Enlisted Ranks

• Marine enlisted personnel start at the rank of private (grade E1) and continue on to sergeant major/ master gunnery sergeant (grade E9). The first three grades--private, private first class and lance corporal--are considered "nonrates." These are the "entry-level" positions of the Marine Corps.
  
  Noncommissioned officer ranks are corporal (E4) and sergeant (E5). These ranks lead small teams. Career-oriented Marines would normally retire as a staff noncommissioned officer (SNCO, grade E-6 to E-9). Staff sergeants and gunnery sergeants are responsible for most of the everyday management of the Corps. These Marines are lightly supervised by commissioned officers.
  
  The E8 and E9 grades are each split into to different ranks. E8 ranks are first sergeant and master sergeant. First sergeants tend to be assigned to the infantry or "people management" roles. Master sergeants are also people managers, but tend to be assigned to technical roles of organisations. The same division is true of master gunnery sergeants (technical) and sergeant majors (infantry). The infantry roles tend to be assigned to major units (company and higher). The technical ranks might help manage a supply department or depot-level maintenance organization.
  
  

Warrant Officers

• Warrant officers fall between SNCOs and commissioned officers. There are five warrant officer grades in the Marines: warrant officer one (WO1) and chief warrant officer two through five (CWO2 through CWO5). Warrant officers are normally former enlisted personnel in a specific specialized field. Warrant officers will normally only provide leadership within their speciality. Marine warrant officers within gunnery fields are often nicknamed "Gunner."
  
  

Commissioned Officers

• Commissioned officers are grades O1 through O10. A commissioned officer's authority is granted by a formal written document issued in the name of the president of the United States. This document states that Marine commissioned officers carry the "special trust and confidence of the president of the United States." Commissioned officers rank in the following order: 2nd lieutenant, 1st lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general and general. Commissioned officers are the senior management of the Marine Corps. The general who is named commandant of the Marine Corps is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  
  

Similarities to Other Branches of Service

• Marine rank is quite similar to the rank structure of the Army. Naval rank is completely different, with the exception of the warrant officer ranks. A notable difference between the Army and Marine Corps enlisted ranks is there is no split in the E4 grade. The Marines have no rank corresponding to an Army specialist; all E4s are NCOs in the Marines. Additionally, the E7 rank in the Army is not called a gunnery sergeant. In the Army an E7 is called a sergeant 1st class.
  
  

Promotions

• Enlisted Marines are promoted either meritoriously or by time in grade. Meritorious promotions are awarded to Marines for excellence in their field. Meritorious promotions can be "on the spot" for bravery on the battlefield, but are usually awarded by a promotion board. Time in grade promotions are awarded when Marines perform adequately within their field. Warrant officers are also board appointed. Marine commissioned officers must be recommended for promotion by their commanding officers. After recommendation, a Marine officer must also face a promotion board.