The table below lists all the standard ranks in the u. Browse through the acronym list letter by letter or use the search box to quickly look up an acronym and its meaning. For example, afc can mean the australian flying corps or the air force cross. Proper unit names some unit names include information behind the element name, in parenthesis. Just a reminder that civil air patrol has and uses official grade abbreviations for both senior members officers and cadets.
Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an. Styles are taken from the 2017 ap stylebook and defense imagery style guide, along with established army public affairs style ar 3601. In the following tables, the middle column gives the abbreviations used by the department. You may look at the resume and see titles or abbreviations that have little meaning to civilians. Abbreviations and acronyms can change over the years or they can have more than one meaning so have to be read in context.
List of all most popular abbreviated military rank terms defined. The coast guard has the same rank names and abbreviations as the navy. In the united states army, air force and marine corps, first lieutenant is the secondlowest ranking commissioned officer. Abbreviations and letter symbols abbreviations and. This article is a list of various states armed forces ranking designations.
Navy and their respective pay grades, insignias, abbreviations, and classifications. Military ranks military structure veterans employment. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of. The following are general guidelines on usage and capitalization of military terms, services, and ranks when writing primarily for a u. Navy rank abbreviations united states department of. Search for acronym meaning, ways to abbreviate, or lists of acronyms and abbreviations. Center of military history style guide us army center of military. Browse the list of 48 military rank acronyms and abbreviations with their meanings and definitions. The ap stylebook provides a long list of military titles along with the abbreviations used in regular text. Seaman recruit sr shipfitters mate sf occupation 1st class 1c. Navy enlisted ratesranks sleeve study guide by chiefrodrigues includes 18 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. What are the abbreviations for each united states military. Commissioned officers are the highest ranks in the army. There has been no authorization to use the rank since the world war ii era.
Navy enlisted ratesranks sleeve flashcards quizlet. Instead, use retired just as former would be used before the title of a civilian. Listed in this supplement are exceptions to, and situations not covered in, the associated press stylebook. This page is about the meanings of the acronymabbreviationshorthand nap in the governmental field in general and in the military terminology in particular. Use the abbreviations listed here when a militarystyle title is used before the. The visg adheres to the tenets of spelling, grammar, punctuation and general style outlined by ap. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations see comparative military ranks, but in all cases it is common for it to be divided. It also contains some points covered in ap but included here for convenience. How to address a retired member of the national guard. United states army center of military history da go 200701. World war ii military rank abbreviations army marine corps usmc coast guard uscg, navy usn, and merchant marine usmm private pvt. Prefix suffix title abbreviations otis college of art. Us military ranks and units modern us military ranks the table shows current ranks in the us military service branches, but they can serve as a fair guide throughout the twentieth century. The rank of fleet admiral has been reserved for war time use only.
This style guide is an incomplete work, and there is every indication that it will remain so. Sp 17 ap style guide university of texas at austin. This document is controlled and maintained on the fensetravel. Although the military puts the entire abbreviation in caps with no periods, it is standard for nonmilitary publications to use forms more familiar to readers, such as those in the associated press stylebook or the chicago manual of style.
Information and translations of military rank in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Find out what is the full meaning of nap on abbreviations. While not currently in use today, special insignia were authorized by congress for ten general officers who were promoted to the highest ranks in the united states army. This phonetic alphabet solves what can a major problem with real combat impacts. However, the department of defense uses the ap stylebooks military titles in news releases because the abbreviations are more easily understood. These officers hold presidential commissions and are. Center of military historystyle for use in the preparation of cmh historical publications. American forces press service supplement to the associated press stylebook effective april 2, 2012 american forces press service uses associated press style. Seamanhospitalmanfiremanconstructionmanairman apprentice. Army abbreviations national cemetery administration. Best of ap style and grammarpunctuationspelling gps 1. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another.
The postal service style of twoletter state, province, and freely associated state. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Military ranks and ratings key pearl harbor national. Department of defense visual information style guide. Military rankcivilian pay grade abbreviations and service agency names. Punctuation use a comma to separate a year used with a date. Below is a list of military titles and how they should appear in ap style. Do not, however, use the military abbreviation ret. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday.
Near as possible as in nap of the earth flying nap. I am reading your book, and you cover the army, navy, air force, marines, and coast guard. Start studying ap style military and police title abbreviations. Ranks generals general lieutenant general major general brigadier general officers brigadier 19281968 col. Ranks in foreign military services may vary significantly, even when the same names are used. Ranks and abbreviations for commissioned officers in the air force are the same as those in the army.
Whats the point of the military alphabet and how do you use it. Ap military and government abbreviations and acronyms. United states army officer rank insignia wikipedia. Staff cadet abbreviated scdt officer cadet abbreviated. When hiring or working with a veteran, it may be helpful for you, as an employer or supervisor, to better understand what his or her military experience or title means. The list has been standardised by capitalising each abbreviation, though a mixture of upper and lower case lettering will usually be found. American forces press service supplement to the associated.
The following abbreviation and acronym list, containing over 3,000 entries was originally donated to tecnet by the naval training systems command ntsc in orlando florida. The only difference in the enlisted ranks is master chief petty officer of the coast guard mcpocg, and the officer ranks only go up to admiral and do not have an admiral of the coast guard. Apparently it was first posted in january, 1993, and the last update was in october, 1995. List of united states amy rank abbreviations and acronyms in. Senior member abbreviations are outlined in capr 355, cap officer and noncommissioned officer appointments and promotions as follows. However, the department of defense uses the ap stylebook s military titles in news releases because the abbreviations are more easily understood. Get them right posted in editing, grammar, military, writing note. Even more than this, each service branch has its own systems of abbreviating officer and enlisted ranks e. After a name, usa, usaf, usmc, usn are set off with commas. Version 174 march 22, 2017 page 1 navy editors and writers should follow the most recent edition of the associated press stylebook except. A military rank may be used in first reference before the name of an officer who has retired if it is relevant to a story.
The associated press ap stylebook reference b is the primary reference for writing effectivecaptions. The rank of second lieutenant has been phased out of the australian army, with officer recruits now graduating from the royal military college, duntroon with the rank of lieutenant. In 1944, congress created the rank fleet admiral to be granted to four people. Please check revision currency on the web prior to use. Seamanhospitalmanfiremanconstructionmanairman recruit srhrfrcrar e2. This publication supplements ap and pertains to dodspecific issues not addressed, such as military terms describing service. The worlds most comprehensive professionally edited abbreviations and acronyms database all trademarksservice marks referenced on this site are properties of their respective owners. Fortunately, the department of defense sticks to ap style in news releases for clarity. For reference see the navy style guide addendum at the bottom of this document. Heres a quick run down of the abbreviations as they appear in the 2014 edition. The united states military became one of the largest fighting forces in the world during world war 2 and the subsequent cold war only served to solidify its place on the global stage for decades to come. Do not use acronyms or abbreviations if there is only one reference to the subject or it is an. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Military ranks and ratings key the abbreviations shown correspond to rank and ratings that appear on the casualty list and were in use at the time of the attack in december 1941.