ROTC Rank Structure

Article:

Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms. Ranking systems have been known for most of military history to be advantageous for military operations, in particular with regards to logistics, command, and coordination; as time continued and military operations became larger and more complex, military ranks increased and ranking systems themselves became more complex.

Within modern armed forces, the use of ranks is almost universal. Communist states have sometimes abolished rank (e.g., the Soviet Russian Red Army 1918–1935, the Chinese People's Liberation Army 1965–1988, and the Albanian Army, only to re-establish them after encountering operational difficulties of command and control.

There are a number of different forms of rank:

Substantive or permanent rank is the fully paid and confirmed rank.
Acting rank is where the holder assumes the pay and allowances appropriate to the acting rank, but a higher commanding officer may revert the holder to previous rank held. This is normally for a short period of time while the permanent occupant of the office is absent.

Temporary rank usually granted for a specific task or mission. The holder holds the rank while occupying that position. Despite the name, temporary rank may be held for a considerable period of time, perhaps even years. In wartime, temporary ranks are often common.
Local rank is a form of temporary rank restricted to a specific location instead of a specific duty.
Brevet rank is a temporary rank, often honorary, without the pay and allowances appropriate to the rank. It was sometimes used by penurious governments to reduce costs.

External Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_rank

ROTC CADET RANKS


Caption: To get a sense of the practical meaning of these ranks—and thus to be able to compare them across the different armed services, different nations, and the variations of titles and insignia—an understanding of the relative levels and sizes of each command will be helpful.

Rank strcuture: Field training Officers


Caption: Field officers are officers who typically command units that can be expected to operate independently for short periods of time. Field officers also commonly fill staff positions of superior commands. The two terms are not necessarily synonymous. They are the backbone of the army and they are the ones who lead and support their troop in the front lines.