The
South African National Defence Force
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the Military, armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the Military branch, armed services. They are in turn a ...
's rank system is largely based on the British system, with the Air Force (and later the
Military Health Service) sharing the Army rank titles. Rank titles changed over time as did the insignia.
Evolution of rank titles
Army and Air Force ranks
General officers
* Field marshal (1923–''c''1950)
* General (1914– ) (called "
commandant-general
Commandant-general is a military rank in several countries and is generally equivalent to that of major-general.
Argentina
Commandant general is the highest rank in the Argentine National Gendarmerie, and is held by the national director of the g ...
" 1956–68)
* Lieutenant-general (1914– )
* Major-general (1914– ) (called "combat general" 1960–68)
* Brigadier-general (1912–40, 1998– )
Field officers
* Brigadier (1937–98) (called "colonel-commandant" 1937–40)
* Colonel (1912– )
* Chief commandant (Used in the Commandos 1968–70)
* Lieutenant-colonel (1912– ) (called "commandant" 1950–94)
Company / junior officers
* Major (1912– )
* Captain (1912– )
* Lieutenant (1912– ) (called "
field cornet
A field cornet () is a term formerly used in South Africa for either a local government official or a military officer.
The office had its origins in the position of ''veldwachtmeester'' in the Dutch Cape colony, and was regarded as being equiv ...
" 1960–68)
* Second lieutenant (1918– ) (called "assistant field cornet" 1960–68)
Warrant officers
![PRE 1994 SOUTH AFRICAN WO2 BADGE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/PRE_1994_SOUTH_AFRICAN_WO2_BADGE.jpg)
In June 2008 a new series of warrant officer ranks were introduced.
* Warrant officer 1st class (1921– )
* Warrant officer 2nd class (1921– )
* Warrant officer (1912–21)
Non-commissioned officers
* Staff sergeant (1912– ) (Air Force equivalent "flight sergeant")
* Sergeant (1912– ) (Air Force equivalent called "air sergeant" until 1970)
* Corporal (1912– ) (Air Force equivalent called "air corporal" until 1970)
* Lance-corporal (1912– ) (Air Force equivalent called "leading air mechanic" until 1970)
Rank and file
* Private (1912– ) (Air Force equivalent called "air mechanic" 1920–70, "private" 1970–82 and "airman" 1982–)
Naval ranks
Flag officers
* Admiral (1972– )
* Vice-admiral (1965– )
* Rear-admiral (1940– )
* Rear-admiral junior grade (1998– )
Senior officers
* Commodore (1946–98)
* Captain (1941– )
* Commander (1913– )
* Lieutenant-commander (1913– )
Junior officers
* Lieutenant (1913– )
* Sub-lieutenant (1913– )
* Ensign (1913– ) (called "acting sub-lieutenant" until 1965)
* Warrant officer 1st class (1955– )
* Warrant officer 2nd class (1955– )
* Warrant officer (1913–55)
Petty officers
* Chief petty officer (1913– )
* Petty officer (1913– )
* Leading seaman (1913– )
* Able seaman (1913– )
Ratings
* Seaman (1913– )
1928–1953 rank structure
;Officers
;Other ranks
1961–1994 rank structure
During the
apartheid era
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, the South African Army's rank structure was shared between the Army, Air Force and
SAMS with some small differences. In the Air Force a staff sergeant was a flight sergeant for example. The Air Force ranks had a blue background and the NCO stripes were blue. For SAMS the ranks had a maroon background.
;Officers
;Other ranks
Note: in the artillery and anti-aircraft corps, the corporal and lance-corporal are called "bombardier" () and "lance-bombardier" (). The private is called a "gunner" in the artillery and anti-aircraft, a "rifleman" in the infantry, a "trooper" in the armoured corps, a "sapper" in the engineers, a "signalman" in the signals corps, and a "scout" in the intelligence corps.
;Substantive warrant officer posts
![Cornelissen W01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Cornelissen_W01.jpg)
Any warrant officer class 1 could be posted to substantive posts, including
* Regimental sergeant major
* Command sergeant major
* Brigade sergeant major
*
Sergeant Major of the Army
The Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) is a unique non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, unless an enlisted soldier is servin ...
*
Sergeant Major of the Air Force
The Sergeant Major of the South African Air Force is the most senior Warrant Officer in the South African Air Force. The post was created in 1979. It is a singular appointment – it is only held by one person at any time. The Sergeant Major ...
However they would retain the rank of WO1, while wearing unique rank insignia. To distinguish the posting different colour backgrounds were used; for example, red for regimental sergeant major and black for command sergeant major. The sergeant major of each arm of service wore insignia topped by the arms of their respective arm of service.
In 2008 the warrant officer ranks were expanded to make each substantive rank a formal rank.
Army
The
SA Army was formed in 1912 as the
Union Defence Force. It was given its present name in 1951. The rank system is derived from that of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
.
The ranks of General Officers changed in September 2003 when the rank previously called Brigadier became known as Brigadier General.
;Officers
;Warrant officers
;Other ranks
Air Force
The
SA Air Force was formed in 1920. Unlike many other Commonwealth air forces, it had army style rank system. In 2002 the Air Force officer rank insignia structure was changed from one which was shared with the Army to a new pattern based on stripes. The Air Force stated that this was "in order to bring it more in line with
international forms of rank". The army-style rank titles were retained. Note: The Rank of General is only used when the Chief of the Air Force is also the Chief of the Defence Force which has occurred on occasion in the past. In 2005 the
South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
redesigned its insignia completely, while keeping the Army titles.
;Officers
;Warrant officers
;Other ranks
Navy
The
SA Navy was originally two separate organisations, namely the South African Division of the
Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...
(formed in 1913) and the South African Naval Service (formed in 1922 and renamed the "
Seaward Defence Force
Seaward may refer to:
People:
*Carolyn Seaward (born 1960), former beauty queen who appeared in the 1983 Bond film ''Octopussy''
*John Seaward (1786–1858), British civil engineer and mechanical engineer
* Kevin Seaward (born 1983), Northern Iris ...
" in 1939). They amalgamated in 1942 to form the SA Naval Forces, which were renamed "SA Navy" in 1951. The rank system is based on that of the (British)
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
.
The ranks of Flag Officers changed in 1997 when the rank previously called Commodore became known as Rear Admiral (Junior Grade).
;Officers
Warrant Officers
;Enlisted
Military Health Service
The
South African Military Health Service
The South African Military Health Service is the branch of the South African National Defence Force responsible for medical facilities and the training and deployment of all medical personnel within the force. Though unusual, as most national mili ...
uses the Army rank system. There is a differentiation in that the rank insignia is displayed on a red background as opposed to the army, which is displayed on an olive background.
;Officers
;Enlisted
Master Chief and Senior Chief Warrant Officers
The highest ranking South African non-commissioned officer is the
Warrant Officer of the South African National Defence Force
Warrant may refer to:
* Warrant (law), a form of specific authorization
** Arrest warrant, authorizing the arrest and detention of an individual
** Search warrant, a court order issued that authorizes law enforcement to conduct a search for evide ...
. They are the sole holder of the rank of Master Chief Warrant Officer (NATO equivalent WO-5).
As of October 2012 the incumbent MCWO is Mothusi Kgaladi
The rank of Senior Chief Warrant Officer (NATO equivalent WO-4) is only held by the
Master at Arms of the Navy
Master at Arms of the Navy is the most senior Warrant Officer in the South African Navy (SAN). It is a singular appointment – it is only held by one person at any time. The Master at Arms of the Navy holds the rank of Senior Chief Warra ...
, the
Sergeant Major of the Army
The Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) is a unique non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, unless an enlisted soldier is servin ...
, the
Sergeant Major of the Air Force
The Sergeant Major of the South African Air Force is the most senior Warrant Officer in the South African Air Force. The post was created in 1979. It is a singular appointment – it is only held by one person at any time. The Sergeant Major ...
, and the
Sergeant Major of the Military Health Service
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
.
See also
*
Comparative military ranks
This article is a list of various nations' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. Several of these lists mention ...
*
*
List of badges of the South African Army
*
Military rank
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...
Notes
References
{{Military ranks by country
Military of South Africa