Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel

Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel

Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel

Updated January 7, 2026 (IF10684)

Grade and Rank

The Armed Forces are hierarchical organizations with clearly defined levels of authority. These different levels are called grades, while rank refers to the order of precedence among those in different grades and within the same grade (e.g., someone who has been a sergeant for three years outranks someone who has been a sergeant for two years). However, it is common for the term rank to be used as a synonym for grade. Pay grade is an administrative classification that determines certain rates of pay, but it is sometimes used to indicate grade as well. For example, a staff sergeant in the Army may also be referred to as an E-6. See Figure 1. The service secretaries manage the accession, promotion, and assignments of enlisted members under broad statutory authorities.

Numbers and Roles

Enlisted personnel and military service academy cadets and midshipmen make up about 82% of the Armed Forces, with officers making up the remaining 18%. Enlisted personnel rank below all officers. Table 1 lists the number of active-duty enlisted personnel in each pay grade.

Junior enlisted personnel (pay grades E-1 to E-4) typically work in small units across the Armed Forces. Individuals normally serve in these grades during their first enlistment term (usually four years). More senior enlisted personnel supervise them. Junior enlisted personnel make up about 50% of the enlisted workforce.

Mid-level noncommissioned officers (NCOs) (pay grades E-5 to E-7). NCOs have significantly more responsibility than junior enlisted personnel. They lead small units, typically ranging from a few to several dozen personnel, and serve as technical experts in their occupational specialties. NCOs at this level translate orders from their superior officers into action.

Senior noncommissioned officers (pay grades E-8 and E-9) typically serve as senior enlisted advisors to commanders or as staff NCOs. They also serve as a channel of support for the enlisted force in general. By law, the authorized daily average of enlisted personnel in pay grades E-8 and E-9 may not be more than 3.0% and 1.25%, respectively, of the number of enlisted members in a given service on the first day of the fiscal year. The statutory caps can be waived in certain circumstances (10 U.S.C. §517).

Insignia

As shown in Figure 1, each enlisted grade in the Armed Forces has distinctive insignia, typically worn on the sleeve, shoulder, collar, and/or headgear (caps, berets, helmets, etc.).

Table 1. Department of Defense Active-Duty Military Enlisted by Pay Grade (as of September 30, 2025)

Pay Grade

Army

Navy

Marine Corps

Air Force

Space Force

Total

E-9

3,468

2,954

1,618

2,433

63

10,536

E-8

10,551

6,883

3,834

5,085

147

26,500

E-7

35,348

24,021

8,237

23,193

665

91,464

E-6

57,033

52,277

14,409

37,750

1,042

162,511

E-5

66,040

72,728

24,641

51,405

1,047

215,861

E-4

95,338

45,049

30,874

67,159

749

239,169

E-3

57,124

37,344

39,235

47,817

1,212

182,732

E-2

24,948

26,470

16,669

9,771

233

78,091

E-1

8,161

13,090

12,217

8,999

178

42,645

Total

358,011

280,816

151,734

253,612

5,336

1,049,509

Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center, Active Duty Military Personnel by Service by Rank/Grade, September 2025.

Note: The Department of Defense is "using a secondary Department of War (DOW) designation," under Executive Order 14347, dated September 5, 2025.

Figure 1. Pay Grade, Grade, and Insignia of Enlisted Servicemembers

Source: CRS adaptation of Department of Defense web page: https://www.war.gov/Our-Story/Insignias/#enlisted-insignias. The U.S. Coast Guard, which normally falls under the Department of Homeland Security, uses the same names for enlisted ranks as the Navy.

Resources

Chapter 31 of Title 10, U.S. Code

Army Regulation 611-1, Military Occupational Classification Structure Development and Implementation.

NAVPERS 18068F, Volume 1, Manual of Navy Enlisted Manpower and Personnel Classifications and Occupational Standards.

U.S. Air Force, The Enlisted Force Structure, September 2025.