Army ranks and insignia of Chile
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.
Officer ranks
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[1] | General Officers | Superior Officers | Chief Officers | Junior Officers | ||||||||
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| Full dress uniform |  |
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| Duty dress uniform |  |
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| Battle Duty Uniform (Center and South) |  |
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| Battle Duty Uniform (North) |  |
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| Grade | Captain General[lower-alpha 1] | Army General | Divisional General | Brigade General | Brigadier | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Sub-lieutenant | Ensign |
| Abbreviation | CGE | CJE | GDD | GDB | BGR | CRL | TCL | MAY | CAP | TTE | STE | ALF |
| NATO pay grade code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | OF-1 | N/A |
| 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 | Senior Sub-Officers | Sub-Officers | Classes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Dress uniform and Service Uniform (Office, Garrison, Outdoor/Mess Wear, Parade Dress) |
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| Battle Duty Uniform (Center and South) |
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| Battle Duty Uniform (North) | |||||||
| Grade | Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer Class 2 | Staff Sergeant | Sergeant | Master Corporal | Corporal | Lance Corporal |
| Abbreviation | SOM | SOF | SG1 | SG2 | CB1 | CB2 | CBO |
| Name in Spanish | Suboficial Mayor | Suboficial | Sargento Primero | Sargento Segundo | Cabo Primero | Cabo Segundo | Cabo |
| NATO pay grade Code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 |
| 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 |
Footnotes
- Inactive since 2008, reserved for President from Military of Chile
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2012-01-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
