Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...

officers receive a commission from His Excellency the

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.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 Gurkha ...

, with the addition of a band containing the word "Australia" beneath the insignia.

Ranks and rank grades

Officer ranks in the Australian Army are organised into grades for administrative and promotional purposes. The rank grades also give an indication of what that particular officer's role or position may be, although 'rank grade' is not an official term. The ranks are organised below from highest to lowest:

General Officer ranks

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

(Abbreviated: FM) – O11. This rank is generally reserved for wartime and ceremonial purposes; there are no regular appointments to the rank. Three men have been promoted to this rank in the

. Sir Thomas Blamey is the only Australian-born officer promoted to the rank. Lord Birdwood was promoted to the honorary rank of Field Marshal in the

Australian Military Forces The Australian Military Forces (AMF) was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the (full-time) "regular army", and the (part-time) forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen ...

on 20 March 1925.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

, was, until his death, the only living holder of the rank of Field Marshal in the Australian Army. The Duke, however, did not have any active role in the Australian command structure. *

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

(Abbreviated: GEN) – O10. Since the end of the Second World War, this rank has only been held when an Army officer is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force. *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

(Abbreviated: LTGEN) – O9. Held by Chief of Army and, when Army officers are appointed to the Joint positions,

Vice Chief of the Defence Force The Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) is the military deputy to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) of Australia, and acts as the CDF in his absence under standing acting arrangements. Vice Admiral David Johnston, the incumbent VCDF, has ...

, Chief of Joint Operations and Chief of Capability Development. *

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

(Abbreviated: MAJGEN) – O8.

Senior Officer ranks

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

(Abbreviated: BRIG) – O7. Like the United Kingdom, prior to 1922 Australia used the rank

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

. * Colonel (Abbreviated: COL) – O6.

Field Grade Officer ranks

* Lieutenant Colonel (Abbreviated: LTCOL) – O5. * Major (Abbreviated: MAJ) – O4.

Company Grade Officer ranks

* Captain (Abbreviated: CAPT) – O3. * Lieutenant (Abbreviated: LT) – O2. * Second Lieutenant (Abbreviated: 2LT) – O1. 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.

Officer Trainee rank

* Staff Cadet (Abbreviated SCDT) * Officer Cadet (Abbreviated: OCDT)

Cadet rank insignia

SCDT and OCDT are equivalent rank titles. The rank of Officer Cadet is given to those who are studying at the

Australian Defence Force Academy The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and Royal Au ...

. Their rank is then changed to Staff Cadet upon entry to the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state ...

(RMC-D) where they become a part of the Corps of Staff Cadets. Officer cadets wear a 10mm wide white stripe, on a DPCU slide or hard shoulder board, as their rank insignia. Officer Trainees in University Regiments undergoing Army Reserve Officer Training have also been known as Officer Cadets as of November, 2009. Previous to this they administratively belonged to RMC-D and were known as Staff Cadets. Staff Cadets are presently only full-time RMC-D officer trainees. Staff Cadets wear "RMC" on their rank slides in order to distinguish them from other training establishments.

Officer rank insignia of the Australian Army

The insignia worn by officers in the Australian Army use three symbols which are also used in the insignia of the British Army: * The Star, commonly called a ''pip'', is derived from the Star of the Knight Grand Cross of the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. * The Crown has varied in the past, with the Tudor Crown being used from 1910 until 1953, when it was replaced by the

St Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th cen ...

from the coronation of Elizabeth II. * The Crossed Sword and Baton has been in use by generals of the British Army since at least 1800.

Insignia

References and notes

External links

ADF Badges of rankcopyright
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Army Officer Rank Insignia Australian Army