British Military Rank Abbreviations

50 abbreviations · part of Military Abbreviations

Rank and appointment abbreviations of the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, as used in Ministry of Defence documents, UK news reports and many Commonwealth forces. British usage writes most ranks in mixed case without full stops (LCpl, Lt Cdr, Sqn Ldr), gives many regiments their own title for a private soldier (gunner, sapper, trooper, rifleman, guardsman) and treats warrant officers as the most senior non-commissioned ranks rather than as junior officers. Ranks written identically in US usage, such as Maj, Col and Lt Gen, appear in the US Air Force and Marine Corps lists.

Abbreviation	Stands for	Description
2IC	Second-in-command	Deputy to a commander at any level in British and Commonwealth forces, from a section 2IC (often a lance corporal) to a battalion 2IC (a major).
AB	Able Seaman	Royal Navy rating at NATO grade OR-2, held by sailors who have completed basic and specialist training.
AC	Aircraftman	Lowest rank in the Royal Air Force, held by recruits during and immediately after basic training; women hold the title Aircraftwoman.
ACM	Air Chief Marshal	Four-star RAF rank at NATO grade OF-9, equivalent to a general or admiral.
Air Cdre	Air Commodore	One-star RAF rank at NATO grade OF-6, equivalent to a brigadier or commodore, marked by a single broad sleeve stripe.
AM	Air Marshal	Three-star RAF rank at NATO grade OF-8, equivalent to a lieutenant general or vice admiral.
AVM	Air Vice-Marshal	Two-star RAF rank at NATO grade OF-7, equivalent to a major general or rear admiral, marked by a broad stripe plus one narrower stripe.
Bdr	Bombardier	Royal Artillery rank equal to a corporal, NATO grade OR-4, marked by two chevrons.
Brig	Brigadier	British Army and Royal Marines rank above colonel and below major general, NATO grade OF-6, usually held by brigade commanders and senior staff officers.
CAPT	Captain (US Navy and Coast Guard)	Senior officer rank at pay grade O-6 in the Navy and Coast Guard, insignia a silver eagle or four gold sleeve stripes.
Cdre	Commodore	One-star officer rank in the Royal Navy and several other navies, NATO grade OF-6, above captain and below rear admiral.
Cfn	Craftsman	Soldiers of the lowest rank in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) are craftsmen, who repair and maintain the Army's vehicles, weapons…
CQMS	Company Quartermaster Sergeant	Staff or colour sergeant appointment responsible for a British company's stores, ammunition, rations and equipment, ensuring soldiers receive resupply in barracks and…
CSgt	Colour Sergeant	Senior non-commissioned rank in British infantry regiments and the Royal Marines, NATO grade OR-7, equivalent to staff sergeant in other corps.
CSM	Company Sergeant Major	Senior non-commissioned leader of a British Army infantry company, a Warrant Officer Class 2 responsible for discipline, administration and resupply.
Fg Off	Flying Officer	RAF commissioned rank at NATO grade OF-1, above pilot officer and equivalent to an army lieutenant, worn as a single sleeve stripe.
Flt Lt	Flight Lieutenant	RAF officer rank at NATO grade OF-2, equivalent to an army captain, worn as two sleeve stripes.
FM	Field Marshal	Highest rank of the British Army, a five-star rank (NATO OF-10) symbolized by a baton.
FS	Flight Sergeant	RAF senior non-commissioned rank at NATO grade OR-7, above sergeant, worn as three chevrons beneath a crown.
Fus	Fusilier	Infantry title for a private soldier in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, a British Army infantry regiment whose traditions date to the fusil-armed regiments of the late…
Gdsm	Guardsman	Private soldiers of the five Foot Guards regiments carry this title: the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards.
Gnr	Gunner	Private soldiers of the Royal Artillery, Royal Horse Artillery and the artillery of several Commonwealth armies hold this title.
Gp Capt	Group Captain	RAF officer rank at NATO grade OF-5, equivalent to an army colonel or naval captain, worn as four sleeve stripes.
LAC	Leading Aircraftman	RAF rank above aircraftman, held by airmen who have completed trade training, and marked by a two-bladed propeller badge on the sleeve.
LBdr	Lance Bombardier	Royal Artillery and Royal Horse Artillery equivalent of a lance corporal, wearing one chevron and serving as a junior NCO in a gun detachment or command post.
LCpl	Lance Corporal (US Marine Corps)	Pay grade E-3 in the Marine Corps, shown by one chevron above crossed rifles.
LH	Leading Hand	Royal Navy junior rate at NATO grade OR-4, officially called a leading rate, equivalent to a corporal.
LSgt	Lance Sergeant	Appointment held by corporals in the Foot Guards and the Honourable Artillery Company, who wear three chevrons and use the sergeants' mess.
LT	Lieutenant (US Navy and Coast Guard)	Sea-service officer rank at pay grade O-3 in the Navy and Coast Guard, worn as two silver bars or two gold sleeve stripes, equal to a captain in the Army, Air Force and…
Lt Cdr	Lieutenant Commander (Royal Navy)	Royal Navy officer rank at NATO grade OF-3, equivalent to an army major, worn as two and a half gold stripes.
Mid	Midshipman (Royal Navy)	Royal Navy officer under training at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, ranking below sub-lieutenant.
Mne	Marine (Royal Marines)	Basic rank of a Royal Marines commando, held on completing commando training at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, Lympstone, Devon, one of the longest…
MRAF	Marshal of the Royal Air Force	Five-star rank of the Royal Air Force, NATO grade OF-10, equivalent to a field marshal or admiral of the fleet.
OC	Officer Commanding	British and Commonwealth title for the commander of a sub-unit such as a company, squadron or battery, usually a major.
OCdt	Officer Cadet	Title of trainees on the Regular Commissioning Course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which lasts 44 weeks, and of officer trainees at the RAF and naval…
Plt Off	Pilot Officer	Lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, NATO grade OF-1, worn as a single thin sleeve stripe.
Pte	Private (British Army)	Basic rank of a British Army soldier, held on completion of initial training and placed at NATO grades OR-1 and OR-2.
Rfn	Rifleman	Used for private soldiers of The Rifles and the Royal Gurkha Rifles, regiments descended from the light infantry and rifle units of the Napoleonic era, when riflemen…
RQMS	Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant	Warrant Officer Class 2 appointment responsible for a British battalion's stores, equipment, rations and ammunition, working under the quartermaster.
RSM	Regimental Sergeant Major	Senior soldier of a British Army battalion or regiment, a Warrant Officer Class 1 who advises the commanding officer on discipline, standards and the welfare of soldiers.
SAC	Senior Aircraftman	RAF rank above leading aircraftman, marked by a three-bladed propeller badge.
Sig	Signaller	Junior soldier's title in the Royal Corps of Signals, the British Army's communications and information systems specialists.
SLt	Sub-Lieutenant	Junior commissioned rank in the Royal Navy and several Commonwealth navies, NATO grade OF-1, equivalent to an army second lieutenant or lieutenant.
Spr	Sapper	Private soldier of the Corps of Royal Engineers, the British Army's military engineers, who build bridges, clear mines, construct defences and demolish obstacles.
Sqn Ldr	Squadron Leader	RAF officer rank at NATO grade OF-3, equivalent to an army major, worn as two stripes with a thin stripe between them.
Tpr	Trooper	Private soldier's title in the cavalry and armoured regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps, the Household Cavalry, yeomanry units and the Special Air Service.
Wg Cdr	Wing Commander	RAF officer rank at NATO grade OF-4, equivalent to an army lieutenant colonel, worn as three sleeve stripes.
WO	Warrant Officer (US Marine Corps)	Marine Corps warrant rank at pay grade W-1, held by technical specialists selected from experienced enlisted Marines and appointed by warrant.
WO1	Warrant Officer Class 1 (British forces)	Most senior non-commissioned rank in the British Army and Royal Marines, NATO grade OR-9, identified by the Royal Arms badge.
WO2	Warrant Officer Class 2	Second-most senior non-commissioned rank in the British Army and Royal Marines, NATO grade OR-8, identified by a crown badge.

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