FAQ
What is the highest rank ever held?
In the United States, General of the Armies John J. Pershing, promoted in 1919, outranks all officers who followed, and George Washington was advanced posthumously in 1976 to rank first among them. No six star insignia was ever authorized. The Soviet rank of Generalissimo, held only by Stalin, is the rough analogue elsewhere.
Why did five-star ranks exist?
Congress created General of the Army and Fleet Admiral in December 1944 so American theater commanders would not be outranked by British field marshals in combined allied headquarters. Nine Americans held five stars. The ranks are dormant but not abolished, and Congress could revive them in a future war of comparable scale.
What is a CO?
CO stands for commanding officer, the officer holding command authority over a unit: a captain commanding a ship or company, a colonel commanding a brigade. The acronym contrasts with XO, the executive officer or second in command, and with NCO, a noncommissioned officer such as a sergeant or petty officer.
Where did saluting come from?
The hand salute descends from the medieval practice of raising an open hand, and later the visor, to show a friendly face and an empty weapon hand. European armies and navies formalized it in the eighteenth century, and the British naval palm-down salute reflects a tradition of hiding tar-stained palms. The US adopted the custom from European practice after the Revolution.
What is the difference between rank and grade?
Grade is the pay and seniority bracket, E-5 or O-3, fixed by law. Rank is the title worn within it, sergeant or captain. One grade can hold more than one rank: an Army E-8 may be a master sergeant or a first sergeant, and a naval E-9 a master chief or a command master chief, with different authority but identical grade.
How do promotion boards work?
Enlisted soldiers appear before local or central boards that weigh records, awards, schooling, and commander recommendations against quotas by specialty. Officers face centralized promotion boards that read a decade of evaluations, and general officer promotions require Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. Boards are competitive by design: the pyramid narrows sharply above each grade.