Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel
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Updated December 3, 2024
Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel
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 Department of Defense. 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. If the number of E-9s is below the cap, the difference may be applied to increase the number of E-8s. 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 August 31, 2024)
Pay
Grade
Services
Total Army Navy Marine Corps Air Force Space Force
E-9 3,475 2,831 1,696 2,457 50 10,337
E-8 10,402 7,112 4,035 4,805 135 26,739
E-7 35,173 23,760 8,737 22,704 617 88,589
E-6 56,866 51,565 13,292 38,743 834 164,726
E-5 66,138 72,249 23,779 52,813 1,065 217,374
E-4 97,220 53,714 31,347 68,439 771 249,741
E-3 49,546 29,189 38,429 44,126 997 162,594
E-2 21,414 16,551 16,757 8,967 207 63,975
E-1 9,807 13,569 11,985 8,935 222 40,609
Total 350,041 270,540 150,057 251,989 4,898 1,024,684
Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center, Active Duty Military Personnel by Service by Rank/Grade, August 2024.
Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Figure 1. Pay Grade, Grade, and Insignia of Enlisted Servicemembers
Source: CRS adaptation of Department of Defense web page: https://dod.defense.gov/About/Insignias/Enlisted/, 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.C.
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, May 2022.
Kristy N. Kamarck, Specialist in Military Manpower Carly A. Miller, Research Librarian
IF10684
Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10684 · VERSION 17 · UPDATED
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