What do OF and OR mean?

OF stands for officer and OR for other ranks (enlisted). NATO codes run OF-1 to OF-10 for commissioned officers and OR-1 to OR-9 for enlisted personnel, giving a single scale to compare ranks across member nations under STANAG 2116.

Why use NATO codes instead of rank names?

Because rank titles differ wildly between nations and services. A NATO code like OF-3 unambiguously identifies the same level — Major in the US and UK armies, Major in the German army — regardless of the local name or insignia.

Do the same codes apply to navy and air force?

Yes, the OF and OR scale is joint, but the titles differ by branch. OF-5 is a Colonel in the army and air force but a Captain in the navy. This table shows army equivalents as the common example.

OF-10 is the highest officer code, equivalent to a five-star General of the Army or a Field Marshal. Many countries no longer use it in peacetime, which is why some columns show it as not used.

Does this tool use the internet?

No. The rank table is bundled with the page and all searching and filtering run in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged or stored.

Military Rank Reference

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Comparing military ranks across nations

Every armed force has its own rank titles and insignia, which makes comparing them hard. NATO solves this with a code system — OF-1 to OF-10 for officers and OR-1 to OR-9 for other ranks — defined in STANAG 2116. This reference maps each code to representative US, UK and German army rank titles so you can translate one nation’s rank into another’s.

How it works

Each NATO code marks an equivalent level of seniority across member states. The army titles below sit at the same code even though the names differ:

OF-5   US Colonel            UK Colonel            DE Oberst
OF-3   US Major              UK Major              DE Major
OF-1   US Lieutenant         UK Lieutenant         DE Leutnant
OR-6   US Staff Sergeant     UK Sergeant           DE Oberfeldwebel
OR-1   US Private (recruit)  UK Private (recruit)  DE Schütze

Filter by tier to see only officers or only other ranks, and search by code or by any rank title to jump straight to the equivalent in another nation.

Tips and notes

The OF/OR scale is joint across services, but titles change by branch — OF-5 is a Colonel in the army yet a Captain in the navy.
Some nations skip OF-10 in peacetime, so the highest code may have no current holder.
The German (Bundeswehr) titles shown are army ranks; the Marine and Luftwaffe use variants.
Use the code, not the title, when you need an unambiguous cross-national comparison.