The ranks of the Swiss Armed Forces have changed little over the centuries, except for the introduction, in 2004, of a new set of warrant officers.[ citation needed ] The ranks are worn on shoulder boards with the appropriate background colour. Designations are given in the four national languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh), with an English translation which is used during overseas missions.
Rank insignia [1] | Name [1] | Description | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epaulette | Camouflage | German | French | Italian | Romansh [ citation needed ] | English designation | |
No rank insignia | Rekrut (Rekr) | Recrue (recr) | Recluta | Recruit | Recruit | This rank is a position during the 4 months of Recruit School. A recruit gets promoted to E-1 after the Recruit School. | |
Soldat (Sdt) | Soldat (Sdt) | Soldato | Schuldà | Private E-1 | |||
Gefreiter (Gfr) | Appointé (App) | Appuntato | Appuntà | Private E-2 | E-1 Privates can be promoted to E-2 after a minimum of 20 days' service in a refresher course, subject to good performance. [2] E-2 Privates also receive 6 CHF daily pay (as opposed to 5 CHF prior to promotion) [3] | ||
Obergefreiter (Obgfr) | Appointé-chef (App chef) | Appuntato capo | Primappuntà | Lance Corporal | The rank "Obergefreiter" was removed as of 1 January 2019 with the WEA of the Swiss Army. [4] [ full citation needed ] However those soldiers previously awarded this rank are able to keep it. |
Rank insignia [1] | Name [1] | Description | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epaulette | Camouflage | German | French | Italian | Romansh [ citation needed ] | English designation | |
Korporal (Kpl) | Caporal (Cpl) | Caporale (Cpl) | Caporal (Cpl) | Corporal | Soldiers in this rank serve as specialist NCOs (e.g. arms specialization, CBRN specialization, postal soldiers) | ||
Wachtmeister (Wm) | Sergent (Sgt) | Sergente (Sgt) | Sergent (Sgt) | Sergeant | Currently, the standard junior NCO rank | ||
Oberwachtmeister (Obwm) | Sergent chef (Sgt chef) | Sergente capo (Sgt capo) | Caposergent (Csgt) | Sergeant first class | This rank is awarded to Sergeants who receive very good performance assessments. Holders of this rank are appointed to be the platoon leader's replacement and serve an additional 10 days compared to the standard Sergeant rank. [2] |
Rank insignia [5] | Name [5] | Description | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epaulette | Camouflage | German | French | Italian | Romansh [ citation needed ] | English designation | |
Feldweibel (Fw) | Sergent-major (Sgtm) | Sergente maggiore (Sgtm) | Primsergent (Psgt) | Sergeant major | Lowest rank of "Higher non-commissioned officers" (NCO); it used to be a higher rank than Feldweibel and to oversee unit-level military service and operations. Since the 2003 reform a specialist rank only. Nowadays, Feldweibel are mainly seen in military police, NBC and other specialist units. | ||
Fourier (Four) | Fourrier (Four) | Furiere (Fur) | Furier (Fur) | Quartermaster sergeant | The higher NCO who administers a company's finances, subsistence and lodging. | ||
Hauptfeldweibel (Hptfw) | Sergent-major chef (Sgtm chef) | Sergente maggiore capo (sgtm capo) | Capoprimsergent (cpsgt) | Chief sergeant major | The Hauptfeldweibel oversees unit-level military service and operations. | ||
Adjutant Unteroffizier (Adj Uof) | Adjudant sous-officier (Adj Sof) | Aiutante sottufficiale (aiut suff) | Adjutant sutuffizier (Adj suff) | Warrant officer | |||
Stabsadjutant (Stabsadj) | Adjudant d'état-major (Adj EM) | Aiutante di stato maggiore (aiut SM) | Adjutant da stab (Adj S) | Staff warrant officer | |||
Hauptadjutant (Hptadj) | Adjudant-major (Adjm) | Aiutante maggiore (Aiut magg) | Adjutant principal (Adj prin) | Master warrant officer | |||
Chefadjutant (Chefadj) | Adjudant-chef (Adj chef) | Aiutante capo (Aiut capo) | Chefadjutant (Schefadj) | Chief warrant officer |
Rank insignia [6] | Name [6] | Description | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epaulette | Camouflage | German | French | Italian | Romansh [ citation needed ] | English designation | |
Leutnant (Lt) | Lieutenant (Lt) | Tenente (Ten) | Litenet (Lt) | Second lieutenant | Platoon's leader. Promotion to First Lieutenant occurs after a minimum of 3 refresher courses (subject to good performance) or after 6 years' service. [2] | ||
Oberleutnant (Oblt) | Premier-lieutenant (Plt) | Primo tenente (I ten) | Primlitenant (Plt) | First lieutenant | Platoon's leader or future company commander. | ||
Hauptmann (Hptm) | Capitaine (Cap) | Capitano (Cap) | Chapitani (Chap) | Captain | Company commander or officer in battalion's staff |
Rank insignia [7] | Name [7] | Description | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epaulette | Camouflage | German | French | Italian | Romansh [ citation needed ] | English designation | |
Major (Maj) | Major (Maj) | Maggiore (Magg) | Maior (Mai) | Major | Several assignments in a battalion's staff (deputy S1-7), under special circumstances appointment to battalion commander, teacher or staff officer on a military academy, commander of a HQ company, staff officer in large units (BDE). | ||
Oberstleutnant (Oberstlt) | Lieutenant-colonel (Lt col) | Tenente colonnello (Ten col) | Litinent colonel (Lt col) | Lieutenant colonel | Battalion commander, staff officer in large units (BDE). | ||
Oberst (Oberst) | Colonel (Col) | Colonnello (Col) | Colonel (Col) | Colonel | Under special circumstances appointment to battalion commander, deputy commander of a brigade, staff officer in larger units (BDE). | ||
Fachoffizier (FachOf) | Officier spécialiste (Of spéc) | Ufficiale specialista (Uff spec) | Uffizier spezialist (Uff spez) | Specialist officer | "Specialist Officer", Duties authority and pay grade vary from OF-1 to OF-5. |
Higher staff officers wear black lampasses on the outside seam of dress uniform trousers.
Rank insignia [8] | Name [8] | Description | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epaulette | Camouflage | Kepi [ citation needed ] | German | French | Italian | Romansh [ citation needed ] | English designation | |
Brigadier (Br) | Brigadier (Br) | Brigadiere | Brigadier | Brigadier general | One-star rank, commander of a brigade, also military attaché | |||
Divisionär (Div) | Divisionnaire (div) | Divisionario | Divisionär | Major general | Two-star rank, commander of territorial division, also in an Army HQ or staff. | |||
Korpskommandant (KKdt) | Commandant de corps (cdt C) | Comandante di corpo | Korpskommandant | Lieutenant general | Three-star rank, also the rank of the Chief of the Armed Forces, highest rank in peacetime. |
Rank insignia [8] | Name [8] | Description | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epaulette | Camouflage | Kepi [ citation needed ] | German | French | Italian | Romansh [ citation needed ] | English designation | |
General (Gen) | Général | Generale | Generale | General | The rank is assigned only during times of war, when the Federal Assembly chooses one general to command the entire Swiss military. Otherwise the word "general" is not used. [9] |
Colour | Branch [10] | |
---|---|---|
Black | Staff officers, engineers, intelligence, chaplaincy, sport, | |
Dark green | Infantry, military bands | |
Yellow | Armored Corps | |
Red | Artillery | |
Dark blue | Air Force | |
Light grey | Signal and command support corps | |
Royal Blue | Medical corps, Red Cross service | |
Burgundy | Rescue corps | |
Plum | Logistic corps | |
Terracota | Territorial service | |
Dark grey | Military police | |
Khaki | Special Forces | |
Purple | Armed Forces Legal Service | |
Khaki yellow | NBC defense | |
Blue | Peace Support Operation |
A lieutenant is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
Major is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators, major is one rank above captain in armies and air forces, and one rank below lieutenant colonel. It is considered the most junior of the senior officer ranks.
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces. The lowest officer rank, it is usually placed below lieutenant or first lieutenant.
Each officer rank in the navy of a NATO country may be compared with the ranks used by any military service in other NATO countries, under a standardized NATO rank scale. This is useful, for instance, in establishing seniority amongst officers serving alongside each other within multinational command structures.
This table shows the ranks and insignia of NCOs and Seaman in the navies of member countries of NATO. NATO maintains a "standard rank scale" in an attempt to match every member country's military rank to corresponding ranks used by the other members. The rank categories were established in the document STANAG 2116, formally titled NATO Codes for Grades of Military Personnel.
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps general.
A five-star rank is the highest military rank in many countries. The rank is that of the most senior operational military commanders, and within NATO's standard rank scale it is designated by the code OF-10. Not all armed forces have such a rank, and in those that do the actual insignia of the five-star ranks may not contain five stars. For example: the insignia for the French OF-10 rank maréchal de France contains seven stars; the insignia for the Portuguese marechal contains four gold stars. The stars used on the various Commonwealth of Nations rank insignias are sometimes colloquially referred to as pips, but in fact either are stars of the orders of the Garter, Thistle or Bath or are Eversleigh stars, depending on the wearer's original regiment or corps, and are used in combination with other heraldic items, such as batons, crowns, swords or maple leaves.
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain.
Rank comparison chart of armies/land forces of Commonwealth of Nations states.
Rank comparison chart of naval forces of Commonwealth of Nations states.
Rank comparison chart of air forces of Commonwealth of Nations states.
Rank comparison chart of naval forces of Commonwealth of Nations states.
Rank comparison chart of officer ranks for armies/land forces of African states.
Rank comparison chart of officers for navies of African states.
Rank comparison chart of enlisted rank for armies/ land forces of African states.
The Military ranks of the Kingdom of Italy were the military insignia used by the Italian Armed Forces when Italy was the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946). During the World Wars, the Carabinieri, as the then-most senior corps of the Army, wore similar insignia to those used by the rest of the service.
Rank comparison chart of officers for armies/land forces of Francophone states.
Rank comparison chart of Non-commissioned officer and enlisted ranks for armies/land forces of Francophone states.
Rank comparison chart of officers for armies/land forces of Anglophone states.
Rank comparison chart of officers for navies of Anglophone states.
Media related to Military rank insignia of Switzerland at Wikimedia Commons