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. 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. 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.
Insignia
| Rank group | Warrant officers | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Soldiers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADF code | E-10 | E-09 | E-08 | E-06 | E-05 | E-04 | E-03 | E-02 |
| Insignia | No insignia | |||||||
| Typical appointment | Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army | Regimental sergeant major | Squadron/battery/company sergeant major | |||||
| Rank | Warrant officer | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 2 | Sergeant | Corporal | Lance corporal | Private proficient | Private (or equivalent) |
| Abbreviation | WO | WO1 | WO2 | SGT | CPL | LCPL | PTE(P) | PTE |
Ranks
Warrant officer ranks
- Warrant officer (WO) – E-9* – the rank held by the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A), and introduced in 1991.
- Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1) – E-9
- Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) – E-8
Senior non-commissioned officer ranks
- Staff Sergeant (SSGT) – E-7
- Sergeant (SGT) – E-6
Junior non-commissioned officer ranks
- Corporal or bombardier (CPL or BDR) – E-5
- Lance corporal or lance bombardier (LCPL or LBDR) – E-4
Bombardier and lance bombardier are used by members of Royal Australian Artillery. All other corps use corporal and lance corporal.
Private soldier ranks
- Private proficient (PTE(P)) – E-3. Also used within the private equivalent ranks
- Private (PTE) – E-2. This title is used by members of the following corps:
- Royal Australian Army Dental Corps
- Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
- Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps
- Royal Australian Army Psychology Corps
- Royal Australian Corps of Transport
- Royal Australian Infantry Corps
- Australian Army Catering Corps
- Australian Army Intelligence Corps
Different rank titles are used by other corps. These soldiers hold the same rank as a PTE E-2 or PTE(P) E-3
- Musician (MUSN): AABC
- Signaller (SIG): Royal Australian Corps of Signals
- Gunner (GNR): Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery
- Trooper (TPR): Royal Australian Armoured Corps, Australian Army Aviation, Australian Special Air Service Regiment
- Sapper (SPR): Royal Australian Engineers
- Craftsman (CFN): Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Patrolman: Regional Force Surveillance Units (RFSUs) such as the North-West Mobile Force
- Private Trainee (PTE TRN): Pre-completion of initial employment training – E-2
- Recruit (REC /PTE(R)): Members who are undergoing basic training, or initial employment training – E-1
Private (and equivalent) soldiers in the Australian Army are still commonly referred to as 'diggers'.
Warrant officer appointments and special insignia
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. 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) is unusual as it holds the unique Army rank of Warrant Officer (WO), which is senior to WO1 and equivalents.
Other appointments include:
- Academy Sergeant Major (ASM): One WO1 is appointed every 3 to 4 years to serve at the Australian Defence Force Academy as the ASM, the position is rotated between the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force.
Unit level appointments:
- Regimental sergeant major (RSM): The senior soldier in a regiment/battalion sized unit. Known as the RSM, even in units designated as battalions. RSMs hold the rank of WO1.
- Company/squadron/battery sergeant major (CSM/SSM/BSM): The senior soldier in a company/squadron/battery sized sub-unit. Holds the rank WO2.
- Artificer sergeant major (ASM): The senior soldier in a RAEME unit. Can be a WO1 or WO2.
See also
- Australian Army officer rank insignia
- Australian Defence Force ranks
- Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) rank insignia
- Uniforms of the Australian Army
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