Italian Army ranks

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Italian Army ranks" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (August 2013) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at [[:de:Dienstgrade der italienischen Streitkräfte]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|de|Dienstgrade der italienischen Streitkräfte}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Italian Army ranks are the ranks used by the Italian Army, the insignia for which are worn on epaulettes of shirts. Ranks in the Italian Army indicate both their officers' status and seniority, as dedicated members of the Italian militia. As of 2024, the lowest rank is "soldato semplice" and the highest rank is "generale". There are a total of 32 ranks in seven categories. These categories include: temporary service volunteers, permanent service volunteers, sergeants, marshals (NCOs), junior officers, senior officers, and generals.^[1]

In order to clearly show an officer's rank as a form of identification and authority, insignia patches are worn by all members of the Italian army. In each ranking category of officer, there is a trend in the symbols shown on their insignia patches. As soldiers gain ranks, the symbols on their insignia become more detailed and recognizable, such as adding an additional star or stripe per higher rank achieved.^{[2][better source needed]}

The chart below represents the Italian Army rank insignia used on the slip-on of winter service uniforms. The color of the uniforms is khaki.^[3]

Officers who are assigned to an acting position corresponding to a higher rank than their own wear the insignia of the higher rank, but with the highest star of the insignia trimmed in red enamel. Similarly, an officer temporarily assigned to a position of higher rank in the absence of the incumbent officer displays the highest star in the colour bronze.

The Italian rank system has a large number of junior NCO ranks. Several ranks (which are variations on corporal) have a "chosen" version of the rank, "chosen" having the same sense of "leading", as in the historic British Army appointment of "chosen man" (now called lance-corporal).

NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1
	Officers
	Generals										Senior officers						Junior officers
Italian Army[4] v t e
			Generale		Generale di Corpo d'Armata (Tenente Generale)		Generale di Divisione (Maggior Generale)		Generale di Brigata (Brigadier Generale)		Colonnello		Tenente Colonnello		Maggiore		Primo capitano	Capitano	Tenente			Sottotenente

NATO Code	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2	OF-1
Special ranks[4]

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
	Sub-officers																						Volunteer ratings				Enlisted
	Marshals								Sergeants														Permanent service volunteers				Temporary service volunteers
Italian Army[4][5] v t e							Maresciallo capo Maresciallo ordinario Maresciallo																Gradutato aiutante Primo graduato Graduato capo Graduato scelto Graduato
	Primo luogotenente		Luogotenente		Primo maresciallo				Sergente maggiore aiutante	Sergente maggiore capo	Sergente maggiore						Sergente										Caporal maggiore		Caporale						Soldato
Translation	First sub-lieutenant		Sub-lieutenant		First marshal		Chief marshal Ordinary marshal Marshal		Chief sergeant major adjutant	Chief sergeant major	Sergeant major						Sergeant						Graduate adjutant First graduate Chief graduate Graduate select Graduate				Corporal-major		Corporal						Private

Enlisted insignia saw no significant changes until 1973 when the chevrons were moved from the sleeve to the shoulder board. In 1997 the new ranks from 1°CM to CMCS were created for permanent service enlisted personnel, and the new insignia were created. in the same year, the rank of C.le Sc. was created as top rank for conscript personnel with corresponing shoulder board insignia.

The rank of caporale is not a command grade and only results in a higher paygrade, and may be attained by conscript personnel. The ranks up to caporal maggiore may be attained by temporary service personnel. Higher ranks may only be attained by permanent service personnel. Sergeants generally have team command tasks, and are appointed in the rank only after several months in a training course.

The rank of soldato is used only for recruits and is substituted by the following, depending on the branch or service of their assignment

• Fante/Fan. (Infantryman)
• Alpino/Alp. (Mountain infantryman)
• Bersagliere/Bers. (Marksman, Rifleman)
• Paracadutista/Par. (Parachutist)
• Granatiere/Gra. (Grenadier)
• Lagunare/Lag. (Lagoon infantryman)
• Artigliere/Art. (Artilleryman, Gunner)
• Trasmettitore/Trs. (Signaller)
• Assistente di Sanità/Asa. (Medic)
• Cavaliere/Cav. (Cavalryman)
• Lanciere/Lanc. (Lancer)
• Dragone/Dra. (Dragoon)
• Carrista/Cr. (Tanker)
• Autiere/Aut. (Driver)
• Geniere/Gnr. (Pioneer, Sapper)
• Guastatore/Guast. (Combat Sapper)
• Incursore/Inc. (Special Forces Operator)

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Italian Army officers used to wear the ranks on the sleeve, like naval officers. Since 1946, insignia were changed in order to align with NATO regulations. In 1973 the system had the following slight change: the "bastion wall" was added to the stars for general officers, instead of the silver shoulder board; the civic crown was added to the stars for field officers, instead of a gold band on the edge of the epaulette or shoulder strap; the stars began to be placed near the edge of the epaulette instead of in the center. These changes were mostly intended to make insignia more easily recognizable on the field uniform.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Italian Army (1947–1972)[6]
			Generale di corpo d'armata con incarichi speciali		Generale di corpo d'armata		Generale di divisione		Generale di brigata		Colonnello comandante di reggimento	Colonnello	Tenente colonnello		Maggiore		Primo capitano	Capitano	Primo tenente		Tenente		Sottotenente
Italian Army (1972–?)

Other rank insignia
NATO Code	OR-9	OR-7	OR-4
Shoulder board
Italian[7]	Primo luogotenente q.s.[8]	Sergente maggiore capo q.s.	Caporale maggiore capo scelto q.s.
English	Sub-lieutenant (special class)	Chief Sergeant Major (special class)	Senior Chief Corporal-Major (special class)

On 5 August 2022 the Caporale maggiore ranks in OR-4 were retitled as Graduato.^[5] Primo luogotenente q.s. and Sergente maggiore capo q.s. were also renamed.^[5]

NATO code	OR-9	OR-7	OR-4
Insignia
(1975–2018)				Caporale maggiore capo scelto	Caporale maggiore capo	Caporale maggiore scelto	Primo caporale maggiore
(2018–2022)	Primo luogotenente q.s.	Sergente maggiore capo q.s.	Caporale maggiore capo scelto q.s.	Caporale maggiore capo scelto	Caporale maggiore capo	Caporale maggiore scelto	Primo caporale maggiore
(2022–Present)	Primo luogotenente	Sergente maggiore aiutante	Gradutato aiutante	Primo graduato	Graduato capo	Graduato scelto	Graduato