Australian Army officer rank insignia
Australian Army officers receive a commission from the Governor-General of Australia, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force. The commission is signed by both the Governor-General and the Minister of Defence. Rank insignia for commissioned officers is identical to that of the British Army, 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:
Appointed Officer ranks
- Governor General of Australia. This rank is the highest appointed rank in the Australian Army, and is its Commander-in-Chief.
- State Governor. This rank insignia is worn by state governors.
- Lord Birdwood was promoted to the honorary rank of Field Marshal in the Australian Military Forces on 20 March 1925.[1] Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh held the rank of Field Marshal in the Australian Army,[2]but did not have any active role.
General Officer ranks
- General (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.
- Chief of Capability Development.
- Major General(Abbreviated: MAJGEN) – O8.
Senior Officer ranks
- Brigadier General.[3]
- 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.[4]
- 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.[5][6]
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
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.[8]
- 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 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
Appointed Ranks of the Australian Army | ||
---|---|---|
Governor General of Australia [9] |
State Governor [10] |
Field Marshal
(FM)[11] |
[12] |
General Ranks of the Australian Army | Abolished General Ranks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
General (GEN) |
Lieutenant General
(LTGEN)[4] |
Major General (MAJGEN) |
Brigadier General
(abolished 1921)[A] | |
Senior Officer Ranks of the Australian Army | Field Grade Officer Ranks of the Australian Army | ||
---|---|---|---|
Brigadier (BRIG) (since 1928)[A] |
Colonel (COL) |
Major (MAJ)[14] | |
- ^ a b An Australian brigadier is not considered as a "general", but rather a senior colonel or field officer.
In 1921 the British Army replaced the rank of brigadier-general with both Colonel-Commandant and Colonel-of-the-Staff depending on the appointment. These ranks were given the rank insignia of a Crown and three stars (pips). After issues with those ranks arose, particularly the loss of precedent and respect and prestige being equated to a colonel, in 1928 the rank brigadier was introduced and replaced Colonel-Commandant and Colonel-of-the-Staff but retained the same rank insignia to reflect that a brigadier is a senior colonel and field officer, and not a junior general. The Australian Imperial force followed the same order to abolish the brigadier-general rank effective 1 January 1921, and the Australian army followed the same rank structure once efforts to establish a regular infantry force in 1938.[13]
Company Grade Officer Ranks of the Australian Army | ||
---|---|---|
Captain
(CAPT)[14] |
Lieutenant (LT)[4][14] |
|
Officer Cadet/Officer Trainee Ranks of the Australian Army | |
---|---|
Officer Cadet
(OCDT)[15] |
Staff Cadet
(SCDT)[15] |
See also
- Australian Army enlisted rank insignia
- Australian Defence Force ranks
- List of Australian generals and brigadiers
- Uniforms of the Australian Army
References and notes
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette extract A.A.O 33, 1926, Notice No2 of 14 January 1926
- ^ Australian Army Gradation List of Officers
- ^ An Australian brigadier is not classed as a "general", whereas an Australian brigadier general was. The British Army replaced the rank of brigadier general with colonel-commandant in 1922, and then with brigadier in 1928. The rank insignia was changed from crossed sabre and baton to crown with three stars ("pips") to reflect that a brigadier is a senior colonel rather than a junior general. The Australian Army did something similar.[citation needed]
- ^ a b c d e In the Australian Army, Lieutenant is pronounced "Lef-tenant"
- ^ "Commissioned Officer Ranks". Australian Army. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "General Service Officer". Defence Jobs. Defence Force Recruiting. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ Army Standing Orders on Dress (ASOD) vol 2, part 4, ch 3.19, May 2002.
- ISBN 9780980325164.
- ^ "Chapter 4: Badges and Emblems" (PDF). Army Dress Manual. Canberra: Australian Army. 6 June 2014. p. 4H1–1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Chapter 4: Badges and Emblems" (PDF). Army Dress Manual. Canberra: Australian Army. 6 June 2014. p. 4H1–1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2015.
- ^ There are no regular appointments to the rank of Field Marshal.
- British insignia, although there is a small difference. In the Australian insignia, the Crown is 5mm above the Crossed Batons. In the British insignia, the Crown is attached to the Crossed Batons.[dubious ][citation needed]
- ISSN 0037-9700.
- ^ a b c d e For the ranks of 2LT to LTCOL, unless posted overseas, the gilt "AUSTRALIA" at the base of the ceremonial hardboard rank slide (shown above) is replaced with gilt or silver Corps or Regimental shoulder titles. On cloth rank slides and on Service Dress and Mess Dress jackets the word "AUSTRALIA" is used by all officers regardless of rank.
- ^ a b The SCDT insignia is the same as OCDT, but with "RMC" at bottom instead of a thick white stripe.