Military ranks and insignia of Chile

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 golden stars.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Chilean Army
			General de ejército		General de división		General de brigada		Brigadier		Coronel		Teniente coronel		Mayor		Capitán		Teniente		Subteniente		Alférez
Full dress uniform	No equivalent
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 study	Officer Candidate/Student Officer 2

Enlisted ranks

All Privates and Student NCOs studying in the Army NCO School wear no rank insignia.

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Chilean Army
	Suboficial mayor						Suboficial		Sargento primero								Sargento segundo						Cabo primero				Cabo segundo	Cabo							Soldado de tropa profesional
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
Chilean Navy
			Almirante		Vicealmirante		Contraalmirante		Comodoro		Capitán de navío		Capitán de fragata		Capitán de corbeta		Teniente 1°		Teniente 2°		Subteniente		Guardiamarina
Shoulder boards	No equivalent
Abbreviations			A		VA		CA		CM		CN		CF		CC		T1		T2			ST			GAMA

Enlisted

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Chilean Navy
	Suboficial mayor						Suboficial		Sargento primero								Sargento segundo						Cabo primero				Cabo segundo		Marinero primero						Marinero segundo
Sleeve insignia									No equivalent
Abreviation	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 Aviation School "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 Graduate Soldiers wear a double capital letter E (for the Air Force Specialties School "First 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	No equivalent
Chilean Air Force
			General de aire		General de aviación		General de brigada aérea		Comodoro		Coronel de aviación		Comandante de grupo		Comandante de escuadrilla		Capitán de bandada		Teniente		Subteniente		Alférez
Shoulder	No equivalent
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
Chilean Air Force																													No insignia
	Suboficial mayor						Suboficial		Sargento primero								Sargento segundo						Cabo primero				Cabo segundo	Cabo	Soldado de tropa profesional						Alumno
Shoulder									No equivalent								–						–				–		–						–
Abbreviation	SOM						SOF				SG1						SG2						CBO1				CBO2		CBO			-			-

Carabineros

Commissioned officers

Officers of the Carabiners, 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.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Uniform coat General officers' cape	No equivalent								No equivalent
Ranks			General Director		General Inspector		General				Coronel		Teniente Coronel		Mayor		Capitán		Teniente			Subteniente			Aspirante a oficial
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.

• Carabinero alumno (Student Carabinier)
• Carabinero (Carabinier)
• Cabo Segundo (Second Corporal)
• Cabo Primero (First Corporal)
• Sargento Segundo (Sergeant)
• Sargento Primero (First Sergeant)
• Suboficial (Sub-officer)
• Suboficial Mayor (Subofficer Major)

Ranks	Warrant Officers	NCOs		Enlisted
Shirt Cape Carabinero shirt
Raincoat Parka
Smock
Operational shirt
Ranks	Suboficial Mayor	Suboficial	Sargento 1º	Sargento 2°	Cabo 1º	Cabo 2°	Carabinero	Carabinero alumno
Abbreviation	(SOM)	(SuboF)	(SG1)	(SG2)	(CBO1)	(CBO2)	(Carab)

Gendarmerie

Commissioned officers

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Uniform coat	No equivalent						No equivalent
Ranks			Director nacional		Subdirector operativo						Coronel		Teniente coronel		Mayor		Capitán		Teniente 1°		Teniente 2°		Subteniente		Aspirante a oficial
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

Dress	Warrant Officer	NCOs			Corporals			Gendarms			Students
Uniform coat
Shirt Raincoat Parka
Inside
Ranks	Suboficial Mayor	Suboficial	Sargento 1°	Sargento 2°	Cabo 1º	Cabo 2º	Cabo	Gendarme 1°	Gendarme 2°	Gendarme	Gendarme Alumno

References

• uniforminsignia.org Chilean Army