Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a
military rank held by junior
enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces.
French speaking countries
In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) is used.
Poland
In Poland, the rank is called ().
Singapore
Introduced in 1983, the
honorific rank is awarded to hardworking conscript citizen-soldiers who performed well in their National Service term. Private First Class (PFC) wear a rank insignia of a single chevron pointing down.
The Private First Class (PFC) rank is rarely awarded nowadays by the
Singapore Armed Forces. All private enlistees can be promoted directly to
Lance Corporal (LCP) should they meet the minimum qualifying requirements, conduct appraisal and work performance.
United States
United States Army
In the
United States Army, recruits usually enter service as a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
in pay grade E-1. Private (E-2), designated by a single chevron, is typically an automatic promotion after six months of service. Private first class (E-3), equivalent to
NATO grade OR-3, is designated by a single chevron with one arc or "rocker," and is more common among soldiers who have served in the U.S. Army for one year or more. Soldiers who have achieved an
associate degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
or its equivalent are entitled to enter the Army at this pay grade. Advancement from private first class is to
specialist
Specialist may refer to:
Occupations
* Specialist (rank), a military rank
** Specialist (Singapore)
* Specialist (arena football)
* Specialist degree, in academia
* Specialty (medicine)
* Designated market maker, in the American stock market
* ...
(E-4); advancement to
corporal (also at the E-4 pay grade) requires that the soldier also complete the
Basic Leader Course (BLC), the first course of study in a
US Army noncommissioned officer's professional development course.
[Harm Venhuizen (7 Jun 2021) All soldiers must now serve as corporals before promotion to sergeant]
/ref> Thus, in order to qualify for leadership posts such as team leader, the soldier must have first served as a corporal; a team leader is nominally a sergeant (E-5).
The rank of private first class has existed since 1846 and, prior to 1919, its insignia consisted of the branch of service insignia without any arcs or chevrons. The Secretary of War approved "an arc of one bar" (i.e., a "rocker") under the branch of service or trade insignia for privates first class on 22 July 1919. From August 5, 1920, to May 28, 1968, the rank insignia for private first class was a single chevron, per War Department Circular No. 303. On May 28, 1968, the insignia was changed to its current form, consisting of a single chevron with one arc.
United States Marine Corps
In the United States Marine Corps, the rank of private first class is the second lowest, just under lance corporal and just above Private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
, equivalent to NATO grade OR-2, being pay grade E-2. It was established on June 3, 1916, to match the already existing Army rank, primarily because US Marine units were "often called upon to serve" with US Army organizations, such as in the American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
that served in Europe during World War I (e.g. 4th Marine Brigade of the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division). At the time the two ranks were directly equivalent. However, the USMC rank of PFC is one grade lower (E-2) than the similarly titled US Army rank.
Gallery
File:Benin Army OR-2.svg,
( Benin Army)
( Burkina Faso Ground Forces)
)
( Burundi Army)
( Cameroon Ground Forces)
File:01.CAGF-PFC.svg,
( Central African Ground Forces)
File:Chad-Army-OR-2.svg,
(Chadian Ground Forces The Chadian Ground Forces (french: Armée de terre tchadienne) are the main and largest component of the Chadian National Army (''Armée nationale tchadienne''). Historically Chad has had one of the strongest armies in the Sahara region, larger tha ...
)
File:Comoros-Army-OR-2.svg,
( Comorian Army)
File:01.DRC-PFC.svg,
( Land Forces of the DR Congo)
File:01-ROCongo Army-PFC.svg,
( Congolese Ground Forces)
(Djiboutian Army
The Djiboutian National Army is the largest branch of the Djibouti Armed Forces and is based in the Djiboutian capital of Djibouti. Djibouti has upgraded its Ground Forces with advanced additions from domestic engineering and modifications. It mus ...
)
File:01.GLF-PFC.svg,
(Gabonese Army
The Armed Forces of Gabon (french: Forces armées gabonaises) or the Gabonese Defense and Security Forces (french: forces de défense et de sécurité gabonaises) is the national professional military of the Republic of Gabon, divided into the Army ...
)
File:Haiti-Army-OR-2.svg,
( Guatemalan Army)
( Guinea Ground Forces)
File:Guinea-Bissau-Army-OR-2.svg,
( Army of Guinea-Bissau)
File:Ivory_Coast-Army-OR-2.svg,
( Ivory Coast Ground Forces)
( Liberian Ground Forces)
( Malian Army)
( Mexican Army)
( Royal Moroccan Army)
(Mozambican Army
The Mozambique Defence Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique) or FADM are the national armed forces of Mozambique. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces and three branches of service: Army, Air Force and Nav ...
)
File:01-Nicaragua Army-PVT.svg,
( Nicaraguan Army)
(Niger Army
The Niger Armed Forces (french: Forces armées nigériennes) (FAN) includes military armed force service branches ( Niger Army and Niger Air Force), paramilitary services branches ( National Gendarmerie of Niger and National Guard of Niger) a ...
)
( Philippine Army)
( Senegalese Army)
File:Army-SGP-OR-2.svg, Private first class
(Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...
)
( Suriname Army)
File:blank.svg,
( Togolese Army)
)
(Tunisian Army
The Tunisian Land Army ( ar, جيش البر التونسي, Jaîsh el-Barr et'Tunsi, french: Armée de terre tunisienne) is the ground component of the Tunisian Armed Forces . The Land Forces Command is located in Bizerte. The TAF itself was cr ...
)
( United States Army)
( )
( )
See also
* Comparative military ranks
* Gefreiter
* U.S. Army enlisted rank insignia
The chart below shows the current enlisted rank insignia of the United States Army, with seniority, and pay grade, increasing from right to left. The enlisted ranks of corporal (E-4) and higher are considered non-commissioned officers (NCOs). The ...
* U.S. Marine Corps enlisted rank insignia
* U.S. uniformed services pay grades
* United States military pay
References
{{US enlisted ranks
Military ranks of Singapore
Military ranks of the United States Army
Military ranks of the United States Marine Corps
United States military enlisted ranks