Do You Know the Military Ranks of the United States?

By: J. Reinoehl
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Do You Know the Military Ranks of the United States?
Image: YouTube

About This Quiz

The brave men and women who have joined the ranks of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard have one thing in common. They risk their lives to keep us safe. They are heroes, no matter their rank or station. But once you've joined one of the branches of service, there is specific nomenclature that is unique to each branch. For instance, in which branch would you find a Gunnery Sergeant? It happens to be in only one. Then take your knowledge and apply it to this quiz. You may be pleasantly surprised at how well you do. Carry on!

You'll find when reviewing each branch of service there are generalities, too. For instance, do you know the two branches that share the same rank names for Commissioned Officers? It only happens during a time of engagement and war when one branch becomes engulfed in another. Whereas, the Army, Air Force, and Marines share their own set of commissioned officer ranks. Do you know the lowest officer rank in the Army? How about the highest rank? Most branches are different and it can become confusing. Will it be easy for you? Test your service savvy by taking the quiz right now. Just click the button below. Dis...missed!

Which of the following ranks is the highest?
Master Sergeant.
Corporal.
Sergeant Major.
Sergeant First Class.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The President of the United States is the head of the military. Even the highest ranking person in the military is under the President in rank.

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Which of the following is a Navy rank?
Brigadier General.
Gunnery Sergeant.
Lieutenant Colonel.
Lieutenant Commander.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the Navy, the term "rank" is reserved for officers. "Rate" is used for enlisted members.

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Which of the following is the rank of an enlisted person (non-commissioned officer)?
Rear Admiral.
Sergeant.
Captain.
Lieutenant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) rises through the ranks without a Presidential appointment. However, the top ranks of the NCO hierarchy are limited by Congress to only 2.5% of all the enlisted members of that branch, which makes upper level ranks competitive positions.

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Which rank is an E-5 pay grade in the Navy?
Chief Petty Officer.
Petty Officer First Class.
Petty Officer Second Class.
Petty Officer Third Class.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

October 13, 1775, is recognized as the foundation of the Navy when the Continental Congress ordered two ships outfitted to intercept enemy ships. On December 22, 1775, the Continental Congress increased the number of vessels and appointed commissioned officers to oversee their operation.

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Which two branches share the same rank names for Commissioned Officers?
Navy—Coast Guard.
Navy—Marines.
Marines—Coast Guard.
Air Force—Coast Guard.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Coast Guard becomes a part of the Navy in times of war. The Army, Air Force, and Marines share their own set of commissioned officer rank names.

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Which of the following is the lowest rank?
Chief Master Sergeant.
Technical Sergeant.
Master Sergeant.
Senior Master Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps (precursor of the United States Air Force) was created August 1, 1907. Its primary duties during its early years and World War I were to research and develop aviation and to provide the Army with tactical support.

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Which of the following is an Army rank?
Master Gunnery Sergeant.
Senior Airman.
Sergeant First Class.
Seaman.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army… We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die." –George Washington, July 2, 1776

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What is the highest enlisted soldier rank you can obtain in the Marines?
Master Sergeant of the Marine Corps.
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.
Chief Technical Sergeant of the Marine Corps.
Master Petty Officer of the Marine Corps.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Marine headquarters in Arlington, VA, is known as Disneyland East to Marines. Semper Fi is the shortened version of the Marines' motto, "Semper Fidelis," which means "always faithful."

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What is the lowest officer rank of the Army?
Lieutenant Colonel.
Colonel.
First Lieutenant.
Second Lieutenant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

George Washington was commissioned as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army June 19, 1775. He was one of the first revolutionary leaders in history to resign his commission instead of taking control of the government at the end of the revolution. He resigned his commission December 23, 1783, and became the first president April 30, 1789.

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Which of the following ranks is the highest?
Lance Corporal.
Master Gunnery Sergeant.
Master Sergeant.
Gunnery Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Semper Gumby" is a play on Semper Fidelis. It means "always flexible."

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Which of the following is an Air Force rank?
Chief Petty Officer.
Sergeant Major of the Air Force.
Wing Sergeant.
Technical Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The United States has almost 14,000 aircraft (including helicopters) in operation across all branches of the military. There are currently about 1.5 million members of the military with an additional 800,000 in the reserves.

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Which of the following is an officer rank?
Colonel.
Corporal.
Sergeant.
Ace Pilot.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

George Washington was a Major General during the Revolutionary War and promoted to Lieutenant General (a three-star rank) afterward. Gerald Ford addressed the problem of four- and five-star generals out-ranking him by posthumously promoting Washington to General of the Armies and declaring no other officer should ever outrank him.

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Which rank uses an emblem that looks like a star surrounded by a circle with three pairs of wings coming out of it?
Petty Officer Third Class.
Senior Airman.
Corporal.
Gunnery Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"And then, when I thought about joining the Air Force, flying seemed like a natural extension of the motorcycling experience. You're going faster, higher. You're operating a machine that's a lot more powerful than you are." –Duane G. Carey

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Which of the following would be the highest rank?
Non-commissioned Officer.
Warrant Officer.
Commissioned Officer.
Swabbie.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Commissioned officers receive their commission from the President. They rank higher than Non-Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers and can achieve higher ranks than Limited Duty Officers.

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Which of the following is an O-3 pay grade?
Major.
Rear Admiral.
Captain.
Brigadier General.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A Captain for the Army, Air Force, and Marines is an O-3 pay grade. A Lieutenant in the Navy or Coast Guard is an O-3 pay grade.

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What is the difference between an enlisted man and an officer?
Officers fight the battles while enlisted soldiers plan them.
You have to have several personal referrals from military family members to become an officer.
Officers are allowed to get drunk on duty, and enlisted soldiers are not.
Enlisted soldiers are like employees and officers are like military managers.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Enlisted soldiers perform most of the tasks and duties in the military. Commissioned Officers are troop managers and assign the soldiers to tasks, plan missions, and give orders.

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Which of the following is the lowest rank?
Ensign.
Rear Admiral.
Commander.
Captain.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "ensign" means "flag bearer." Initially, bearing the flag was the ensign's job for both land and sea troops.

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Which of the following is a Marines rank?
Sergeant First Class.
Petty Officer First Class.
Force Command Master Chief Petty Officer.
Gunnery Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"We have only one mission to perform—that is to fight and win. And we must do it better than anyone else." –Lieutenant General Leslie E. Brown (U. S. Marine aviator in WW II)

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Which of the following ranks is the highest?
First Sergeant
Sergeant First Class.
Chief Master Sergeant.
Supreme Petty Officer.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

SOWTs (Special Operations Weather Teams) are one of the several special operations units within the Air Force. In addition to general reconnaissance missions, they collect weather-related data in hostile environments.

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Which of the following is an Army rank?
Master Gunnery Sergeant.
Master Chief Petty Officer.
Chief Master Sergeant.
Command Sergeant Major.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Twenty-six of the 44 presidents served in the military of which they became head when taking their Presidential oath. President James Buchanan was the only president to be an enlisted soldier; he obtained the rank of private in the Pennsylvania State Militia during the War of 1812.

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Which rank is an E-7 pay grade in the Navy?
Senior Airman.
Master Chief Petty Officer.
Chief Petty Officer.
Staff Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Submarine warfare was first attempted during the Revolutionary War with the invention of the submersible, Turtle. The Turtle was David Bushnell's attempt to aid the war effort by planting bombs on the undersides of harbored ships. Although he made several attempts in the machine, none of them were successful.

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Which of the following branches do not have warrant officers in its ranks?
Marines.
Air Force.
Navy .
Army.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Actor Jimmy Stewart was drafted into the Army during World War II but failed to meet the requirements. He later enlisted in the Army Air Corps and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. His performance in "It's a Wonderful Life" was his first after the war.

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Which of the following is an enlisted rank?
Captain.
Specialist.
Commander.
Lieutenant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As of 2017, the Army has about one million soldiers (including reserves). Its colors are black and gold.

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Which of the following is the lowest rank?
Corporal.
Lance Corporal.
Gunnery Sergeant.
Staff Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Continental Congress established the Continental Marines in 1775 shortly after the creation of the Continental Army and Navy. Congress created the United States Marine Corps July 11, 1798 to develop forces that would be used in the War of 1812.

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Which of the following is a Coast Guard rank?
Airman.
Salty.
Seaman.
Private First Class.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unlike the National Guard which is a reserve unit of the Army that answers to both the state (militia) and federal military, the Coast Guard is an active duty unit. Those in the Coast Guard are employed every day instead of once a month.

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What is the highest officer rank you can obtain in the Air Force?
Chief Warrant Officer 5.
General of the Air Force.
General of the Army
Fleet Admiral.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the Air Force, you visit the DFAC (Dining Facility) to eat as opposed to a Chow Hall or Mess Tent. You "pull the chocks" when you are ready to leave a place.

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What is the lowest enlisted rank in the Navy?
Seaman Recruit.
Seamen Zero Class.
Seaman.
Seaman Apprentice.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace." –Theodore Roosevelt

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Which of the following ranks is the highest?
Staff Sergeant.
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
Lance Corporal.
Senior Chief Petty Officer.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although the Air Force requires the highest ASVAB score with a GED (65) in order to enlist, it requires the second highest score with a high school diploma (36). The Coast Guard requires the highest diploma score (40).

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Which of the following is a Marines rank?
Sergeant First Class
Specialist
Technical Sergeant
Gunnery Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Navajo code talkers of World War II were recruited by the Marines to communicate for troops in the Pacific. Prior to the war, other American Indians had been used to create codes, but the Navajo language remained virtually unstudied. Navajo's were incorporated and could transmit a coded message in a few minutes as compared to the hours it would normally take.

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Which of the following is a commissioned officer rank?
Admiral.
Sergeant.
Airman
Corporal.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first modern Naval submarine was the USS Holland (SS-1), which launched May 17, 1897. The Navy currently has 70 submarines in service.

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Which rank uses an emblem that looks like an eagle?
Major.
Colonel.
Master Sergeant.
Staff Sergeant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many famous people made time to serve their country in the military. Some of them include: Kirk Douglas (Navy), Montel Williams (Marines), Charlton Heston (Air Force), Jesse Ventura (Navy), James Earl Jones (Army), Nathaniel Dwayne Hale "Nate Dogg" (Marines), M. C. Hammer (Navy), Ice-T (Army), Johnny Cash (Air Force), Mel Brooks (Army), Morgan Freeman (Air Force), and Orville Richard Burrell "Shaggy" (Marines).

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Which of the following is an O-5 pay grade?
Vice Admiral.
Lieutenant.
Commander.
Captain.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Limited Duty Officers are used by the Marines and Navy and are the only officers not required to have a bachelor's degree. Limited Duty Officers have all the same responsibilities and authority of regular officers, but they cannot achieve a rank higher than O-6 in the Navy and O-5 in the Marines.

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What is the difference between a warrant officer and a commissioned officer?
Warrant Officers are responsible for writing military advertisements and political propaganda against foreign states.
A Warrant Officer only deals with legal military matters, such as military judges and lawyers.
Warrant Officers are all military police.
Warrant Officers began as enlisted personnel.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Enlisted personnel who want to become officers after obtaining their college degree can choose to become Warrant Officers or Commissioned Officers. Warrant Officers are considered experts in their fields and may train others.

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Which of the following is the lowest rank?
Private First Class.
Private (PV2).
Corporal.
Specialist.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Currently, the biggest helicopter used by the U. S. Army is the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. It can hold 33 fully equipped soldiers and carry a sling with 26,000 pounds of cargo in it.

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Which of the following ranks uses an emblem with four stars?
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
Sergeant Major.
Major General.
Admiral.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The latest Ford-class aircraft carriers are estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion (USD). Congress has mandated the U. S. maintains at least 11 operational aircraft carriers.

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