Military ranks and insignia of Chile

The military ranks and insignia of Chile are the military insignia used by the Chilean Armed Forces.

Comparative tables

Officers

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Chile (Edit)	No Equivalent	Army General	Divisional General	Brigade General	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Sub-Lieutenant	Ensign
	No Equivalent	General de Ejército	General de División	General de Brigada	Brigadier	Coronel	Teniente Coronel	Mayor	Capitán	Teniente	Subteniente	Alférez
Chile (Edit)	No equivalent
			Almirante		Vicealmirante		Contraalmirante		Comodoro		Capitán de Navío		Capitán de Fragata		Capitán de Corbeta		Teniente 1°		Teniente 2°			Subteniente			Guardiamarina
Chile (Edit)	No Equivalent	Air General	Aviation General	Air Brigade General	Commodore	Aviation Colonel	Group Commander	Squadron Commander	Flight Captain	Lieutenant	Sub-Lieutenant	Ensign
	No Equivalent	Air General	Aviation General	Air Brigade General	Commodore	Aviation Colonel	Group Commander	Squadron Commander	Flight Captain	Lieutenant	Sub-Lieutenant	Ensign Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/Chile (Carabineros) Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/Chile (Gendarmerie)
Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers

Enlisted

Equivalent NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4		OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Chile (Edit)											No equivalent																								No insignia
	Suboficial Mayor						Suboficial		Sargento Primero								Sargento Segundo						Cabo Primero				Cabo Segundo		Soldado Primero						Soldado Segundo
Chile (Edit)									No equivalent
	Master chief petty officer Suboficial mayor						Chief petty officer Suboficial				Petty officer first class Sargento primero						Petty officer second class Sargento segundo						Petty officer third class Cabo primero				Seaman Cabo segundo		Seaman apprentice Marinero primero						Seaman recruit Marinero segundo
Chile (Edit)									No equivalent																										No insignia
	Suboficial Mayor						Suboficial				Sargento Primero						Sargento Segundo						Cabo Primero				Cabo Segundo		Cabo						Soldado Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/Chile (Carabineros) Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/Chile (Gendarmerie) Equivalent NATO Code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1 Army An aspiring non-commissioned officer or officer in the Chilean Army undergoes studies at these two schools, both located in the Santiago Metropolitan Region: Gen. Bernardo O'Higgins Military School (for officers) Sgt. Daniel Rebolledo Sepúlveda Army NCO School (for non-commissioned personnel) Upon graduation, they become a commissioned officer (Ensign) or non-commissioned officer (Corporal), and then move on to the branch of his or her choice, except for newly recruited soldiers, whose primary rank is Soldado Dragonante or Soldier Dragonite, and are immediately enrolled as part of the Army NCO School in Maipú. Military ranks (just as is the case in Ecuador) are similar to those in the Prussian and later German armies, including the Prussian Fähnrich rank for officers. The "Captain General" rank, first used by Bernardo O'Higgins and later by presidents Ramón Freire and Augusto Pinochet, is now inactive. The ranks used in the Army today are from the 2002 reorganization. It keeps the old enlisted ranks (Privates, Corporals, Sergeants and Sub-Officers) but a new General Officer rank scheme is used, with three General ranks instead of four. Officers Officer ranks are mostly derived from those in the German army, with some remnants from other influences. While field grade and senior grade officer rank insignia show German influence, general officer rank insignia are inspired by those used in the French Army, but in red shoulder straps with two to four white stars. However, during the Pinochet government, golden stars were used, which was changed in December 2005 during the command in chief of Juan Emilio Cheyre for return to the original design of the generals ranks. Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Chile (Edit) No Equivalent Army General Divisional General Brigade General Brigadier Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant Ensign No Equivalent General de Ejército General de División General de Brigada Brigadier Coronel Teniente Coronel Mayor Capitán Teniente Subteniente Alférez Shirt Raincoat Parka and office Battle Duty Uniform (Center and South) Battle Duty Uniform (North) Abbreviation CJE GDD GDB BGR CRL TCL MAY CAP TTE STE ALF - Former rank insignia of Capitán general created by Augusto Pinochet in 1982 Full dress uniform Grade Captain General Abbreviation CGE NATO pay grade code OF-10 Rank English translation Years of service US Army Equivalent rank/British Army Equivalent rank Capitán General Captain General now inactive General of the Army/Field Marshal/Marshal General de Ejército Army General General General de División Divisional General Lieutenant General General de Brigada Brigade General 31–32 years Major General Brigadier Brigadier, Colonel Commandant Brigadier General, Brigadier/ Colonel Commandant (honorary rank for senior Colonels) Coronel Colonel 26–30 years Colonel Teniente Coronel Lieutenant Colonel 21–25 years Lieutenant Colonel Mayor Major 16–20 years Major Capitán Captain 10–15 years Captain Teniente Lieutenant 5–9 years First lieutenant/Lieutenant Subteniente Sublieutenant 2–4 years Second lieutenant Alférez Ensign 1 year of service after graduation Acting Lieutenant/3rd Lieutenant/Ensign Subalférez Junior Ensign, Sub-ensign (student) 3–4 years of study Officer Cadet/Student Officer 1 Cadete Cadet Officer (student) 1–2 years of stud Officer Candidate/Student Officer 2 Enlisted ranks All Privates and Student NCOs studying in the Army NCO School wear no rank insignia. Equivalent NATO Code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1 Chile (Edit) No equivalent No insignia Suboficial Mayor Suboficial Sargento Primero Sargento Segundo Cabo Primero Cabo Segundo Soldado Primero Soldado Segundo Battle Duty Uniform Abbreviation SOM SOF SG1 SG2 CB1 CB2 CBO Rank English translation Years of service US Army Equivalent rank/British Army Equivalent rank Suboficial Mayor Senior Sub-Officer 30 years Command Sergeant Major/Warrant Officer Class 1 Suboficial Sub-Officer 27–29 years Sergeant Major/ Warrant Officer Class 2 Sargento Primero First Sergeant 24–26 years Master Sergeant/Staff Sergeant Sargento Segundo Second Sergeant 19–23 years Sergeant First Class/Sergeant Cabo Primero First Corporal 11–18 years Staff Sergeant/Lance Sergeant, Master Corporal Cabo Segundo Second Corporal 4–10 years Sergeant/Corporal Cabo Corporal 2–3 years after graduation Corporal/Lance Corporal Soldado Soldier 1–5 years after recruitment, one year after graduation Private First Class Cabo Dragonante (student) Corporal Dragonite (student) 2 years of study Private Soldado Dragonante/Alumno (student) Soldier Dragonite (student) 1 year of study (save when recruited into the Army) Private Basic/NCO Candidate Navy Ranks and rates are shown on the sleeves of all Chilean Navy summer uniforms (and on the shoulder boards on winter or summer service uniforms as well for officers and WOs only). Shoulder and sleeve ranks are inspired by those in the British Royal Navy, the French Navy and the German Navy. Officers, WOs and NCOs of the Marines add the Infante de Marina (Marine Soldier) title to their ranks from Seaman onward, as the Marines are part of the Navy. All officers, active or reserve, study at the Arturo Prat Naval Academy and later in the Naval Polytechnic Academy and the Naval War Academy receive improved training and education to be promoted as well as training in his/her specialty field while all active and reserve NCOs (known in the Navy through the general term Men of the Sea) study at the Seamen's School of the Navy "Alejandro Navarette Cisnerna" and later in the Naval Polytechnic Academy and its attached and independent colleges for later specialty training. Officers Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Chile (Edit) No equivalent Almirante Vicealmirante Contraalmirante Comodoro Capitán de Navío Capitán de Fragata Capitán de Corbeta Teniente 1° Teniente 2° Subteniente Guardiamarina Shoulder boards Abbreviations A VA CA CM CN CF CC T1 T2 ST GAMA - Enlisted Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted Chile (Edit) No equivalent Master chief petty officer Suboficial mayor Chief petty officer Suboficial Petty officer first class Sargento primero Petty officer second class Sargento segundo Petty officer third class Cabo primero Seaman Cabo segundo Seaman apprentice Marinero primero Seaman recruit Marinero segundo Sleeve insignia Abbreviation SOM SO S1 S2 C1 C2 MRO1 MRO2 Air force Ranks and insignia, similar to the Royal Air Force but adapted to suit the origins of the Chilean Air Force, are worn on shoulder collars and cuffs. General officers have the Condor eagle in their shoulder collars while officer cadets have a unique symbol, that of the Air Force Academy "Captain Manuel Ávalos Prado", on their shoulder collars. On the NCOs and enlistees, only Subofficer Majors and Subofficers wear both shoulder and cuff insignia, while NCO cadets wear a double capital letter E (for the Air Force Specialties School "Flight Sergeant Adolfo Menandier Rojas") on their shoulder collars alongside their unique cuff marking. Officer ranks (SS.OO.) The officer ranking system and insignia are similar to the RAF pattern of ranks, save for the General officer ranks, modified to suit the British style ranks, and the Colonel rank. Other ranks with foreign influences are that of Air Brigade General, a general officer rank in the French Air Force, and Air General, a general officer rank in the Spanish Air Force and the Bolivian and Colombian air forces. Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Service Cap Chile (Edit) No Equivalent Air General Aviation General Air Brigade General Commodore Aviation Colonel Group Commander Squadron Commander Flight Captain Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant Ensign No Equivalent Air General Aviation General Air Brigade General Commodore Aviation Colonel Group Commander Squadron Commander Flight Captain Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant Ensign Shoulder Gala Cap Sleeve (full dress) Camouflage ranks Abbreviation C.J. G.D.A. G.B.A. COM. C.D.A. C.D.G. C.D.E. C.D.B. TTE. STE. ALF. - Noncommissioned and enlisted ranks Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted Chile (Edit) No equivalent No insignia Suboficial Mayor Suboficial Sargento Primero Sargento Segundo Cabo Primero Cabo Segundo Cabo Soldado Shoulder – – – – Abbreviation SOM SOF SG1 SG2 CBO1 CBO2 CBO - - Carabineros Commissioned officers Officers of the Carabineros, native born or foreign officers having scholarships, start out as officer aspirants at the Carabinier Officers School "Pres. Gen. Carlos Ibanez del Campo" in Santiago, and after graduating become sublieutenants either in Chile or in their home countries. Later training is provided by the Police Sciences Academy also in Santiago, and in the aforementioned specialty schools of the force. Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/Chile (Carabineros) Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Shirt Raincoat Parka Cape Smock Operational shirt Abbreviation GNRL DIR GNRL INS GNRL CRNL TTE CRNL MAY CAP TTE SUB TTE Enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers Chilean and foreign NCOs enter the service through enrollment at the Carabineros Formation School and receive further training as corporals at the Carabineros NCO Academy, both located in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, and some of them have later training at the various service schools of the Carabineros specializing in frontier defense, horsemanship and K-9 training and handling skills. Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/Chile (Carabineros) Equivalent NATO Code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1 Raincoat Parka Smock Operational shirt Abbreviation (SOM) (SuboF) (SG1) (SG2) (CBO1) (CBO2) (Carab) Gendarmerie Commissioned officers Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/Chile (Gendarmerie) Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Shirt Raincoat Parka Inside Abbreviation DIREC NAC SDO CRNL TTE CRNL MAY CAP TTE 1° TTE 2° SUB TTE A.A.O.O Enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers Template:Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/Chile (Gendarmerie) Equivalent NATO Code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1 Shirt Raincoat Parka No insignia Inside Footnotes References