Other ranks (UK)

Other ranks (ORs) in the British Army, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and in the armies and air forces of many other Commonwealth countries are those personnel who are not commissioned officers, usually including non-commissioned officers (NCOs).^[1][2] In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called "ratings".^[3] Non-commissioned member is the equivalent term for the Canadian Armed Forces. Colloquially, members of the other ranks are known as "rankers".

The term is sometimes considered to exclude warrant officers, and occasionally also excludes NCOs.^[4]

In the United States military, and in the military forces of many non-Commonwealth countries, the equivalent term is enlisted rank, which generally includes non-commissioned officers (unless specifying junior enlisted), but always excludes the American type of warrant officer.

In the "standard rank scale" maintained by NATO, "other ranks" are coded from OR1 (lowest) to OR9.

British India

In British India, a distinction was made between British other ranks (BORs) and Indian other ranks (IORs).

Comparative ranks

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4		OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
British Army (Edit)																	No Equivalent										No Insignia
	Warrant Officer Class 1						Warrant Officer Class 2		Staff/Colour Sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal		Lance Corporal		Private (or equivalent)
Abbreviation	Cdr			WO1			WO2		S/Sgt CSgt		Sgt												Cpl		L/Cpl		Pte
Royal Air Force (Edit)							No equivalent						No equivalent														No insignia
	Warrant officer								Flight sergeant	Chief technician	Sergeant				Corporal				Lance corporal RAF Regiment only		Senior aircraftman/woman technician		Senior aircraftman/woman		Leading aircraftman/woman		Aircraftman/Woman
Royal Air Force (Aircrew) (Edit)							No equivalent						No equivalent		No equivalent				No equivalent		No equivalent						No equivalent
	Master aircrew								Flight sergeant aircrew		Sergeant aircrew
Royal Navy																	No equivalent								No equivalent								No equivalent
	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Chief petty officer		Petty officer												Leading rate				Able rate			Able rate
Abbreviation	WO1						WO2		CPO		PO												LH				AB1			AB2
Royal Marines (Edit)																	No equivalent										No insignia						No equivalent
	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Colour sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal		Lance corporal		Marine

See also

• Enlisted rank

References

1. "PACMAN Chapter 3 Part 1 Part B Division 5: Salary (Other Ranks)". Defence.gov.au. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
2. Berman, Gavin; Rutherford, Tom (2013-09-19). "Defence personnel statistics (SN/SG/02183)" (PDF). House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
3. Royal Navy. "Life as a Rating". Royal Navy. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
4. Roll of Honour of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment