Officer of The Salvation Army - The Rank Structure and Uniform

The Rank Structure and Uniform

Officers hold ranks throughout their service, and even into retirement, and their rank is reflected in their uniform. The uniform of an Officer is much like that of a Soldier, and like a Soldier's, is defined by the region in which the person is serving. The consistent difference between the two uniforms is that the Officer's uniform has red or maroon epaulettes on the shoulders, whilst a Soldier's are black or blue. Officer's epaulettes feature the Salvation 'S', as well as another insignia to designate rank. These insignia may be sewn into the epaulette, or be separate metal pins attached to the epaulettes.

Rank Date adopted Current Status Description Insignia / Epaulettes
General 1878 Active The worldwide leader of The Salvation Army, elected by the most senior Salvation Army officers in the world. Red velvet trim with gold crest, gold bar and gold 'S' on the collar.
Commissioner 1880 Active The leader of a Territory. Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army and International Secretaries are also usually given the rank Commissioner. Maroon velvet with silver crest and trim except the Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army, also a commissioner but who has a silver bar under his/her crest.
Lieutenant-Commissioner 1920 Discontinued (1973)
Colonel 1880 Active Reserved for territorial and international leaders. Crest with silver trim and silver trim around "s" patches
Lieutenant-Colonel Active Crest with silver trim without silver trim around "s" patches
Brigadier 1889 Discontinued (1973) Crest with two stars
Senior-Major 1948 Discontinued (1959) Crest with one star
Major 1879 Active After 15 years of service the officer is promoted to Major. Crest
Field-Major 1921 Discontinued (1931)
Commandant 1916 Discontinued (1931)
Adjutant 1888 Discontinued (1948)
Ensign 1888 Discontinued (1931)
Senior-Captain 1948 Discontinued (1959)
Staff-Captain 1881 Discontinued (1931) This was a rank created to differentiate Officers assigned to headquarters from field Officers. Three stars
Captain 1877 Active After 5 years of service the officer is promoted to Captain. Two stars
Lieutenant 1879 Discontinued (2001)
Reinstated (2008)
Following two years at Officer Training College, the Cadet is commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant. One star
First Lieutenant 1948 Discontinued (1959)
Second Lieutenant 1948 Discontinued (1959)
Probationary Lieutenant 1917 Discontinued (1973)
Cadet-Lieutenant 2001 Discontinued (2008)
Cadet 1880 Active A Salvation Army soldier, that is undertaking training to become an Officer at a Salvation Army Officer Training College. Blue or red bar
Envoy Active A non-commissioned officer who works for The Salvation Army in a ministry position.
Candidate Active A person undergoing assessment for Salvation Army officership or Envoyship. wears the soldiers uniform until other accepted into The Salvation Army's Training College or Envoyship. Blue soldiers euplet

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