Army Rank

[Spiffums]

Can someone please point me to a good resource that explains Army rank?

I see everyone is a Spec-1 to 5 on the news mostly. I am sure they have changed things because when Dad got out of boot camp he was a Private and then when he got out of the school after that he was a Corporal. And then he made Sgt when he got sent to Vietnam.

I understand that rank is now based on testing and time in but it just seems odd that you never see anyone with a private stripe when they talk to people.

[austinN4]

Can someone please point me to a good resource that explains Army rank?
Copy and paste the quoted sentence and Google it.

[RogerinTPA]

Google works well:

http://www.militaryfactory.com/ranks/army_ranks.asp

[kry226]

Can someone please point me to a good resource that explains Army rank?

I see everyone is a Spec-1 to 5 on the news mostly. I am sure they have changed things because when Dad got out of boot camp he was a Private and then when he got out of the school after that he was a Corporal. And then he made Sgt when he got sent to Vietnam.

I understand that rank is now based on testing and time in but it just seems odd that you never see anyone with a private stripe when they talk to people.

I would add a couple of things:

1. There is no such thing as Spec 5 or above anymore. Only Spec 4 (Specialist actually) and then you get into hard stripes as the website above shows.

2. Army rank is not based on any testing that I know of. Promotion through E4 is done at the unit level based on time in grade/time in service and performance. Promotion to E5 and E6 is still done at the unit level, but is done through a decentralized board process where candidates appear before a panel of First Sergeants with the BN Command Sergeant Major as the board president. E7 and up is done through a centralized board process at the Department of the Army. Officer ranks are also done through a centralized board process at the Department of the Army based on year group and performance.

Hope this helps.

[Belmont31R]

I would add a couple of things:

1. There is no such thing as Spec 5 or above anymore. Only Spec 4 (Specialist actually) and then you get into hard stripes as the website above shows.

2. Army rank is not based on any testing that I know of. Promotion through E4 is done at the unit level based on time in grade/time in service and performance. Promotion to E5 and E6 is still done at the unit level, but is done through a decentralized board process where candidates appear before a panel of First Sergeants with the BN Command Sergeant Major as the board president. E7 and up is done through a centralized board process at the Department of the Army. Officer ranks are also done through a centralized board process at the Department of the Army based on year group and performance.

Hope this helps.


RE #2 theres no formal MOS tests or anything. I think the Navy does that. But Army you have to go before a board before you can get promoted so that is kind of a test, and then you have to go through WLC (formerly PLDC) for 2 weeks to 4 weeks depending on the school. Unless the rules have changed in the last year or so since I got out you have to do WLC within a year of being promoted. You also have to have accrued enough points through boards, awards, schools, college, etc, and points varies by MOS. I knew some cats in certain MOS's without a lot of people who the points were maxed out the entire time they were in, and even after 5-6 years of being in could never get promoted. I know in my MOS it was maxed out for a long time, and then dropped down for about 6 months to a reasonable level. Bunch of people got promoted, and then it shot back up. Other MOS's with lots of people like 11B, and high turn over rates its usually always low. Kinda sucks that some people can get promoted for basically breathing, and others have to do tons of extra classes and college outside of "work" just to have a SLIM chance of points dropping down for a month or two. IIRC our NBC guy fell into the never gonna get promoted unless someone ETS's trap, and despite doing good, two deployments, awards, lots of classes, etc never even came within a 100 points of what needed just to make E5. Its especially hard doing any extra schooling for a lot of people because of deployments, training, lack of facilities, etc. In the six years I was AD I had maybe about 6 months out of that to take classes, and they only allowed no more than 10 people to take classes at any one point. If you were not reenlisting they told people to go to college when they got out not on the Army's time.

[Spiffums]

I guess Google would have been a good starting point. But you guys are better at answering questions than Google.... just don't get the big head because of it.

[RogerinTPA]

I guess Google would have been a good starting point. But you guys are better at answering questions than Google.... just don't get the big head because of it.

We're all here to learn.

[Army Chief]

This may help ...

http://www.army.mil/symbols/Enlisteddescriptions.html

AC

[TehLlama]

AF has tests that can determine promotion, in addition to other items, not so MC/Army.

The only E-# that vary are E4 and E8/E9 Specialist or Corporal are E4, First Sergeants and Master Sergeants are E8, E9 are Sergeants Major or Command Sergeants Major.

[theblackknight]

RE #2 theres no formal MOS tests or anything. I think the Navy does that. But Army you have to go before a board before you can get promoted so that is kind of a test, and then you have to go through WLC (formerly PLDC) for 2 weeks to 4 weeks depending on the school. Unless the rules have changed in the last year or so since I got out you have to do WLC within a year of being promoted. You also have to have accrued enough points through boards, awards, schools, college, etc, and points varies by MOS. I knew some cats in certain MOS's without a lot of people who the points were maxed out the entire time they were in, and even after 5-6 years of being in could never get promoted. I know in my MOS it was maxed out for a long time, and then dropped down for about 6 months to a reasonable level. Bunch of people got promoted, and then it shot back up. Other MOS's with lots of people like 11B, and high turn over rates its usually always low. Kinda sucks that some people can get promoted for basically breathing, and others have to do tons of extra classes and college outside of "work" just to have a SLIM chance of points dropping down for a month or two. IIRC our NBC guy fell into the never gonna get promoted unless someone ETS's trap, and despite doing good, two deployments, awards, lots of classes, etc never even came within a 100 points of what needed just to make E5. Its especially hard doing any extra schooling for a lot of people because of deployments, training, lack of facilities, etc. In the six years I was AD I had maybe about 6 months out of that to take classes, and they only allowed no more than 10 people to take classes at any one point. If you were not reenlisting they told people to go to college when they got out not on the Army's time.


On the MC side , some MOS have such a rediculously high cutting score like grunts and MPs, that in 4 years, youll never pick up E4. this is known as Terminal Lance.

[Irish]

RE #2 theres no formal MOS tests or anything. I think the Navy does that.

You are correct. The Navy has formal tests for every rating/MOS once a year. There's everything from general knowledge about the Navy to very specific things in you're rate. For example - Knowing times & temps to properly heat treat certain metals and the proper nomenclature and S/N for a specific hydraulic fluid to an airplane in my case. It also depends on how long you've been in your paygrade and you can get "extra points" for other things. It's been a while so I don't remember all the specifics but you're testing against everyone else in the Navy who does your job and there are a set amount of available positions in each grade every year depending on how many they need.

[Irish]

On the MC side , some MOS have such a rediculously high cutting score like grunts and MPs, that in 4 years, youll never pick up E4. this is known as Terminal Lance.

Same thing, we called them Boatswains Mates :D