sub-Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Flying Officer |
| Midshipman | 2nd Lieutenant | 2nd Lieutenant | Pilot Officer |
| Warrant Officer 1 | Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer |
| Warrant Officer 2 | Warrant Officer Class 2 | Warrant Officer Class 2 | N/A |
| Chief Petty Officer | Staff Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Flight Sergeant |
| Petty Officer | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant |
| Leading Hand | Corporal | Corporal | Corporal |
| N/A | Lance-Corporal | Lance-Corporal | Senior Aircraftman |
| Able Rate / Marine | N/A | N/a | Aircraftman |
| Able Rate | Private | Private | Aircraftman |
Additional Information:
- The Royal Marines are part of the Royal Navy but use the rank structure of the British Army. To distinguish Royal Marines from their Army colleagues, their name should be followed by the words ‘Royal Marines’ or ‘RM’ – for example, ‘Lt Jack Smith Royal Marines’ or ‘Sgt Tom Brown RM’.
- To distinguish naval ranks from Army ranks, such as captain and lieutenant, all Royal Navy officer ranks below admiral (midshipman all the way up to commodore) are followed by the words ‘Royal Navy’ or ‘RN’ – for example, ‘Lt Jack Smith Royal Navy’ or ‘Lt Jack Smith RN’.
- The term ‘officer’ refers to someone with a commission. Warrant officers do not hold one. The same applies to Royal Navy chief petty officers and petty officers.