Canadian Armed Forces ranks and insignia

The Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces (French: Commandant en chef des Forces armées canadiennes) rank insignia is a special sleeve braid embellished with the crest of the Royal arms of Canada and this same embroidered crest is worn on the shoulder straps.[1]

The rank insignia for the Commander-in-Chief for the navy, army and air force respectively.

NATO Code	Special
Canada
Canada
Canada

The rank insignia for commissioned officers for the navy, army and air force respectively.

NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Royal Canadian Navy	No equivalent																														No equivalent
			Admiral		Vice-admiral		Rear-admiral		Commodore		Captain(N)		Commander		Lieutenant-commander		Lieutenant(N)		Sub-lieutenant			Acting sub-lieutenant			Naval Cadet
			Amiral		Vice-amiral		Contre-amiral		Commodore		Capitaine de vaisseau		Capitaine de frégate		Capitaine de corvette		Lieutenant de vaisseau		Enseigne de vaisseau de 1re classe			Enseigne de vaisseau de 2e classe			Aspirant de marine
Canadian Army	No equivalent																														No equivalent
			General		Lieutenant-general		Major-general		Brigadier-general		Colonel		Lieutenant-colonel		Major		Captain		Lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Officer cadet
			Général		Lieutenant-général		Major-général		Brigadier-général		Colonel		Lieutenant-colonel		Major		Capitaine		Lieutenant			Sous-lieutenant			Élève-officier
Royal Canadian Air Force	No equivalent																														No equivalent
			General		Lieutenant-general		Major-general		Brigadier-general		Colonel		Lieutenant-colonel		Major		Captain		Lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Officer cadet
			Général		Lieutenant-général		Major-général		Brigadier-général		Colonel		Lieutenant-colonel		Major		Capitaine		Lieutenant			Sous-lieutenant			Élève-officier
NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer

The rank insignia for non-commissioned members for the navy, army and air force respectively. NCM rank insignia for the rank of petty officer 1st class/warrant officer and above are worn on the lower sleeve, while those for the rank of petty officer 2nd class/sergeant and below are worn on the upper sleeve. The Royal Canadian Navy has directed its personnel to use the English rank titles for OR-1 through OR-5, but they are not yet legally in force pursuant to the National Defence Act, as they are not yet updated in the Queen's Regulations and Orders issued by the Governor-in-Council.[2]

NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Royal Canadian Navy
	Chief petty officer 1st class Premier maître de 1re classe						Chief petty officer 2nd class Premier maître de 2e classe		Petty officer 1st class Maître de 1re classe		Petty officer 2nd class Maître de 2e classe						Master sailor Matelot-chef						Sailor (first class) Matelot de 1re classe				Sailor (second class) Matelot de 2e classe		Sailor (third class) Matelot de 3e classe (confirmé)						Sailor (recruit) Matelot de 3e classe (recrue)
Canadian Army
	Chief warrant officer Adjudant-chef						Master warrant officer Adjudant-maître		Warrant officer Adjudant		Sergeant Sergent						Master corporal Caporal-chef						Corporal Caporal				Private (trained) Soldat (formé)		Private (basic) Soldat (confirmé)						Private (recruit) Soldat (recrue)
Royal Canadian Air Force
	Chief warrant officer						Master warrant officer		Warrant officer		Sergeant						Master corporal						Corporal				Aviator (trained)		Aviator (basic)						Aviator (recruit)
	Adjudant-chef						Adjudant-maître		Adjudant		Sergent						Caporal-chef						Caporal				Aviateur (formé)		Aviateur (confirmé)						Aviateur (recrue)
NATO Code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1

Senior NCM appointments

The rank insignia for Senior NCM appointments for the navy, army and air force respectively.

NATO Code	OR-9
Canada
	Canadian Forces chief warrant officer	Command chief petty officer 1st class	Senior appointment chief petty officer 1st class
	Adjudant-chef des Forces canadiennes	Premier maître de 1re classe du commandement	Premier maître de 1re classe
Canada
	Canadian Forces chief warrant officer	Command chief warrant officer	Senior appointment chief warrant officer
	Adjudant-chef des Forces canadiennes	Adjudant-chef du commandement	Adjudant-chef- nomination supérieure
Canada
	Canadian Forces chief warrant officer	Command chief warrant officer	Senior appointment chief warrant officer
	Adjudant-chef des Forces canadiennes	Adjudant-chef du commandement	Adjudant-chef- nomination supérieure

The tables above describe the rank insignia worn on the service dress jacket. On DEU shirts, sweaters, and outerwear; and operational dress shirts and jackets, rank insignia are worn on slip-ons with the word "CANADA" or a regimental/branch title embroidered underneath. Flag/general officers' slip-ons include only the crown, crossed sabre and baton, and maple leaves worn on the shoulder straps; they do not include the braid worn on the sleeve. Army NCM slip-ons for DEU shirts, sweaters, and outerwear display only the word "CANADA" or a regimental/branch title, rank insignia being worn instead as enamelled metal pins on collar points or lapels.

From 1955 to 1968 Militia personnel were permitted to wear service insignia on the right jacket sleeve.[3][4] There were one to five silver chevrons on drab backing for every two years of service or a maple leaf in silver thread on a drab cloth circle to represent 10 years of service. Chevron points were worn either up or down; even official documents and photos were confused on the matter. Further awards after 10 years were believed covered by the Canadian Forces Decoration, which was awarded after 12 years and a clasp added for every 10 years afterwards.

Qualifying service could include prior active service in the active reserves of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force or the regular or territorial forces of a fellow Commonwealth member nation. Service in Canadian Army reserve forces units (like the regular reserve, supplementary reserve and reserve militia) did not count. The awarding of Service Stripes ceased in 1968 after the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Every branch or corps of the Canadian Army uses a distinctive colour. Applicable only to officers, they are indicated by coloured borders of rank insignia on DEU shirt and sweater slip-ons and on mess dress.[5][6][7]

Some branches and regiments use distinctive job titles for privates in those regiments:

Additionally, the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery uses "bombardier" for corporals. In the guard regiments, warrant officers are known as "colour sergeants" and second lieutenants are known as "ensigns".

LCdr (medical)'s sleeve variant

Except for those who acquired the Canadian Forces mess dress between 1968 and 2010, naval officers have always worn the Royal Navy-style executive curl rank insignia on mess uniforms (see Royal Navy officer rank insignia). The colour designations for specialist officers are not used except for naval medical officers who may use a variant of the standard rank slip-ons and shoulder boards incorporating a scarlet red background between the gold braid of their rank insignia and naval medical service officers (nursing officers, pharmacy officers, health care administration officers, social work officers, physiotherapy officers, and bioscience officers) who have shoulder boards incorporating a dull cherry red background between the strips of their rank.

When the Canadian Navy was established in 1910 it was natural to adopt the same straight rings with the executive curl for the permanent navy that was designated as the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in August 1911 and subsequently the "wavy" shaped rings for the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) and the rings of narrow interwoven gold lace for the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve (RCNR). Other variations in rank insignia included sky blue lace with a diamond shaped loop for officers of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service, and warranted Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps officers, who had a small anchor in place of the executive curl.

Following the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy was reorganized with a single reserve component. In 1946 the distinctive wavy gold braid of the reserves gave way to the straight braided executive curl of the regular force until 1968. With the integration of the Canadian Forces the sea element was designated as Canadian Forces Maritime Command. Unembellished straight braid became the common rank insignia for officers of both the regular and reserve forces. The executive curl rank insignia has been in continuous use in the Royal Canadian Navy, but from 1968 to 2010 it appeared only on navy mess dress.

On 5 March 2010, the Canadian House of Commons passed a motion (moved by Guy Lauzon[8]) recommending the executive curl be reinstated on the Canadian navy uniform. Subsequently, in recognition of the Canadian Naval centennial, Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, authorized the use of the executive curl for the Canadian Navy on 2 May 2010. The insignia became effective on 11 June 2010, on the occasion of the Pacific Canadian Naval International Fleet Review parade of nations in Victoria, B.C.[9][10]

More than 54 countries including Canada and 18 other of the 22 Commonwealth navies use the insignia. Most navies that do not use the executive curl insignia substitute a star or other national device above the top row of lace such as the United States Navy and the French Navy.

Timeline of changes (sleeves only)

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student Officer
Royal Canadian Navy (1910 - 1968)	No Equivalent											No Equivalent
Maritime Command (1968–1988)
Maritime Command (1985–2010)
Royal Canadian Navy (Present)
Rank titles		Admiral	Vice-Admiral	Rear-Admiral	Commodore	Captain(N)	Commander	Lieutenant-Commander	Lieutenant(N)	Sub-Lieutenant	Acting Sub-Lieutenant		Naval cadet
		Amiral	Vice-amiral	Contre-amiral	Commodore	Capitaine de vaisseau	Capitaine de frégate	Capitaine de corvette	Lieutenant de vaisseau	Enseigne de vaisseau de première classe	Enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe		Aspirant de marine

The Minister of National Defence, Peter MacKay, announced on 8 July 2013 the intention to reintroduce older style Canadian Army officers' rank insignia.[11] Instead of the sleeve stripe rank insignia used since unification, officers would use the older St Edward's Crown and Star of the Order of the Bath insignia, commonly called "pips and crowns".[12] The traditional gorget patches were also restored for officers of the rank of colonel or higher.[13] The reinstated insignia for officers, instead of using the current British rank insignia for brigadier (used in the Canadian Army until 1968), had the pre-1920 brigadier-general insignia (crossed sabre and baton) instead.

In 2017 the Bath Star (above) was replaced by the Vimy Star.

On 2 April 2016, the Commander of the Canadian Army announced that general officers would revert to the unification-era rank insignia worn between 1968 and 2013. This rank insignia is based on the shoulder board rank insignia of Royal Canadian Navy flag officers. The rank insignia of general officers now consists of a crown, crossed sabre and baton, and a series of maple leaves on shoulder straps. Additionally, general officers wear one broad gold band on each of the lower sleeves of the service dress tunic.[14]

On the centenary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9 April 2017, the Bath Star pip was replaced by the "Vimy Star". It depicts a maple leaf and is surrounded by the Latin motto vigilamus pro te ("we stand on guard for thee"). Commissioned officers of the household guard regiments (Governor General's Foot Guards, Canadian Grenadier Guards, and Governor General's Horse Guards), plus Army personnel stationed to the seasonal Ceremonial Guard, use the Guards Star in place of the Vimy Star on their shoulder boards.

Timeline of changes

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student Officer
Mobile Command & Land Force Command (1968–2013)	No Equivalent											No Equivalent
Canadian Army (2013–2016)
Canadian Army (2016–2017)
Canadian Army (Present)
Rank titles		General	Lieutenant-General	Major-General	Brigadier-General	Colonel	Lieutenant-Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant		Officer Cadet
		Général	Lieutenant-général	Major-général	Brigadier-général	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel	Major	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Sous-lieutenant		Élève-officier

In April 2015,[15] the Royal Canadian Air Force adopted new rank insignia reminiscent of the pre-unification RCAF system. The new officer rank insignia uses pearl-grey-on-black rank stripes instead of gold. Non-commissioned members (NCMs) rank insignia is pearl grey instead of gold. The colour gold found elsewhere on the uniform was also changed to pearl-grey. The air force rank of private, formerly indicated by one chevron, became aviator (Fr: aviateur), and is indicated by a horizontally-aligned two-bladed propeller. All other ranks titles remain as they were.[16]

Timeline of changes

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student Officer
Royal Canadian Air Force (1924-1968)												No Equivalent
Rank titles (1924-1968)	Marshal of the RCAF (never filled)[17]	Air Chief Marshal	Air Marshal	Air Vice-Marshal	Air Commodore	Group Captain	Wing Commander	Squadron Leader	Flight Lieutenant	Flying Officer	Pilot Officer		Flight Cadet/ Officer Cadet (post-1962)
	Maréchal du ARC	Maréchal en chef de l’Air	Maréchal de l’Air	Vice-maréchal de l’Air	Commodore de l’Air	Colonel d’aviation	Lieutenant-colonel d’aviation	Commandant d’aviation	Capitaine d’aviation	Lieutenant d’aviation	Sous-lieutenant d’aviation		Élève-officier
Air Command (1968–1984)	No Equivalent
Air Command (1984–2014)
Royal Canadian Air Force (2014-present)
Rank titles (1968-present)		General	Lieutenant General	Major-general	Brigadier-general	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant		Officer Cadet
		Général	Lieutenant-général	Major-général	Brigadier-général	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel	Major	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Sous-lieutenant		Élève-Officier

Mess Dress

Contrary to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army, mess dress uniform ranks for officers of the Royal Canadian Air Force follow the naval pattern, without the executive curl. General officers do not wear shoulder straps with this order of dress.

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student Officer
Royal Canadian Air Force Mess Ranks since 2015	No Equivalent											No Equivalent

• Former ranks of the Canadian Forces
• Historic Royal Canadian Air Force ranks (1924–1968)
• Ranks and insignia of NATO
• List of comparative military ranks
• Comparative army officer ranks of the Americas
• Uniforms of the Canadian Armed Forces
• Cadets Canada Elemental Ranks

• Canadian Armed Forces ranks and appointment insignia – official site with images of rank insignia for Navy, Army and Air Force.