Corporal is a
rank in
use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces
or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to
NATO Rank Code OR-4. The
word is probably derived from a medieval
Italian phrase
capo corporale,
meaning "head of a body (of soldiers)".corporal.
Dictionary.com.>. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random
House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/corporal
(accessed: April 18, 2008). It may also derive from an appointment
as an officer's bodyguard, "corporal" originally being an adjective
pertaining to the word body.
In most countries the rank of corporal nominally corresponds to
being second-in-command of a squad of soldiers. In the commonwealth
(except Canada) it is a more senior rank, corresponding to full
command of a squad of soldiers. In several countries such as Italy,
Norway and the USA corporal is a more junior rank, indicating a
more experienced soldier than a private, on a higher pay scale, but
having no particular command appointment corresponding to the rank
(with the exception of the United States Marine Corps where a
corporal is theoretically in command of a fire team consisting of a
total of four Marines).
Argentina
All three branches of the Argentie Armed Forces use two or three
ranks of Corporal, or
cabo. Corporals in the Argentine
military are considered
suboficiales subalternos
(subaltern sub-officers/lower non-commissioned officers), superior
only to all ranks of Volunteers (enlisted members of the Army and
Air Force) and Seamen (enlisted members of the Navy).
In the
Argentine Army there are two
ranks of Corporal, from junior to senior:
Cabo (Corporal)
and
Cabo Primero (First Corporal).
On the other hand, the
Argentine Navy
has three Corporal ranks, from junior to senior:
Cabo
Segundo (Corporal Second Class),
Cabo Primero
(Corporal First Class) and
Cabo Principal (Principal
Corporal), which is equal to the Army rank of
Sargento
(Sergeant). The
Air Force has
the same number of Corporal ranks as the Navy, and keeps the same
titles, with the exception of
Cabo (Corporal) instead of
the Navy's
Cabo Segundo (Corporal Second Class).
The rank is also used by the
Argentine National
Gendarmerie and the
Argentine Federal Police,
which use the rank in the same manner as the Army, as well as the
Argentine Naval
Prefecture.
Australia
Corporal is the second lowest of the
non-commissioned officer ranks in the
Australian Army, falling between
Lance-Corporal and
Sergeant. A Corporal is usually a Section Commander
(Sect Comd), and is in charge of 7-14 men of private rank. He is
assisted by a second-in-command, a Lance-Corporal or a senior
Private. The same ranks within
artillery
units are
Bombardier and
Lance-Bombardier respectively. A Corporal
is frequently referred to as 'seco' (abbv. of Section Commander) by
all ranks in everyday speech but never in written
correspondence.
Corporal is also a rank of the
Royal Australian Air Force, being
equal to both the Australian Army and
Royal Air Force rank of Corporal. There is
no RAAF equivalent to the Army rank of Lance-Corporal. The rank of
"Cadet Corporal" is also used within the
Australian Air Force Cadets and
Australian Army Cadets
Belgium
All branches of the
Belgian Armed
Forces, except the
Naval
Component, use three ranks of Corporal:
Corporal ( , ),
Master Corporal (
, ) and
1st Master Corporal ( , ). Corporal is
equivalent to
NATO Rank Code
OR-3, whereas Master Corporal and 1st Master Corporal are
equivalent to OR-4. The rank immediately below Corporal is
1st Private and the rank directly above
1st Master Corporal is
Sergeant.
The equivalent of these ranks in the Naval Component are
Quartermaster, Chief Quartermaster and 1st Chief
Quartermaster.
Brazil
Corporal (in Portuguese cabo)st officer rank in the three Brazilian
military.
The first lowest is
soldado (soldier) and the third is
terceiro-sargento (third sergeant).
Canada
Corporal (
Cpl) is an
Army and
Air Force non-commissioned member rank of the
Canadian Forces. Its
Naval equivalent is
Leading Seaman (LS). It is senior to
the rank of
Private and its Naval
equivalent
Able Seaman, and
junior to
Master Corporal
(
Caporal-Chef)and its equivalent
Master Seaman (
Matelot-Chef). It is
part of the cadre of
junior non-commissioned
officers, and one of the
Junior
Ranks. In
French the rank is
caporal (cpl).
The rank insignia of a Corporal is a 2-bar chevron, point down,
worn in gold thread on both upper sleeves of the Service Dress
jacket; in rifle green (Army) or dark blue (Air Force) thread on
CADPAT slip-ons for Operational Dress; in old
gold thread on blue slip-ons on other Air Force uniforms; and in
gold metal and green enamel miniature pins on the collars of the
Army dress shirt and outerwear coats. On Army ceremonial uniforms,
it is usually rendered in gold braid (black for rifle regiments),
on either both sleeves, or just the right, depending on unit
custom.
Corporal is the first non-commissioned officer rank, and the lowest
rank officially empowered to issue a lawful command. Corporals can
lead troops if they have the formal qualifications to be promoted
to Master Corporal but have not been promoted yet. However, the
rank of Corporal was severely downgraded after Unification, along
with the attendant responsibilities. A Corporal in the Canadian
Army in 1967 had the same duties and responsibilities that a
Sergeant has today.
Another effect of Unification was to delete the appointments of
Lance Corporal and
Lance Sergeant (a Corporal holding the acting
rank of Sergeant). The former is still common in other
Commonwealth militaries.
Corporal is deemed to be the substantive rank of the members
carrying the appointment of Master Corporal. On pay documents,
Corporal was formerly listed as "Cpl (A)" and Master Corporal as
"Cpl (B)".
Privates in the Canadian Forces are considered to be apprentices in
their trades, and Corporals are journeymen. To become a Corporal
one must have served four years as a private, and have achieved
Qualification Level 5 trades training, or two years in the
reserves but only require the completion of
their trades course (DP1).The rank of corporal in
artillery units follows
the British convention and is styled
Bombardier (Bdr) — thus a Master Corporal
is a Master Bombardier (MBdr).
In rifle regiments, a distinction was historically drawn between a
Corporal and an
Acting Corporal;
The Queen's Own Rifles
of Canada had a special insignia to distinguish between the
two.
Denmark
In the Danish military the rank of corporal (
Korporal in Danish) is the lowest rank of the
NCO group. An NCO in, the Danish military, is a sergeant, meaning
that all corporals are sergeants in the Danish military.
Professional (non-conscripted) soldiers may sometimes get the rank
of corporal, on a temporary basis, in order to get better
quarters.The rank of corporal was phased out but has since been
reintroduced into the Danish Army.
Finland
Korpraali (literally translated as
"Corporal"), carrying one-chevron rank insignia, is the equivalent
to
Lance Corporal in most foreign
forces and it is the most senior rank of
Private. Korpraali is only an appointment
without a leader's training, responsibilities and benefits. The
OR-4 equivalent two-chevron rank is called "
alikersantti" meaning junior sergeant.
France
There are three ranks of corporal (
caporal in French). These are not
NCO ranks, but enlisted ones. The
corporals are called "ranked" (
gradés).
- "Corporal" (caporal) is a NATO OR-3 level rank. The
insignia is two chevrons of wool (vs. the two gold chevrons of a
sergent).
- "Staff Corporal" (caporal-chef) is OR-4. The insignia
is two chevrons of wool plus a gold chevron
- "First Class Staff Corporal" (caporal-chef de première
classe) is intermediate between OR-4 and OR-5. The insigia is
one gold chevron and two gold chevrons .
In the regiments of cavalry traditions, the
caporaux are
called
brigadiers.
Germany
The German military had no direct equivalent to a corporal in
either the Commonwealth or US militaries, in terms of duties and
responsibilities. Some sources identify
Unteroffizier as the traditional
German equivalent to Corporal, and this grade has existed as a
military rank since at least the 18th century. Other sources
identify the lower rank of
Gefreiter as being equivalent to a Corporal
of other armies, though in the German military this rank conferred
a higher rate of pay without any of the duties and responsibilities
granted Corporals in other armies (hence being more like ranks such
as
Private First Class). This
and the rank of
Oberstabsgefreiter (highest rank of
Privates) are today classified by NATO as OR-4 ranks, with
Unteroffizier (lowest NCO-rank) being classified as OR-5.
Given the vastly different status of the rank of Corporal in the
British (section commander) and American (section
second-in-command) armies, identifying equivalents in the German
military is largely fruitless, though the American rank system
corresponds more accurately to the overall GermanNCO rank
system.For Example:Sergeant (E-5) = Unteroffizier,Staff SGT (E-6)=
Stabsunteroffizier,SGT 1stClass(E-7)= Feldwebel,Master SGT (E-8)=
Oberfeldwebel,First SGT (E-8) = Hauptfeldwebel,SGT Major (E-9) =
Stabsfeldwebel
SS
equivalent
to Unteroffizier was Unterscharführer.
India and Pakistan
The equivalent to Corporal in the
British Indian Army was
Naik in all units. These ranks are still used in
the
Indian Army and
Pakistan Army.
Iran
Corporal (in
Persian سرجوخه
Sarjukhe) is one of
the lower ranks of the
Iranian army.A
Sarjukhe is usually responsible for 4 to 5 soldiers.See
also:
Iran's Army Ranks
Insignia.
Ireland
Corporal (
Cpl)
(
Ceannaire in
Irish) is the
lowest rank of non-commissioned officer within the
Irish Army and
Air
Corps. The
Naval equivalent
is
Leading Seaman (LS).
The Army rank insignia consists of two winged chevrons (or
"stripes"). The Dress Uniform being red chevrons with a yellow
border. The main role of an infantry Corporal is to either command
a
section as the section
commander or to command the Fire Support Group (FSG) of a section
as the 2I/C. Another role is that of training NCO of a section, as
all Corporals must be qualified instructors. In the Artillery
Corps, the Corporal is normally assigned to a gun detachment as a
Layer, or a Detachment Commander. Artillery
corporals can also find themselves in charge of the battery signals
section.
Before 1994, the Air Corps was considered part of the Army and wore
Army uniforms with distinct corps badges but the same rank
insignia. With the introduction of a unique Air Corps blue uniform
in 1994, the same rank markings in a white colour were worn, before
the introduction of a new two-chevron badge with wing rank
marking.
Israel
In the
Israel Defense Forces,
soldiers are promoted from Private to Corporal
(
Rav-turai or
Rabat) after approximately 8 months of
service, if they performed their duties appropriately during this
time. Soldiers who take a commander's course may become Corporals
earlier. Corporals get a symbolic pay raise of 3.60
NIS and those who are also
noncommissioned officers (
mashak) are able to command
privates in their respective units.
A Corporal may be promoted to
Sergeant
about 12 months after becoming a Corporal, or to a
Second Lieutenant if they complete an
officer's course.
Italy
A soldier can be promoted from Private (
soldato) to
Corporal rank (
caporale) after 3 months of service. A VFB
(
volontario in ferma breve, volunteer for short time
service) can be promoted to the rank of Senior Corporal
(
caporale scelto) after 6 months of service, compatibly
with the needs of the Corps.Image:IT-Army-OR2.svg|Insignia of
Corporal (
caporale) of the
Italian
Army (insignia for the shoulder for the invernal service
uniform)Image:IT-Army-OR2-avio.svg|Paratrooper insignia of Corporal
of the Italian ArmyImage:IT-Army-OR3.svg|Insignia of Senior
Corporal (
caporale scelto) of the Italian
ArmyImage:IT-Army-OR3-avio.svg|Paratrooper insignia of Senior
Corporal of the Italian Army
Mexico
Corporal (in Spanish "Cabo") is one of the lower ranks of the
Mexican army.
Norway
In the
Norwegian Defence
Force, promotion to the rank of
Korporal is used as a way to acknowledge
soldiers who have done a good job in their service, without giving
them any real authority, though they are often delegated some more
responsibilities from sergeants and officers. Promotion may come
after six months or more, and the rank carries two chevrons and a
slight pay increase. In addition, every candidate who completes a
special selection period, the
Aspirantperiode, including
those aspiring to become a
Sergeant and
drafted personnel in the
Military
Police automatically qualifies for the rank of
Korporal.
The pay raise is fondly known as
Colatillegget, or the
"coke raise", as the sum in question is approximately enough to buy
one
Coke each day.
Poland
In the
Polish Army the rank of
kapral is the lowest rank in the
NCO corps (OR-3 in NATO code). Most commonly the rank is
held by a NCO commanding an infantry squad, tank or gun crew, or a
similar unit. The equivalent rank in the
Polish Navy is
mat.
As with many other military ranks, direct comparison between
various armies might be misleading. Before World War II Polish
Army's
kapral was more or less equivalent to the British
rank of
Lance Corporal, while British
rank of Corporal was named
plutonowy (lit.
Platooner). In modern times the rank is still equivalent
to Lance Corporal in UK or
Private
First Class in US Army (OR-3), while British and American rank
of Corporal (OR-4) is equivalent to the Polish rank of
starszy kapral (lit. Senior Corporal),
introduced in 1971.
Historically, the rank was first introduced in Poland in 17th
century, together with mercenary troops of Italian origin. In
foreign troops on royal payroll kapral commanded four ranks of
musketeers or part of a company of
pikemen. In 20th century, between the world
wars, the rank of corporal was held by both conscripted NCOs and
professional soldiers alike. This was changed after
World War II, when the Polish Army was under
Soviet command and the rank of
kapral was modified to
resemble that of Soviet
Junior Sergeant, reserved for
conscripted NCOs. In modern Polish Army the rank is reserved for
professional soldiers exclusively.
The insignia of kapral (worn on shoulder straps and/or badge above
breast pocket) are two bars.
Russia
The rank of Corporal ( ) existed in Russian army from 1647 to 1798,
when it has been replaced with that of
Non-Commissioned Officer ( , from ,
literally sub-
officer).
Soviet
and modern
Russian armies have the rank of Junior Sergeant ( ) that is more or
less equivalent to Corporal.
Singapore
Corporals (
CPL) in the
Singapore Armed Forces lies between
Lance Corporal and
Corporal First Class. It is a rank most
commonly held by
National
Servicemen with at least a pass in their
IPPT. The rank insignia for a Corporal is
two chevrons pointing downward with an arc.
In the past, the SAF followed the British model, and Corporals were
non-commissioned officers
often holding the appointment of
section leader. Today, a Corporal is
not a
Specialist
(NCO-equivalent), and holds no command authority, although they may
be given higher responsibilities such as appointment as a section
2IC
In the
Singapore Police
Force
, a Corporal is a non-commissioned officer ranking
below Sergeant.
Spain
In the
Spanish Armed Forces
Cabo (Corporal) is the rank between
Soldado de Primera (First Class Private) and
Cabo Primero (First Corporal).
It
actually equates to a NATO
OR-3, with
Cabo Primero equating to an OR-4 and Cabo Mayor
to an OR-5.
Sweden
In the Swedish Army,Navy and Airforce the rank of
Korpral is a rank
for soldiers with a specialization, but without any leadership or
commanding duties.
United Kingdom
Corporal (
Cpl) is the second rank
of
non-commissioned officer
in the
British Army and
Royal Marines, falling between
Lance Corporal and
Sergeant. The badge of rank is a two-bar
chevron (also known as "stripes", "tapes"
or "hooks"). A corporal's role varies between regiments, but in the
standard infantry role a corporal commands a
section, with a Lance Corporal as
Second-in-Command (2ic). When the
section is split into
fire teams, they
command one each. In the
Royal
Armoured Corps, a Corporal commands an individual
tank. Their duties therefore largely correspond to
those of Sergeants or even
Staff
Sergeants in the United States Army and Corporals are often
described as the "backbone" of the British Army.
In the
Household Cavalry all
non-commissioned ranks are designated as different grades of
Corporal up to
Regimental
Corporal Major (who is a
Warrant
Officer class 1). Ironically, there is no effective actual rank
of Corporal however, and the ranks progress directly from
Lance-Corporal to
Lance-Corporal
of Horse (who is effectively equivalent to a Corporal;
technically a LCoH holds the rank of Corporal, but is automatically
give the appointment of LCoH). Similarly, in the
Foot Guards the appointment of
Lance-Sergeant is effectively used instead of
Corporal, with the equivalent of a Lance Corporal being referred to
as a Corporal and possessing two stripes: this is often said to
originate because Queen Victoria didn't like 'her own guardsmen'
having only one chevron.
Royal Artillery Corporals are called
Bombardier, although until 1920
the Royal Artillery had Corporals and Bombardier was a lower rank.
The rank of
Second Corporal existed
in the
Royal Engineers and
Army Ordnance Corps until 1920.
A common nickname for a corporal is a "full screw", with
lance-corporals being known as "lance-jacks", e.g. in the popular
television series 'Dad's Army', lance-corporal Jack Jones the
Butcher.
Corporal is the lowest NCO rank in the
Royal Air Force, coming between
Junior Technician (up to 2008) or
Senior Aircraftman Technician (from 2004)
in the technical trades, or SAC in the non technical trades, and
Sergeant. Between 1950 and 1964, Corporals
in technical trades were known as
Corporal
Technicians and wore their chevrons point up.
Although classified as NATO OR-4, British Corporals frequently fill
OR-5 equivalent posts.
The
Army Cadet Force,
Combined Cadet Force,
Air Training Corps and Royal Marines
sections of the
Sea Cadet Corps all
have the rank of Corporal, reflecting the rank structure of their
parent service - therefore it is the second NCO rank of the ACF,
CCF and Marine Cadets, and the first NCO rank in the ATC.
United States
Police
In some police departments the title corporal is used. It is the
next highest rank after officer. In some of the departments in
which the rank is used, "Corporal" does not necessarily denote a
rank higher than police officer, but rather is used to indicate an
officer who has responsibility for training a new recruit (also
known as a Field Training Officer, or FTO). These officers are not
considered superior in rank to other patrol officers, and are only
the supervisors of the recruit officers. They are often given
additional administrative responsibilities.
United States Marine Corps
Corporal (
Cpl) is the fourth
enlisted rank in the
U.S.
Marine Corps, ranking
immediately above
Lance Corporal and
immediately below
Sergeant. The Marine
Corps, unlike the Army, has no other rank at the pay grade of E-4.
Corporal is the lowest grade of non-commissioned officer in the
U.S. Marine Corps, though promotion to Corporal traditionally
confers a large jump in authority and responsibility compared to
promotion from Private through Lance Corporal. Theoretically,
Marine Corporals generally serve as "fire-team leaders," commanding
a 4-man team or unit of similar size. In practice, however, the
billet of fire team leader is generally held by a Lance Corporal,
while Corporals serve in the squad leader billet that would
normally be held by a Sergeant (E-5) in infantry units. In support
units, they direct the activities of junior Marines and provide
technical supervision. Because of its emphasis on small-unit
tactics, the Marine Corps usually places Corporals in billets where
other services would normally have an E-5 or E-6 in authority.
Similarly, the term "
Strategic
Corporal" refers to the special responsibilities conferred upon
a Marine Corporal.
United States Army
In the
U.S. Army Corporal
(
CPL) is preceded by the first three forms of
Private and the rank of
Specialist. A Corporal rank shares the
same pay grade (E-4) as a Specialist. Unlike a Specialist, however,
a Corporal is a junior non-commissioned officer and may direct the
activities of other soldiers. A soldier may be promoted to corporal
directly from the rank of Private First Class or laterally promoted
from Specialist. Direct promotion from PFC to Corporal is very
rare.
Currently, very few soldiers are made Corporal. Most go from
Private First Class to
Specialist to
Sergeant. Most Corporals are
found in recruiting units in which Specialists are temporarily
given a lateral appointment to Corporal as an incentive for
recruiter duty. In rare cases soldiers in regular units are
permanently promoted to Corporal. The typical criterion for
promotion to Corporal is that the junior enlisted soldier must be
serving in a leadership position that would typically be occupied
by an NCO such as a Sergeant or higher. Normally these promotions
are given to Specialists who work in an NCO position but who are
prevented promotion to Sergeant (E-5) due to promotion point
quotas.
It is common for a Corporal to lead a
fireteam; however, if a soldier is promoted to
Corporal and there are too many soldiers of that rank, the new
Corporal will stay in his current position.
The rank of Corporal is the only rank in the United States Army
that was never removed from the NCO Corps since the earliest days
of the Army.
References
- VFB (volunteer for short time service) and
VFA (volunteer for yearly service)
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