Senior Airman
A junior enlisted grade of the US Air Force, E-4 and NATO OR-4, the senior airman of the apprentice ranks.
Overview
Senior Airman wears three chevrons and marks the top of the junior enlisted ladder in the Air Force, which unlike the Army does not automatically make E-4 a noncommissioned officer. SrA promotion follows time in grade and commander endorsement, and the grade carries journeyman skill expectations in the airman specialty. From here the ladder forks: selection to staff sergeant, E-5, opens the NCO corps, while senior airmen continue technical mastery. E-4 aligns with OR-4 across NATO. The rank was created in 1976 when the service reorganized its enlisted grades.
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