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1 [1] (January 2, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthmbdor0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Dee Congressional Research Service Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel January 2, 2018 Grade and Rank The armed forces are hierarchical organizations with clearly defined levels of authority. These different levels are called grades, while rank refers to the order of precedence among those in different grades and within the same grade (e.g., someone who has been a Sergeant for three years outranks someone who has been a Sergeant for two years). However, it is common for the term rank to be used as a synonym for grade. Pay grade is an administrative classification that determines certain rates of pay, but it is sometimes used to indicate grade as well. For example, a Staff Sergeant in the Army may also be referred to as an E- 6. See Figure 1. The Service Secretaries manage the accession, promotion, and assignments of enlisted members under broad statutory authorities. Numbers and Roles Enlisted personnel make up about 82% of the armed forces, with officers making up the remaining 18%. Enlisted personnel rank below all officers. Table 1 lists the number of active duty enlisted personnel in each pay grade. Junior enlisted personnel (pay grades E-1 to E-4) typically work in small units across the DOD. Individuals normally serve in these grades during their first enlistment term (usually four years). More senior enlisted personnel supervise them. Junior enlisted make up about 53% of the enlisted workforce. Mid-level Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) (pay grades E-5 to E-7). NCOs have significantly more responsibility than junior enlisted personnel. They lead small units, typically ranging from a few to several dozen personnel, and serve as technical experts in their occupational specialties. NCOs at this level translate orders from their superior officers into action. They make up about 43% of the enlisted workforce. Senior Noncommissioned Officers (pay grades E-8 and E- 9) typically serve as senior enlisted advisors to commanders or as staff NCOs. They also serve as a channel of support for the enlisted force in general. By law, enlisted personnel in pay grades E-8 and E-9 may not be more than 2.15% and 1.25%, respectively, of the number of enlisted members of a given Service who are on active duty (10 U.S.C. §517). Insignia As shown in Figure 1, each enlisted grade in the armed forces has distinctive insignia, typically worn on the sleeve, shoulder, collar, and/or headgear (caps, berets, helmets, etc.). Table I. Active Duty Military Enlisted by Pay Grade (as of September 30, 2017) Services Pay Grade Army Navy Marine Corps Air Force Total E-9 3,330 2,598 1,557 2,586 10,071 E-8 10,747 6,531 3,848 5,011 26,137 E-7 34,081 21,102 8,449 24,776 88,408 E-6 54,038 47,242 13,827 39,574 154,681 E-5 65,581 64,430 26,345 61,922 218,278 E-4 111,230 52,430 34,971 53,103 251,734 E-3 47,014 46,704 41,503 51,275 186,496 E-2 29,173 12,981 21,318 8,141 71,613 E-I 24,674 11,006 11,472 10,595 57,747 Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center. www.crs.gov 1 7-570

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