Military ranks and insignia of Chile
The military ranks and insignia of Chile are the military insignia used by the Chilean Armed Forces.
Comparative tables
[edit]- Officers
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General de ejército | General de división | General de brigada | Brigadier | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Subteniente | Alférez | Cadete
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Almirante | Vicealmirante | Contraalmirante | Comodoro | Capitán de navío | Capitán de fragata | Capitán de corbeta | Teniente 1° | Teniente 2° | Subteniente | Guardiamarina | Cadete
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General de aire | General de aviación | General de brigada aérea | Comodoro | Coronel de aviación | Comandante de grupo | Comandante de escuadrilla | Capitán de bandada | Teniente | Subteniente | Alférez | Cadete
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General director | General inspector | General | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Subteniente | Aspirante a oficial
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Director nacional | Subdirector operativo | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente 1° | Teniente 2° | Subteniente | Aspirante a oficial
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Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet |
- Enlisted
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Cabo | Soldado de tropa profesional
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Marinero primero | Marinero segundo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Cabo | Soldado de tropa profesional | Alumno | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Carabinero | Carabinero alumno
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Cabo | Gendarme primero | Gendarme segundo | Gendarme | Gendarme alumno
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Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted |
Army
[edit]An aspiring non-commissioned officer or officer in the Chilean Army undergoes studies at these two schools, both located in the Santiago Metropolitan Region:
- Gen. Bernardo O'Higgins Military School (for officers)
- Sgt. Daniel Rebolledo Sepúlveda Army NCO School (for non-commissioned personnel)
Upon graduation, they become a commissioned officer (Ensign) or non-commissioned officer (Corporal), and then move on to the branch of his or her choice, except for newly recruited soldiers, whose primary rank is Soldado Dragonante or Soldier Dragonite, and are immediately enrolled as part of the Army NCO School in Maipú.
Military ranks (just as is the case in Ecuador) are similar to those in the Prussian and later German armies, including the Prussian Fähnrich rank for officers. The "Captain General" rank, first used by Bernardo O'Higgins and later by presidents Ramón Freire and Augusto Pinochet, is now inactive.
The ranks used in the Army today are from the 2002 reorganization. It keeps the old enlisted ranks (Privates, Corporals, Sergeants and Sub-Officers) but a new General Officer rank scheme is used, with three General ranks instead of four.
- Officers
Officer ranks are mostly derived from those in the German army, with some remnants from other influences. While field grade and senior grade officer rank insignia show German influence, general officer rank insignia are inspired by those used in the French Army, but in red shoulder straps with two to four white stars. However, during the Pinochet government, golden stars were used, which was changed in December 2005 during the command in chief of Juan Emilio Cheyre for return to the original design of the generals ranks.[4]
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General de ejército | General de división | General de brigada | Brigadier | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Subteniente | Alférez | Cadete
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Abbreviation | CJE | GDD | GDB | BGR | CRL | TCL | MAY | CAP | TTE | STE | ALF | - |
Former rank insignia of Capitán general created by Augusto Pinochet in 1982 | |
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Grade | Captain General[a] |
Abbreviation | CGE |
NATO pay grade code | OF-10 |
Rank | English translation | Years of service | US Army Equivalent rank/British Army Equivalent rank |
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Capitán General | Captain General | now inactive | General of the Army/Field Marshal/Marshal |
General de Ejército | Army General | General | |
General de División | Divisional General | Lieutenant General | |
General de Brigada | Brigade General | 31–32 years | Major General |
Brigadier | Brigadier, Colonel Commandant |
Brigadier General, Brigadier/ Colonel Commandant (honorary rank for senior Colonels) | |
Coronel | Colonel | 26–30 years | Colonel |
Teniente Coronel | Lieutenant Colonel | 21–25 years | Lieutenant Colonel |
Mayor | Major | 16–20 years | Major |
Capitán | Captain | 10–15 years | Captain |
Teniente | Lieutenant | 5–9 years | First lieutenant/Lieutenant |
Subteniente | Sublieutenant | 2–4 years | Second lieutenant |
Alférez | Ensign | 1 year of service after graduation | Acting Lieutenant/3rd Lieutenant/Ensign |
Subalférez | Junior Ensign, Sub-ensign (student) | 3–4 years of study | Officer Cadet/Student Officer 1 |
Cadete | Cadet Officer (student) | 1–2 years of stud | Officer Candidate/Student Officer 2 |
- Enlisted ranks
All Privates and Student NCOs studying in the Army NCO School wear no rank insignia.
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Cabo | Soldado de tropa profesional | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Abbreviation | SOM | SOF | SG1 | SG2 | CB1 | CB2 | CBO |
Rank | English translation | Years of service | US Army Equivalent rank/British Army Equivalent rank |
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Suboficial Mayor | Senior Sub-Officer | 30 years | Command Sergeant Major/Warrant Officer Class 1 |
Suboficial | Sub-Officer | 27–29 years | Sergeant Major/ Warrant Officer Class 2 |
Sargento Primero | First Sergeant | 24–26 years | Master Sergeant/Staff Sergeant |
Sargento Segundo | Second Sergeant | 19–23 years | Sergeant First Class/Sergeant |
Cabo Primero | First Corporal | 11–18 years | Staff Sergeant/Lance Sergeant, Master Corporal |
Cabo Segundo | Second Corporal | 4–10 years | Sergeant/Corporal |
Cabo | Corporal | 2–3 years after graduation | Corporal/Lance Corporal |
Soldado | Soldier | 1–5 years after recruitment, one year after graduation |
Private First Class |
Cabo Dragonante (student) | Corporal Dragonite (student) | 2 years of study | Private |
Soldado Dragonante/Alumno (student) | Soldier Dragonite (student) | 1 year of study (save when recruited into the Army) | Private Basic/NCO Candidate |
Navy
[edit]Ranks and rates are shown on the sleeves of all Chilean Navy summer uniforms (and on the shoulder boards on winter or summer service uniforms as well for officers and WOs only). Shoulder and sleeve ranks are inspired by those in the British Royal Navy, the French Navy and the German Navy. Officers, WOs and NCOs of the Marines add the Infante de Marina (Marine Soldier) title to their ranks from Seaman onward, as the Marines are part of the Navy.
All officers, active or reserve, study at the Arturo Prat Naval Academy and later in the Naval Polytechnic Academy and the Naval War Academy receive improved training and education to be promoted as well as training in his/her specialty field while all active and reserve NCOs (known in the Navy through the general term Men of the Sea) study at the Seamen's School of the Navy "Alejandro Navarette Cisnerna" and later in the Naval Polytechnic Academy and its attached and independent colleges for later specialty training.
- Officers
Rank group | General/flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Almirante | Vicealmirante | Contraalmirante | Comodoro | Capitán de navío | Capitán de fragata | Capitán de corbeta | Teniente 1° | Teniente 2° | Subteniente | Guardiamarina | Cadete | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shoulder boards | ![]() |
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Abbreviations | A | VA | CA | CM | CN | CF | CC | T1 | T2 | ST | GAMA | - |
- Enlisted
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Marinero primero | Marinero segundo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sleeve insignia | ![]() |
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Abbreviation | SOM | SO | S1 | S2 | C1 | C2 | MRO1 | MRO2 |
Air force
[edit]Ranks and insignia, similar to the Royal Air Force but adapted to suit the origins of the Chilean Air Force, are worn on shoulder collars and cuffs. General officers have the Condor eagle in their shoulder collars while officer cadets have a unique symbol, that of the Air Force Academy "Captain Manuel Ávalos Prado", on their shoulder collars. On the NCOs and enlistees, only Subofficer Majors and Subofficers wear both shoulder and cuff insignia, while NCO cadets wear a double capital letter E (for the Air Force Specialties School "Flight Sergeant Adolfo Menandier Rojas") on their shoulder collars alongside their unique cuff marking.
- Officer ranks (SS.OO.)
The officer ranking system and insignia are similar to the RAF pattern of ranks, save for the General officer ranks, modified to suit the British style ranks, and the Colonel rank.[5] Other ranks with foreign influences are that of Air Brigade General, a general officer rank in the French Air Force, and Air General, a general officer rank in the Spanish Air Force and the Bolivian and Colombian air forces.[6][7]
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Service Cap | ![]() |
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General de aire | General de aviación | General de brigada aérea | Comodoro | Coronel de aviación | Comandante de grupo | Comandante de escuadrilla | Capitán de bandada | Teniente | Subteniente | Alférez | Cadete | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shoulder | ![]() |
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Gala Cap | ![]() |
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Sleeve (full dress) | ![]() |
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Camouflage ranks | ![]() |
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Abbreviation | C.J. | G.D.A. | G.B.A. | COM. | C.D.A. | C.D.G. | C.D.E. | C.D.B. | TTE. | STE. | ALF. | - |
- Noncommissioned and enlisted ranks[5]
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Cabo | Soldado de tropa profesional | Alumno | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Abbreviation | SOM | SOF | SG1 | SG2 | CBO1 | CBO2 | CBO | - | - |
Carabineros
[edit]- Commissioned officers
Officers of the Carabineros, native born or foreign officers having scholarships, start out as officer aspirants at the Carabinier Officers School "Pres. Gen. Carlos Ibanez del Campo" in Santiago, and after graduating become sublieutenants either in Chile or in their home countries. Later training is provided by the Police Sciences Academy also in Santiago, and in the aforementioned specialty schools of the force.
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General director | General inspector | General | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Subteniente | Aspirante a oficial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cape | ![]() |
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Abbreviation | GNRL DIR | GNRL INS | GNRL | CRNL | TTE CRNL | MAY | CAP | TTE | SUB TTE |
- Enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers
Chilean and foreign NCOs enter the service through enrollment at the Carabineros Formation School and receive further training as corporals at the Carabineros NCO Academy, both located in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, and some of them have later training at the various service schools of the Carabineros specializing in frontier defense, horsemanship and K-9 training and handling skills.
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Carabinero | Carabinero alumno | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Abbreviation | (SOM) | (SuboF) | (SG1) | (SG2) | (CBO1) | (CBO2) | (Carab) |
Gendarmerie
[edit]- Commissioned officers
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Director nacional | Subdirector operativo | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente 1° | Teniente 2° | Subteniente | Aspirante a oficial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Abbreviation | DIREC NAC | SDO | CRNL | TTE CRNL | MAY | CAP | TTE 1° | TTE 2° | SUB TTE | A.A.O.O |
- Enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Cabo | Gendarme primero | Gendarme segundo | Gendarme | Gendarme alumno | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Inactive since 2008, reserved for President from Military of Chile
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Distintivos de grados" [Badges of degrees]. ejercito.cl (in Spanish). Chilean Army. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Grados". fach.cl (in Spanish). Department of Communications. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Grados y distintivos" [Degrees and badges] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Chilean Air Force". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ "Grados" [Grades] (in Spanish). 5 December 2010. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010.
- ^ "fach.cl". Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.