Military

Comparative Command Echelons
Units and Commanders

This resource illustrates the typical chain of command and unit designations among the various military services, to facilitate cross-service comparisons. Given the diversity of unit designations some formations are not included for the sake of clarity. The rank of the officer commanding the unit, as well as the unit strength, are typical for units most commonly encountered, and considerable variation exists in practice, particularly with respect to intermediate echelon Naval forces.

RANK	Army		Marine Corps	Air Force	Navy			RANK
General	Major Command Army			Major Command Air Force	Fleet			Admiral
Lt. General	Corps		Marine Expeditionary Force	Numbered Air Force	Naval Air Force	Force	Numbered Fleet	Vice Admiral
Major General	Division 15,000		Division		Wing	Group	Task Force	Rear Admiral
Brigadier General		Brigade		Wing Group		Squadron	Task Group	Rear Admiral
Colonel	Regiment		Regiment		Wing	Ship		Captain
Lt. Colonel	Squadron	Battalion	Battalion	Squadron	Squadron	Department		Commander
Major								Lt. Commander
Captain	Troop	Company	Company	Flight				Lieutenant
1st Lieutenant	Platoon		Platoon					Lieutenant, Junior Grade
2nd Lieutenant								Ensign

Sources and Resources

• US Armed Forces Order of Battle
• The Unofficial U.S. Military Information Page