Like the British Army, the Australian Army does not use the term 'enlisted' to describe its non-commissioned ranks. Instead, personnel who are not commissioned officers are referred to as other ranks.[1] These are soldiers, non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and warrant officers (WOs). Warrant officers are appointed by a warrant which is signed by the Chief of the Army.[2] The insignia for non-commissioned ranks are identical to the British Army up to the rank of warrant officer class two. Since 1976, WO1s and the WO in the Australian Army wear insignia using the Australian Coat of Arms., with [3]
Enlisted/Other Ranks of the Australian Army [4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Warrant Officers[1] | Senior NCOs[1] | Junior NCOs[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rank Title | Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army | Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer Class 2 | Staff Sergeant 2 | Sergeant | Corporal/ | Lance Corporal/ | Private Proficient3 | Private | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abbreviation | RSM-A (WO) | WO1 | WO2 | SSGT | SGT | CPL / BDR | LCPL / LBDR | PTE(P) | PTE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
AUS Code/NATO Code | E-9* / OR-9 | E-9 / OR-9 | E-8 / OR-8 | E-7 / OR-7 | E-6 / OR-6 | E-5 / OR-5 | E-4 / OR-4 | E-3 / OR-3 | E-2 / OR-2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Insignia of the Enlisted (Other Ranks) of the Australian Army[5] |
No insignia Depending on their Corps or Regiment a PTE may have the title Sapper (SPR) / Trooper (TPR) / Gunner (GNR) / Signalman (SIG) / Craftsman (CFN) / Musician (MUSN) [6] |
NOTE:2 The rank of Staff Sergeant is being phased out from the Australian Army, as at 2022 there are 10 Staff Sergeants in the Army, all in the Army Reserve
Bombardier and lance bombardier are used by members of Royal Australian Artillery.[7] All other corps use corporal and lance corporal.
Different rank titles are used by other corps.[8] These soldiers hold the same rank as a PTE E-2 or PTE(P) E-3
Private (and equivalent) soldiers in the Australian Army are still commonly referred to as 'diggers'.[9]
There are a number of appointments held by the senior warrant officers in the Australian Army. These are appointments, not ranks. In general, the rank of the incumbents of these positions is WO1, and they wear the WO1 rank insignia.[1] Due to it having its own special insignia which is worn instead of the WO1 rank insignia, the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A)1 is unusual as it holds the unique Army rank of Warrant Officer (WO), which is senior to WO1 and equivalents.[2]
Other appointments include:
Unit level appointments: