The military ranks of the Swiss Army have changed little over the centuries, except for the introduction, in 2001, of a new set of warrant officers. The rank insignia for all personnel are worn on shoulder boards with the appropriate background colour (see below). Recruits of all services do not wear any rank insignia. Once recruit school is finished, privates wear one. Designations are given in German, French, Romansh and Italian (in this order), with an English translation which is used during overseas missions. In the chart below, NATO codes are used for comparison purposes only: Switzerland is not a member of NATO, and the rank structure in the senior officer region can be seen to diverge significantly from other armies'.

Enlisted ranks

NATO code	OR-2		OR-3	OR-4	OR-6		OR-7			OR-8	OR-9
Insignia
Title	Soldier (Private soldier)	Private Private (rank) A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...	Private First Class Private First Class Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...	Corporal Corporal Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....	Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....	Sergeant First Class Sergeant First Class Sergeant First Class is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is the first senior non-commissioned officer rank...	Sergeant major Sergeant Major Sergeants major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers...	Quartermaster Sergeant Quartermaster Sergeant Quartermaster Sergeant is a class of rank or appointment in some armed forces, especially those of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.-Ireland:Quartermaster Sergeant appointments in the Irish Defence Forces include:...	Chief sergeant major	Warrant Officer Warrant Officer A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...	Staff Warrant Officer	Master Warrant Officer Master Warrant Officer Master warrant officer is a senior military rank in the Canadian Forces, Singapore Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces.-Canadian Forces:...	Chief Warrant Officer Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the Canadian Forces and the Israel Defence Forces.-Canada:In the Canadian Forces, a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member rank in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
Abbreviation	Pte	Pte	PFC	Cpl	Sgt	SFC	SGM / Sgt Maj	QMS	CSM	WO	SWO	MWO	CWO

• Soldier - Private E-1 (Pte) – Soldat (Sdt); soldat (sdt); schuldà (sdt); soldato (sdt).
• Private E-2 (Pte) – Gefreiter (Gfr); appointé (app); appuntà (app); appuntato (app).

• Private first class (PFC) – Obergefreiter (Obgfr); appointé-chef (app chef); primappuntà; appuntato capo (app capo): the rank was introduced after a long debate on 1 January 2004. They are specialists, who take over tasks of responsibility or hold the position of a group commander. If the Obergefreiter has a commanding role, they count among the NCOs, otherwise they are enlisted personnel. A soldier may be promoted to Obergefreiter after attending the NCO course at the Swiss Army's Recruit School, during which time they are also called Anwärter. Upon very good conduct, a Gefreiter may also be promoted to Obergefreiter at a "repetition course". This promotion is not linked to extended duty (service time).
• Corporal (Cpl) – Korporal (Kpl); caporal (cpl); corporal (cpl); caporale (cpl).
• Sergeant (Sgt) – Wachtmeister (Wm); sergent (sgt); sergent (sgt); sergente (sgt).
• Sergeant first class (SFC) – Oberwachtmeister (Obwm); sergent chef (sgt chef); caposergent (csgt); sergente capo (sgt capo).
• Sergeant major (SGM/Sgt Maj) – Feldweibel (Fw); sergent-major (sgtm); primsergent (psgt); sergente maggiore (sgtm): the lowest rank of "Higher non-commissioned officers". The Feldweibel oversees unit-level military service and operations.
• Quartermaster sergeant (QMS) – Fourier (Four); fourrier (four); furier (fur); furiere (fur): the WO who administers a company's finances and subsistence.
• Chief sergeant major (CSM) – Hauptfeldweibel (Hptfw); sergent-major chef (sgtm chef); capoprimsergent (cpsgt); sergente maggiore capo (sgtm capo).
• Warrant officer (WO) – Adjutant Unteroffizier (Adj Uof); adjudant sous-officier(adj Sof); adjudant (adj); aiutante (aiut).
• Staff warrant officer (SWO) – Stabsadjutant (Stabsadj); adjudant d'état-major (adj EM); adjutant da stab (adj S); aiutante di stato maggiore (aiut SM).
• Master warrant officer (MWO) – Hauptadjutant (Hptadj); adjudant-major (adjm); adjutant principal; aiutante maggiore (aiut magg).
• Chief warrant officer (CWO) – Chefadjutant (Chefadj); adjudant-chef (adj chef); schefadjutant (schefadj); aiutante capo (aiut capo).

Officers

NATO code	OF-1		OF-2	OF-3	OF-4	OF-5	OF-2/3/4/5	OF-6	OF-7	OF-8	OF-9
Insignia
Title	Second Lieutenant Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...	First Lieutenant First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...	Captain	Major Major Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...	Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...	Colonel Colonel Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...	Specialist Officer	Brigadier General Brigadier General Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...	Major General Major General Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...	Lieutenant General Lieutenant General Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....	General General A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Abbreviation	2 Lt	1 Lt/LFC	Capt	Maj	LTC / Lt Col	Col	Spec Of	Brig Gen	Maj Gen	Lt Gen	Gen

• Second Lieutenant (2 Lt) – Leutnant (Lt); lieutenant (lt); litenent (lt); tenente (ten).
• First Lieutenant (1 Lt/LFC) – Oberleutnant (Oblt); premier-lieutenant (plt); primlitenent (plt); primo tenente (1 ten).
• Captain (Capt) – Hauptmann (Hptm); capitaine (cap); chapitani (chap); capitano (cap).
• Major (Maj) – Major (Maj); major (maj); maior (mai); maggiore (magg).
• Lieutenant Colonel (LTC/Lt Col) – Oberstleutnant (Oberstlt); lieutenant-colonel (lt col); litinent colonel (lt col); tenete colonnello (ten col).
• Colonel (Col) – Oberst (Oberst); colonel (col); colonel (col); colonnello (col).
• Specialist Officer – Fachoffizier; officier spécialiste (of spéc); uffizier spezialist (uff spez); ufficiale specialista (uff spec).
• Brigadier General (Brig Gen) – Brigadier (Br); brigadier (br); brigadier (br); brigadiere (br).
• Major General (Maj Gen) – Divisionär (Div); divisionnaire (div); divisiunari (div); divisionario (div).
• Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) – Korpskommandant (KKdt); commandant de corps (cdt C); cumandant da corp (cdt C); comandante di corpo (cdt C).
• General (Gen) – General (Gen); général (gén); general (gen); generale (gen): the rank is only assigned during time of war. If needed, the general is elected by the Federal Assembly and is the commander of the whole army and air force; however, he is subordinate to the Federal Council. Generals were appointed during the Neuchâtel Crisis
  Neuchâtel Crisis
  The Neuchâtel Crisis was the result of a diplomatic question between the Swiss Confederation and the King of Prussia regarding the rights to the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. The Principality of Neuchâtel was granted to Prussia in 1707, then was ruled by Napoléon Bonaparte after the Prussian King was...
  
   (Guillaume Henri Dufour
  Guillaume Henri Dufour
  Guillaume-Henri Dufour was a Swiss army officer, bridge engineer and topographer. He served under Napoleon I and held the office of General to lead the Swiss forces to victory against the Sonderbund. He presided over the First Geneva Convention which established the International Red Cross...
  
  ), Franco-Prussian War
  Franco-Prussian War
  The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
  
   (Hans Herzog
  Hans Herzog
  Hans Herzog was a Swiss army officer, and was elected Switzerland's General during the Franco-Prussian War.Born in Aarau, he became an artillery lieutenant in 1840, and then spent six years in travelling , before he became a partner in his father's business in 1846...
  
  ), First World War
  World War I
  World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
  
   (Ulrich Wille
  Ulrich Wille
  Conrad Ulrich Sigmund Wille was the General of the Swiss Army during the First World War. Inspired by the Prussian techniques that he had been able to observe at the time of his studies in Berlin, he tried to impress the Swiss Army with a spirit based on instruction, discipline and technical...
  
  ) and Second World War (Henri Guisan
  Henri Guisan
  Henri Guisan was a Swiss army officer, and held the office of the General of the Swiss Army during World War II. He was the fourth and the most recent man to be appointed to the rarely used Swiss rank of General, and was possibly Switzerland's most famous soldier...
  
  ).

The four highest ranks can wear a dress uniform Kepi

Kepi

The kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a visor or peak . Etymologically, the word is a borrowing of the French képi, itself a respelling of the Alemannic Käppi: a diminutive form of Kappe, meaning "cap"....

 with additional rank insignia:

Shoulder board colour

Staff officers, engineers, intelligence, chaplaincy

Infantry

Armoured Corps

Artillery

Air Force

Signal and command support corps

Medical corps, Red Cross service

Rescue corps

Logistic corps

Territorial service

Military security

NBC defence corps

Armed Forces Legal Service

Peace Support Operation

External links

• Swiss Army rank insignia as of 1st Jan 2006
• Good iPhone Tool to look-up and study Swiss Military Grades and Function Insignias