1 2 3 Air Force first sergeants are considered temporary and lateral ranks and are senior to their non-diamond counterparts. First sergeants revert to their permanent rank within their paygrade upon leaving assignment.[1]
While all Air Force military personnel are referred to as airmen, it can specifically refer to the pay grades of E-1 through E-4, which are below the level of non-commissioned officers (NCOs).[2] Above the pay grade of E-4 (E-5 through E-9) all ranks fall into the category of NCO and are further subdivided into NCOs (E-5 and E-6) and senior NCOs (E-7 through E-9); the term junior NCO is sometimes used to refer to staff sergeants and technical sergeants (E-5 and E-6).[2]
The Air Force and Space Force are the only ones of the six branches of the United States military where NCO status is now only achieved at the grade of E-5. Formerly, the grade of sergeant was obtained after a time as a senior airman and successful completion of the Air Force NCO School. In all other branches, NCO status can be achieved at the grade of E-4 (a corporal in the Army and Marine Corps, petty officer third class in the Navy and Coast Guard). However, E-4s in the Army with the rank of specialist are not NCOs. The Air Force mirrored the Army from 1976 to 2 May 1991 with an E-4 being either a senior airman wearing three stripes without a star or a sergeant (informally referred to as a "buck sergeant") which was noted by the presence of the central star and considered an NCO.[3] Despite not being an NCO, a senior airman who has completed Airman Leadership School can be a supervisor.[2]
History
1976–1991 USAF E-4 (senior airman) rank insignia, without silver star in the middle
Rank insignia for senior NCOs in the USAF featured three rockers prior to 1991.
Although the United States Air Force came into being as an independent uniformed service with the National Security Act of 1947, it retained the United States Army Air Forces rank structure and corresponding insignia of years past. This rank structure provided for seven enlisted ranks: private, private first class, corporal/technician fifth grade, sergeant/technician fourth grade, staff sergeant/technician third grade, technical sergeant, and master sergeant/first sergeant. Additionally, Air Force personnel were still referred to as "soldiers".[3] During World War II, many USAAF NCOs wore the Army Air Corps branch insignia of the winged propeller underneath their chevrons.[4]
Changes to the rank structure were proposed almost immediately, but did not start occurring until the next year. In late 1947 and early 1948, new chevron designs were tested at Bolling Air Force Base. The style preferred was the one used today, the inverted chevron. Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt Vandenberg approved the new chevron on 9 March 1948.[3] A new Air Force "Uxbridge blue" uniform, silver-gray-on-blue-backing stripes, and black leather boots replaced the U.S. Army Air Corps' olive drab uniform, olive drab-on-dark-blue-backing stripes, and russet leather boots in 1949. Old russet leather gear items like boots and holsters were re-dyed and polished black. Air Force personnel were allowed to wear their old World War II-pattern uniforms and rank insignia until July 1952. Recolored Army "hash marks" and overseas service bars were worn on the uniform until 1957.
Although the new chevrons were approved, the titles did not change. Two years passed before General Vandenberg, in February 1950, ordered all enlisted personnel in the Air Force be referred to as "airman" (singular) and "airmen" (plural) rather than "soldiers". A further two years would go by while the enlisted rank structure was studied and changes proposed. The end results finally became effective on 24 April 1952 with the release of a revised Air Force Regulation (AFR) 39–36. This revision changed the names of the enlisted ranks to basic airman, airman third class, airman second class, airman first class (with resultant loss of NCO status that was not restored until 1967), staff sergeant, technical sergeant and master sergeant.[3]
With the new titles came a proposal for new rank insignia for airman third class through airman first class. The proposed insignia had horizontal stripes for airman third class through airman first class while NCOs kept their inverted chevrons. The purpose of the two different types of insignia was to more readily differentiate the airman and NCO tiers while increasing the prestige of the latter. These were not approved at the time of the release of the revised regulation. When they were finally approved by General Vandenberg in December 1952, procurement of these stripes was deferred until approximately June 1955. This change was eventually reversed, on 12 March 1956, by General Vandenberg's successor, General Twining.[3] On 20 September 2021, the United States Space Force released several media graphics depicting the new rank insignia for enlisted personnel. The information sheets described the designs for the enlisted ranks took inspiration from Vandenberg's proposals from 1952, noted as "Vandenberg Stripes".
1952 proposed rank insignia for E4–E2
Airman 1st class
Airman 2nd class
Airman 3rd class
During his tenure, General Twining also approved the diamond insignia for first sergeants. This became available on 21 September 1955.[3] With this approval, the foundations of the first seven ranks and insignia the Air Force uses today were in place.
The next major change came with the Military Pay Act of 1958. This established the pay grades of E-8 and E-9 but without corresponding rank titles. The titles of senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant were chosen between July and December 1958 after comments were solicited from the major Air Force commands of the day. After much discussion, the insignia for these two ranks were designed by simply adding one and two chevrons to the top of the master sergeant insignia (for E-8 and E-9 respectively), each stripe pointing up.[3]
The rank of basic airman was renamed to airman basic on 5 February 1959, still with no insignia attached.[3]
The next series of changes to Air Force enlisted ranks did not occur for almost eight years. In January 1967 the position of Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force was created. This position gained its own special insignia, the chief master sergeant chevrons with a wreath encircling the center star. On 1 August 1967 the lower enlisted rank names changed (revised AFR 39–36 on 19 October 1967) renamed to airman third class, airman second class and airman first class to airman, airman first class and sergeant (known unofficially as "buck sergeant" by the NCO ranks at the time) respectively. This returned sergeant to the rank structure as the first step in the NCO tier as a retention move but required achievement of a 5-skill Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) level. No changes to the respective insignias were made.[3][lower-alpha 1]
In a 30 December 1975, directive the grade of sergeant was split into two separate ranks while retaining the grade of E-4. Senior airman was the last junior enlisted tier rank while sergeant remained the first rank in the NCO tier. The impetus behind this was to laterally promote senior E-4 airmen who were ready for NCO responsibilities but not prepared to take on the role of a staff sergeant. This permitted airmen who had not yet reached the AFSC 5-skill level to achieve the pay grade of E-4. To differentiate the two ranks, the directive changed the silver star in the center of airman, airman first class and senior airman changed to blue while the star on sergeant chevrons remained silver. Having two ranks within one grade mirrored the Army's specialist/corporal division of E-4. This dual role lasted until March 1991, when then Chief of Staff General McPeak terminated the rank of sergeant effective 2 May 1991. This termination was due in part to the manning reductions that occurred in the post–Cold War drawdowns of the early 1990s. The last of the "buck sergeants" would have either been promoted or discharged under High Year Tenure by December 1998.[3]
The year 1991 also saw the last major change to the enlisted rank insignia. In October 1991 General McPeak and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Pfingston announced that the senior NCO tier would have new chevron layouts and that all chevrons would have a white star in the center. The change in senior NCO chevrons was the first since chevrons came into being in 1948. Until that time, master sergeant had been composed of six inverted chevrons (six down) with none pointing up, senior master sergeant six down with one up and chief master sergeant six down with two up. The new layout changed the insignia to the current layout (see chart above). The second change, changing the star color to white, was actually two changes in one. It added a star to the airman through senior airman rank insignias where there had been none since 1 June 1976[4] (the blue star carried by these chevrons was the same color as the blue in the stripes giving the impression that the star was not there) and changing the silver star on the NCO and senior NCO chevrons to white.[3]
CMSAF insignia changes
CMSAF chevrons (1967–1991)
CMSAF chevrons (1991 – October 2004)
CMSAF chevrons (November 2004 – present)
In November 1998, the duty position of senior enlisted advisor was changed to command chief master sergeant. Along with the change, the addition of a star in the empty blue area between the chevrons was added to denote those holding this position.
In November 2004, the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force insignia was updated to include the Great Seal of the United States with a white star on either side. These additions were placed in the empty blue area between the chevrons.
In December 2019, the duty position of senior enlisted advisor to the chairman (SEAC) was given a unique rank insignia. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, the fourth senior enlisted advisor to the chairman, is to be the first to wear the new Air Force version of the insignia.[5]
SEAC
Special rank insignia for the United States Air Force
Senior enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau
Command chief master sergeant
First sergeant
Chief master sergeant
First sergeant
Senior master sergeant
First sergeant
Master sergeant
Technical sergeant
Staff sergeant
Senior airman
Airman first class
Airman
Airman basic
NATO Code
OR-9
OR-8
OR-7
OR-6
OR-5
OR-4
OR-3
OR-2
OR-1
Civil Air Patrol
Former military enlisted personnel from E-4[lower-alpha 2] up may choose to retain their grade as senior members in the Civil Air Patrol, with grades E-5 (CAP staff sergeant) through E-9 (CAP chief master sergeant) available. Former CAP national commander, Major Gen Carr, unveiled plans to restructure the CAP NCO program to allow individuals to "enlist" as NCOs and progress through a specific professional development program. According to an air force article on the subject, "The current design of the NCO corps in the CAP only allows former active-duty NCOs to be a part of the corps, with no upgrade training for promotion within the ranks. The newly signed corps structure will mirror the Air Force NCO force structure with an established process to promote and develop NCOs."[13] By 2018 a professional development and promotion pathway was in place for former military enlisted personnel who joined CAP at their previous rank.[14]
↑ On 1 July 1969 the Air Force Serial Number was changed to the member's social security number (SSAN). This change was for all grades and the three major U.S. military forces including guard and reserve components. The commandant of the USMC did not adopt the serial number change to his forces.
Sergeant is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, serjeant, is used in The Rifles and other units that draw their heritage from the British light infantry. Its origin is the Latin serviens, 'one who serves', through the Old French term serjant.
Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corresponds to commanding a section or squad of soldiers.
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.
A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries.
Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world.
Airman basic (AB) is the lowest enlisted rank in the United States Air Force immediately below airman. The pay grade for airman basic is E-1.
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 rank of specialist is also in pay grade E-4, but does not hold non-commissioned officer status; it is common that a soldier may never hold the rank of corporal, and instead be promoted from specialist to sergeant, attaining junior NCO status at that time.
Senior airman (SrA) is the fourth enlisted rank in the United States Air Force, just above airman first class and below staff sergeant. It has a pay grade of E-4. Between its approval on 30 December 1975 and 19 March 1991, senior airmen wore sleeve chevrons with blue center stars instead of silver to distinguish them from the non-commissioned officer rank of "sergeant", also a pay grade of E-4. The latter was abolished in 1991 and the blue center star was changed to white to conform to all enlisted rank chevrons.
Technical sergeant is the name of two current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Marine Corps.
Senior master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries.
A chief master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries.
The chief master sergeant of the Air Force is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Air Force. The holder of this rank and position of office represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force, unless an enlisted airman is serving as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman. The CMSAF provides direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. The CMSAF is appointed by the Air Force chief of staff (AF/CC) and serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Air Force chief of staff and the secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force.
The term used in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to refer to all ranks below commissioned officer level is other ranks (ORs). It includes warrant officers (WOs), non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and airmen.
Before Unification as the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the Canadian military had three distinct services: the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Canadian Army. All three services had a Regular (full-time) component and a reserve (part-time) component. The rank structure for these services were based on the services of the British military, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the British Army. The change to a "Canadian" rank structure meant that many of the traditional (British) rank titles and insignia were removed or changed.
The military ranks of Israel are the military insignia used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Because the IDF is an integrated force, ranks are the same in all services The ranks are derived from those in the paramilitary Haganah, which operated during the Mandate period in order to protect the Yishuv.
Specialist is a military rank in some countries' armed forces. Two branches of the United States Armed Forces use the rank. It is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the United States Army, above private (PVT), private (PV2), and private first class and is equivalent in pay grade to corporal; in the United States Space Force, four grades of specialist comprise the four junior enlisted ranks below the rank of sergeant.
The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) uses a simplified ranking system for the three branches of Indonesian Army, Indonesian Navy and Indonesian Air Force. Most of the ranks are similar with differences for the rank titles of the high-ranking officers. Exception exists, however, in the ranks of the service members of the Indonesian Marine Corps. While Indonesian Marine Corps is a branch of the Navy, the rank titles of the Marine Corps are the same as those of the Army, but it still uses the Navy's style insignia.
First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries.
Members of Civil Air Patrol are assigned various ranks, the titles and insignia of which are based on those used by the United States Air Force. Each grade and insignia corresponds to an equivalent United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia and an equivalent officer rank insignia.
References
↑ Barnett, Robert (12 December 2012). "Air Force first sergeants work to help Airmen". Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
↑ Office of the National Commander - Civil Air Patrol (4 September 2018). "Memorandum for all CAP Members"(PDF). gocivilairpatrol.com. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
↑ "NCO PROGRAM". pawg.cap.gov. Civil Air Patrol Pennsylvania Wing. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
For the Army and Air Force, first sergeants are temporary and lateral ranks and are senior to their non-diamond counterparts, while Marine Corps first sergeants have no lateral movement within paygrade and is a permanent rank.
The rank insignia is used by other Coast Guard senior enlisted leaders.
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Airman 1st class
Airman 2nd class
Airman 3rd class
