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New Airborne Ranks

Day 2,382, 21:11 • Published in USA USA

• by seeker1

Overview

Previously all Airborne ranks have been wholly functional in character, corresponding to a particular position. For example, a Lieutenant (LT) is a PCO, a Colonel (COL) is a DCO, and so on. All soldiers without command positions have until now held the rank of Private (PVT). The single exception has been the rank of Specialist (SPC), which has been awarded to long-time Airborne soldiers of great renown and contribution, most commonly to COs who have retired to the rank-and-file.

While officer ranks will remain functional and largely unchanged, all other Airborne soldiers will be given the opportunity to rise through new ranks on merit of various distinctions and honors acquired throughout their career.

New Ranks for Airborne Soldiers

The new Airborne ranks are based of the enlisted ranks of the contemporary RL US Army. Each of the new ranks and corresponding insignia is presented here in order from lowest to highest, alongside a ‘pay grade’ number to help keep them straight:

E1 Private (PVT)

E2 Private First Class (PFC)

E3 Corporal (CPL)

E4 Sergeant (SGT)

E5 Staff Sergeant (SSG)

E6 Sergeant First Class (SFC)

E7 Master Sergeant (MSG)

E8 Sergeant Major (SGM)

E9 Specialist (SPC)

All fresh recruits will join Airborne as Private (PVT), with the exception of transfers from other branches of the eUS Military, who will enter as Private First Class (PFC), in recognition of their prior experience in and service to our MU. Following three months of active duty in Airborne, a Private will be promoted to PFC, and from there can earn further promotions by variety of means.

Promotions

Some promotions will happen more or less automatically, based on certain qualifications which I will detail shortly, while others may occur at the request of an Airborne officer who wishes to reward a soldier for some distinction. In such cases, an officer will petition the Airborne Senior Officers (SOs), detailing the reasons that the soldier should be promoted. If the consent of the SOs is obtained, announcement will be made and the
soldier will be promoted.

For the sake of simplicity, we will refer to the typical reasons for promotions as Merits. Promotion through the early ranks will require a single Merit, while Master Sergeant and higher ranks will require two. Hence, when I say “a Merit shall be awarded for x”, it means that for any soldier lower than First Sergeant, doing x will earn a promotion.

The following are Merits that are automatically earned for fulfilling certain criteria:

Recruitment. Recruit at least two new members to Airborne, and see them make it to PFC.
Writing. Airborne has a proud tradition of maintaining a quality weekly publication. A Merit shall be given to regular contributors who have penned at least four articles for the branch newspaper.
Seniority. A Merit shall be awarded to any soldier once she has served two years in Airborne.
Retiring Officers. Upon retiring to rank-and-file, a Merit shall be given for serving as a Junior Officer (PCO or PXO) for longer than six months, and another for serving as Senior Officer for at least one year.
Contest Wins. Merits will be awarded to soldiers who win in the individual aspects of Airborne contests.

Other reasons for Merits are as follows, and might be used as guidelines for soldiers who wish to forge their own paths of distinction:

High activity on the forums or IRC for long period of time.
Mentoring new soldiers.
Outstanding military contributions.

The possibilities are, in the end, without limit. Be awesome, and you shall be rewarded.

What about now?

Upon the publishing of this article, many soldiers will be eligible for immediate promotion based on seniority. All soldiers with three months experience before this day shall be made Private First Class (PFC), and all soldiers with over two years’ service will be given an additional promotion to Corporal. Any soldiers who have previously attained the rank of Specialist (SPC) will retain the rank, which now has the added distinction of sitting at the top of the heap (E9).

Merits and promotions for other reasons that will be considered automatic from here on out - such as previous recruitment efforts or tenure as officer - will not be awarded retroactively. However, such contributions can be brought into consideration for promotion by any officer petitioning for a soldier’s promotion.

An announcement will be made within the next two weeks of which soldiers will receive immediate promotions based on seniority. Following this announcement, we will post - and maintain - an updated roster including the rank of each soldier.

Changes in Officers’ Ranks

In order to accommodate the new rank system, PXOs will be given the rank of Second Lieutenant (2LT), whereas they have until now held the rank of Sergeant (SGT). For reference, the ranks of Airborne officers, which will remain functional, are as follows:

2LT: A Platoon Executive Officer (PXO) holds the rank of Second Lieutenant.
LT: A Platoon Commanding Officer (PCO) holds the rank of First Lieutenant.
LTC: A Division Executive Officer (DXO) holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
COL: A Division Commanding Officer (DCO) holds the rank of Colonel.
LTG: The Executive Officer of Airborne (XO) holds the rank of Lieutenant General.
GEN: The Commanding Officer of Airborne (CO) holds the rank of General.

Some Last Remarks

There may be some some minor changes made as this system is implemented, so expect the unexpected! As always, all constructive advice is welcome.

Good hunting.

o7
Col Mashaka Kulala
DCO, Airborne 101st