The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps uses the same commissioned officer rank structure as the United States Navy and Coast Guard: from ensign to admiral (O-1 through O-10). While the commissioned corps is authorized to use warrant officer ranks W-1 to W-4 under the U.S. Code of law, [1] it does not currently use these ranks.
Uniformed services pay grade | Special grade | O-10 | O-9 | O-8 | O-7 | O-6 | O-5 | O-4 | O-3 | O-2 | O-1 | Officer candidate/Cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States Public Health Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Admiral | Vice admiral | Rear admiral | Rear admiral (lower half) | Captain | Commander | Lieutenant commander | Lieutenant | Lieutenant (junior grade) | Ensign | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abbreviation | ADM | VADM | RADM | RDML [2] | CAPT | CDR | LCDR | LT | LTJG | ENS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Title | Assistant Secretary for Health | Surgeon general | Deputy surgeon general or Assistant surgeon general | Assistant surgeon general | Director | Senior | Full | Senior assistant | Assistant | Junior assistant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | OF(D) | Student officer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The present-day commissioned corps has its origins in the career corps of the Marine Hospital Service, which was established by federal legislation on January 4, 1889. The service adopted naval ranks in order to impose military discipline on the doctors of the service, [3] and corresponded their service rank and grade with their medical title. The service continues to interchange officer ranks and service titles when referring to their grade.
Initially, the officer ranks and insignia of the Marine Hospital Service were as follows:
Marine Hospital Service title | Shoulder strap insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | United States Navy officer equivalent | United States Army officer equivalent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Supervising surgeon general | Five bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [4] | Commodore [5] | Brigadier general | |
Surgeon (20 years service and over) | Four bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [4] | Commander | Lieutenant colonel | |
Surgeon (below 20 years service) | Four bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [4] | Lieutenant commander | Major | |
Passed assistant surgeon | Three bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [4] | Lieutenant | Captain | |
Assistant surgeon | Two bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [4] | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First lieutenant | |
Officers of the Marine Hospital Service wore the same rank devices as officers in the armed forces, apart from the star of the surgeon general and the bars of passed assistant surgeons and assistant surgeons being gold instead of silver. [4]
Effective October 1, 1893, the supervising surgeon general wore gold epaulettes in place of shoulder straps. Officers who once served in the grade of surgeon general and were then reverted to the grade of surgeon, were also authorized to wear silver oak leaf insignia regardless of years of service. [6]
The rank structure was further revised with effect from July 1, 1896: [7]
Marine Hospital Service title | Shoulder strap insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | United States Navy officer equivalent | United States Army officer equivalent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Supervising surgeon general | Five bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [4] | Commodore | Brigadier general | |
Surgeon (20 years service and over) | Four bands of 1/4th inch gold braid (with 20 years service and over) [7] | Commander | Lieutenant colonel | |
Surgeon (below 20 years service) | (if previously served as surgeon general) | Three bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [7] | Commander or Lieutenant commander | Lieutenant colonel or Major |
Passed assistant surgeon | Three bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [7] | Lieutenant | Captain | |
Assistant surgeon | Two bands of 1/4th inch gold braid [7] | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First Lieutenant | |
By Act of Congress, on July 1, 1902, the Marine Hospital Service became the United States Public Health and Marine Hospital Service. The rank structure was correspondingly expanded, with the creation of the rank of assistant surgeon general. [8]
The rank structure of the new Public Health and Marine Hospital Service was the following: [8]
Public Health and Marine Hospital Service title | Shoulder strap insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | United States Navy officer equivalent | United States Army officer equivalent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Surgeon general | Band of 2-inch gold braid with band of 1/2 inch gold braid above [8] | - [5] | Brigadier general | |
Assistant surgeon general | Three bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with two bands of 1/4th inch gold braid interspersed [8] | Captain | Colonel | |
Surgeon (20 years service and over) | Four alternating bands of gold braid, two of 1/2 inch and two of 1/4th inch diameter [8] | Commander | Lieutenant colonel | |
Surgeon (below 20 years service) | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid between [8] | Lieutenant commander | Major | |
Passed assistant surgeon | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid, with band of 1/4th inch gold braid above [8] | Lieutenant | Captain | |
Assistant surgeon | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid [8] | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First lieutenant | |
The United States Public Health Service was established by Act of Congress on August 14, 1912. In March 1914, the five-pointed gold star worn by the surgeon general was changed to silver, with the new rank of senior surgeon introduced between the ranks of surgeon and assistant surgeon general. The sleeve rank insignia were also altered to match those worn by Navy officers, with shoulder loops replacing straps. [9] With effect from March 20, 1918, the gold bars worn by the ranks of passed assistant and assistant surgeons became silver, the same as the equivalent Army and Navy rank insignia. [10] At the end of World War I, the rank insignia of the Commissioned Corps were as follows:
Public Health Service title | Shoulder loop insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | United States Navy officer equivalent | United States Army officer equivalent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Surgeon general | Band of 2-inch gold braid with band of 1/2 inch gold braid above | - [5] | Brigadier general | |
Assistant surgeon general | Four bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Captain | Colonel | |
Senior surgeon | Three bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Commander | Lieutenant colonel | |
Surgeon | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid in between | Lieutenant commander | Major | |
Passed assistant surgeon | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Lieutenant | Captain | |
Assistant surgeon | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid above | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First lieutenant | |
By an Act of April 9, 1930, the grade of surgeon general was raised to two-star rank. [11]
A further Act in 1943 raised the four existing bureau chiefs to the grade of assistant surgeon general with the equivalency to the rank of brigadier general. With the Public Health Service Act of 1944, the grade of passed assistant was redesignated to senior assistant, and the new grade of junior assistant was established as equivalent to rank of second lieutenant or ensign. The 1944 Act further established the grade of director, to rank equivalent with a colonel or Navy captain, along with the one-star graded post of deputy surgeon general, also elevating assistant surgeon generals to one-star rank. [12] [11] The surgeon general was also elevated to two-star rank. At the end of World War II, the ranks and insignia of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps were:
Public Health Service title | Shoulder loop insignia | Dress uniform sleeve insignia | United States Navy officer equivalent | United States Army officer equivalent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Surgeon general | Band of 2-inch gold braid with band of 1/2 inch gold braid above | Rear admiral | Major general | |
Deputy surgeon general Assistant surgeon general | Band of 2-inch gold braid | Commodore [13] | Brigadier general | |
Director | Four bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Captain | Colonel | |
Senior | Three bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Commander | Lieutenant colonel | |
Full | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid in between | Lieutenant commander | Major | |
Senior assistant | Two bands of 1/2 inch gold braid | Lieutenant | Captain | |
Assistant | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid with band of 1/4th inch gold braid above | Lieutenant (junior grade) | First lieutenant | |
Junior assistant | Band of 1/2 inch gold braid | Ensign | Second lieutenant | |
A further act of February 28, 1948 authorized two grades for officers in the grade of assistant surgeon generals, with not more than half of the authorized number to hold the grade equivalent to major generals or rear admirals. [11] Public Law 89-288 was enacted on October 22, 1965, elevating the grade of surgeon general to three-star rank. [14]
The United States has eight federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10 and subsequently structured and organized by Titles 10, 14, 32, 33 and 42 of the U.S. Code.
The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. The Surgeon General's office and staff are known as the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), which is housed within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.
In the United States Navy, officers have various ranks. Equivalency between services is by pay grade. United States Navy commissioned officer ranks have two distinct sets of rank insignia: On dress uniform a series of stripes similar to Commonwealth naval ranks are worn; on service khaki, working uniforms, and special uniform situations, the rank insignia are identical to the equivalent rank in the US Marine Corps.
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank acquired the name. This rank has generally been replaced in army ranks by second lieutenant. Ensigns were generally the lowest-ranking commissioned officer, except where the rank of subaltern existed. In contrast, the Arab rank of ensign, لواء, liwa', derives from the command of units with an ensign, not the carrier of such a unit's ensign, and is today the equivalent of a major general.
General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States Army. The rank has been conferred three times: to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accolade for his command of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, and to George Washington in 1976, as a posthumous honor during the United States Bicentennial celebrations. In December 2022, Congress authorized the president to posthumously appoint Ulysses S. Grant to the rank.
Admiral of the Navy was the highest-possible rank in the United States Navy, prior to the creation of fleet admiral in 1944. The rank is considered to be at least equivalent to that of a five-star admiral, with Admiral George Dewey being the only officer to be appointed to the rank.
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, is the uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health Service (PHS) and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States alongside the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. The commissioned corps' primary mission is the protection, promotion, and advancement of health and safety of the general public.
In the United States Armed Forces, a line officer or officer of the line is a U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps commissioned officer or warrant officer who exercises general command authority and is eligible for operational command positions, as opposed to officers who normally exercise command authority only within a Navy Staff Corps. The term line officer is also used by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard to indicate that an officer is eligible for command of operational, viz., tactical or combat units. The term is not generally used by officers of the U.S. Army – the roughly corresponding Army terms are basic branch and special branch qualified officers, although the concepts are not entirely synonymous, as some Army special branch officers are eligible to hold command outside their branch specialty.
A hospital corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (HS).
The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army (AMEDD), formerly known as the Army Medical Service (AMS), encompasses the Army's six medical Special Branches. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The AMEDD is led by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, a lieutenant general.
Admiral is a four-star commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below fleet admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health Service do not have an established grade above admiral. Admiral is equivalent to the rank of general in the other uniformed services. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps has never had an officer hold the grade of admiral. However, 37 U.S.C. § 201 of the U.S. Code established the grade for the NOAA Corps, in case a position is created that merits the four-star grade.
In the United States Armed Forces, the ranks of warrant officer are rated as officers above all non-commissioned officers, candidates, cadets, and midshipmen, but subordinate to the lowest officer grade of O‑1. This application differs from the Commonwealth of Nations and other militaries, where warrant officers are the most senior of the other ranks, equivalent to the U.S. Armed Forces grades of E‑8 and E‑9.
United States Marine Corps rank insignia are the devices worn by officers in the United States Marine Corps, in order to provide distinction from other ranks. Different styles of rank insignia are worn on different uniforms of the United States Marine Corps.
United States Coast Guard officer rank insignia describes an officer's pay-grade. Rank is displayed on collar devices, shoulder boards, and on the sleeves of dress uniforms.
In the United States Armed Forces, a major general is a two-star general officer in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.
A rear admiral in the uniformed services of the United States is either of two different ranks of commissioned officers: one-star flag officers and two-star flag officers. By contrast, in most other countries, the term "rear admiral" refers only to an officer of two-star rank.
Lieutenant commander (LCDR) is a senior officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3. Lieutenant commanders rank above lieutenants and below commanders. The rank is also used in the United States Maritime Service. The rank is equivalent to a major in the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States Space Force.
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A general officer is an officer of high military rank; in the uniformed services of the United States, general officers are commissioned officers above the field officer ranks, the highest of which is colonel in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force and captain in the Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAACC).