Military rank

Military rank, or, more commonly, simply rank, is a system of grading seniority and command within armed forces or otherwise military-style organizations.

Within armed forces, the use of ranks is almost universal. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (1965–1988), the Albanian Army (1966–1991), and the Soviet Red Army (1918–1935) are rare examples of armed forces which abolished rank only to re-establish them after encountering operational difficulties of command and control.