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Updated December 26, 2019


Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel


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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.


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-i to E-4)
typically work in small units across the Department of
Defense. Individuals normally serve in these grades during
their first enlistment term (usually four years). More senior
enlisted personnel supervise them. Junior enlisted personnel
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
44% 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, the authorized
daily average of enlisted personnel in pay grades E-8 and E-
9 may not be more than 2.5% and 1.25%, respectively, of
the number of enlisted members in a given Service on the
first day of the fiscal year. If the number of E-9s is below
the cap, the difference may be applied to increase the
number of E-8s. The statutory caps can be waived in certain
circumstances (10 U.S.C. §517).


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, 2019)

                                                   Services

  Pay Grade            Army                Navy           Marine Corps         Air Force            Total

      E-9               3,520              2,755               1,584              2,613              10,472
      E-8               11,224             6,934              3,940               5,379             27,477
      E-7              35,562              22,002             8,562              26,491             92,617
      E-6              55,725              50,698             14,607             39,695 1:60,:725
      E-5              68,070              70,499             26,080             61,544             226,193
      E-4              110,178             S3,333             35,657             S4,SSO             2S3,718
      E-3              49,628              42,371             42,414             55,166             189,579
      E-2              26,726              16,505             20,904              7,568             71,703
      E-1              26,368              12,298             10,817             10,970             60,453

      Total            387,001            277,395             164,565            263,976           1,092,937
Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center.


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