Australian Army Officers receive a commission that is personally signed by the Governor-General of Australia, acting for the Queen. Rank insignia for commissioned officers is identical to that of the British Army, with the addition of a band containing the word "Australia" beneath the insignia.
Ranks and Rank Grades
Officer ranks in the Australian Army are organised into grades for administrative and promotional purposes. The rank grades also give an indication of what that particular officer's role or position may be, although 'Rank Grade' is not an official term. The ranks are organised below from highest to lowest:
General Officer Ranks
- Field Marshal (Abbreviated: FM) 1 - O11 (While this rank is generally reserved for wartime only, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is an Australian Field Marshal. The Duke, however, does not have any active role in the Australian command structure)
- General (Abbreviated: GEN) - O10. (Only filled when Army fills certain rotational appointments such as Chief of the Defence Force)
- Lieutenant General (Abbreviated: LTGEN) - O9
- Major General (Abbreviated: MAJGEN) - O8
Senior Officer Ranks
- Brigadier (Abbreviated: BRIG) - O7
- Colonel (Abbreviated: COL) - O6
Field Grade Officer Ranks
- Lieutenant Colonel (Abbreviated: LTCOL) - O5
- Major (Abbreviated: MAJ) - O4
Company Grade Officer Ranks
- Captain (Abbreviated: CAPT) - O3
- Lieutenant (Abbreviated: LT) - O2
- Second Lieutenant (Abbreviated: 2LT) - O1
Officer Trainee Rank
- Staff Cadet (Abbreviated SCDT)
- Officer Cadet (Abbreviated: OCDT) 2
The rank insignia for OCDT and SCDT is a 10mm thick white stripe, worn on a DPCU rank slide or a hard shoulder board depending on uniform worn.
Cadet Rank Insignia
The rank of Officer Cadet is given to those who are studying at the Australian Defence Force Academy their rank is then changed to Staff Cadet upon entry to the Royal Military College, Duntroon where they become a part of the Corps of Staff Cadets. The rank of Staff Cadet is also given to those training to become a Reserve Officer through the various University Regiments.
Officer Cadets and Staff Cadets wear a 10mm wide white stripe, on a DPCU slide or hard shoulder board, as their rank insignia. This is to distingish the trainee officers from Private soldiers.[2]
Officer Rank Insignia of the Australian Army
The insignia worn by officers in the Australian Army use three symbols which are also used in the insignia of the British Army:
- The Star, commonly called a pip, is derived from that of the Order of the Bath.
- The Crown has varied in the past, with the Imperial Crown being used from 1910 until it was replaced by the St Edward's Crown from the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.
- The Crossed Sword and Baton has been in use by generals of the British Army since at least 1800.
| Officer Cadet/Officer Trainee Ranks of the Australian Army |
| Officer Cadet (OCDT) |
Staff Cadet (SCDT) |
|
Same as OCDT but with "RMC" at bottom instead of "AUSTRALIA" |
- Note 3: For the ranks of 2LT to LTCOL, unless posted overseas, the gilt "AUSTRALIA" at the base of the ceremonial hardboard rank slide (shown above) is replaced with gilt or silver Corps or Regimental shoulder titles. On cloth rank slides and on Service Dress and Mess Dress jackets the word "AUSTRALIA" is used by all officers regardless of rank.
References
See also
External links
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