Military Titles and Abbreviations in AP Style
Guide to Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Air Force Titles
Apr 24, 2009
Remembering when to capitalize or lowercase and abbreviate or spell out military titles can be frustrating. Here's your simple solution: all the rules plus all the abbreviations in one spot. The following are the basics that apply to any military title followed by a list of abbreviations based on military branch.
- Any time a military rank precedes a person's name, it should be capitalized. Any time the rank is referred to alone without a name, it should be lowercased.
- Always spell out the military title and person's full name on first reference within the article, but use abbreviations and the person's last name on following references.
- Always spell out and lowercase the title if used instead of the person's name.
- For plural names of the same rank or title, add an s to the end of the abbreviation followed by a period.
- For retired officials, used the lowercased, spelled-out word retired before the applicable title/abbreviation. Remember to only include this if relevant to the story.
Army
Commissioned Officers
- brigadier general -- Brig. Gen.
- captain -- Capt.
- colonel -- Col.
- first lieutenant -- 1st Lt.
- general -- Gen.
- lieutenant colonel -- Lt. Col.
- lieutenant general -- Lt. Gen.
- major -- Maj.
- major general -- Maj. Gen.
- second lieutenant -- 2nd Lt.
Warrant Officers
- chief warrant officer -- Chief Warrant Officer
- warrant officer -- Warrant Officer
Enlisted Personnel
- command sergeant major -- Command Sgt. Maj.
- corporal -- Cpl.
- first sergeant -- 1st Sgt.
- master sergeant -- Master Sgt.
- private -- Pvt.
- private first class -- Pfc.
- sergeant -- Sgt.
- sergeant first class -- Sgt. 1st Class
- sergeant major -- Sgt. Maj.
- sergeant major of the Army -- Sgt. Maj. of the Army
- specialist -- Spc.
- staff sergeant -- Staff Sgt.
Navy, Coast Guard
Commissioned Officers
- admiral -- Adm.
- captain -- Capt.
- commander -- Cmdr.
- ensign -- Ensign
- lieutenant -- Lt.
- lieutenant commander -- Lt. Cmdr.
- lieutenant junior grade -- Lt. j.g.
- rear admiral lower half -- Rear Adm.
- rear admiral upper half -- Rear Adm.
- vice admiral -- Vice Adm.
Warrant Officers
- chief warrant officer -- Chief Warrant Officer
Enlisted Personnel
- master chief petty officer -- Master Chief Petty Officer
- master chief petty officer of the Navy -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
- petty officer first class -- Petty Officer 1st Class
- petty officer second class - Petty Officer 2nd Class
- petty officer third class -- Petty Officer 3rd Class
- seaman -- Seaman
- seaman apprentice -- Seaman Apprentice
- seaman recruit -- Seaman Recruit
- senior chief petty officer -- Senior Chief Petty officer
Marine Corps
Same ranks and abbreviations for commissioned officers in the Army, and Marine Corps follows the same system for warrant officers as the Navy. In addition, the following abbreviations are used:
- airman first class -- Airman 1st Class
- corporal -- Cpl.
- first sergeant -- 1st Sgt.
- gunnery sergeant -- Gunnery Sgt.
- lance corporal -- Lance Cpl.
- master gunnery sergeant -- Master Gunnery Sgt.
- master sergeant -- Master Sgt
- private -- Pvt..
- private first class -- Pfc.
- sergeant -- Sgt.
- sergeant major -- Sgt. Maj.
- sergeant major of the Marine Corps -- Sgt. Maj of the Marine Corps
- staff sergeant -- Staff Sgt.
Air Force
Use same ranks and abbreviations for commissioned officers as are used in the Army. Additional designations include the following.
Enlisted Designations
- airman -- Airman
- airman basic -- Airman
- airman first class -- Airman 1st Class
- chief master sergeant -- Chief Master Sgt.
- chief master sergeant of the Air Force -- Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force
- master sergeant -- Master Sgt.
- senior airman -- Senior Airman
- senior master sergeant -- Senior Master Sgt.
- staff sergeant -- Staff Sgt.
- technical sergeant -- Tech. Sgt.
Remember to use the appropriate military titles when relevant to a story. Always spell out the title and name of the person on first reference, switching to the abbreviated form with only the last name on subsequent references. Be sure to include significance of a military title where relevant to a story by incorporating the titles meaning directly following the title as part of the sentence.
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