# Major (United States)

In the [United States Armed Forces](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-armed-forces), **Major** is the commissioned officer rank at pay grade O-4, the lowest of the field-grade ranks, held in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force; the equivalent rank in the Navy and Coast Guard is Lieutenant Commander, and in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps it is designated Full grade.<sup>[1](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title37-section201)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pay grade | O-4, the lowest field-grade rank; company grade covers O-1 to O-3 and general officers begin at O-7<sup>[3](https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Insignia/Military-Ranks/)</sup> |
| Navy equivalent | Lieutenant Commander; Public Health Service designation is Full grade<sup>[1](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title37-section201)</sup> |
| Insignia | A gold oak leaf, worn by officers at the O-4 pay grade<sup>[4](https://www.militaryonesource.mil/military-basics/new-to-the-military/military-insignia-what-are-those-stripes-and-bars/)</sup> |
| Basic pay (April 1, 2025) | $6,064.20 per month at the lowest step, rising to $8,027.10 at the highest step shown for O-4<sup>[5](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title37/html/USCODE-2024-title37.htm)</sup> |
| Typical Army duties | Primary staff officer for a brigade or task force for personnel, logistical, and operational missions; battalion executive officer or brigade staff officer<sup>[6](https://www.army.mil/ranks/)</sup> |
| Population | 44,588 active-duty members held O-4 grade in February 2024<sup>[7](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/military/military-careers.htm)</sup> |
| Abbreviation | MAJ in the Army; "Maj." in AP style<sup>[8](https://cascom.army.mil/g_staff/sgs/policies/Fort-Lee-Standards-Book.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.dma.mil/Portals/0/Documents/DoD_VISG_20200128_8.5x11_Format%201-24-2023.pdf)</sup> |

## Place in the rank structure

Federal law fixes the officer grade structure. Under 10 U.S.C. § 741, the grades rank in a fixed order of precedence from second lieutenant and ensign at the bottom to general and admiral at the top, with Major sitting between [Captain](https://www.edgepedia.org/captain-united-states-o-3) and Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, and Lieutenant Commander holding the equivalent position in the Navy and Coast Guard.<sup>[2](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741)</sup> Grade and rank are distinct concepts: grades are the legally defined levels, while rank is the order of precedence among them, so an officer who has been a Major for three years outranks an officer who has been a Major for two.<sup>[10](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2026-01-07_IF10685_7a7613f42ab0535a7302eca13f78123bbdf79653.html)</sup>

The O-4 grade marks the entry into the field grade, sometimes called mid-grade, officer tier, which spans O-4 to O-6. Officers in this tier typically lead units of several hundred to several thousand personnel or serve as senior staff officers, a step above the company-grade ranks of O-1 through O-3.<sup>[3](https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Insignia/Military-Ranks/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2026-01-07_IF10685_7a7613f42ab0535a7302eca13f78123bbdf79653.html)</sup>

## Duties

In the Army, a Major no longer commands a company; the rank's characteristic work is staff duty. The Army describes the Major as the primary staff officer for a brigade or task force command regarding personnel, logistical, and operational missions, and training materials list typical positions as battalion executive officer and brigade staff officer.<sup>[6](https://www.army.mil/ranks/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://adminpubs.tradoc.army.mil/pamphlets/TP600-4.pdf)</sup> Command at battalion level belongs to the next grade, the Lieutenant Colonel, who leads units of 300 to 1,000 Soldiers.<sup>[6](https://www.army.mil/ranks/)</sup>

## Pay

Basic pay for O-4 officers is set by statute in tables that vary with years of service. The rates effective April 1, 2025 ran from $6,064.20 per month at the lowest service step to $8,027.10 at the highest step shown, with intermediate values of $7,019.70, $7,488.90, and $7,592.40.<sup>[5](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title37/html/USCODE-2024-title37.htm)</sup> Pay grades exist primarily to standardize compensation across services: members of the same pay grade earn the same base pay regardless of branch, even though titles and responsibilities differ.<sup>[4](https://www.militaryonesource.mil/military-basics/new-to-the-military/military-insignia-what-are-those-stripes-and-bars/)</sup>

## Insignia and address

Officers at the O-4 pay grade wear a gold oak leaf, in contrast to the silver oak leaf of the O-5 Lieutenant Colonel and the silver eagle of the O-6 Colonel.<sup>[4](https://www.militaryonesource.mil/military-basics/new-to-the-military/military-insignia-what-are-those-stripes-and-bars/)</sup> In address, Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force officers are addressed by rank and last name, so a Major is "Major [surname]"; the written abbreviation is MAJ in Army usage and "Maj." in AP style.<sup>[4](https://www.militaryonesource.mil/military-basics/new-to-the-military/military-insignia-what-are-those-stripes-and-bars/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://cascom.army.mil/g_staff/sgs/policies/Fort-Lee-Standards-Book.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.dma.mil/Portals/0/Documents/DoD_VISG_20200128_8.5x11_Format%201-24-2023.pdf)</sup>

## Etymology

The rank's name is of French and Latin origin. According to an Air Force history of rank insignia, "Major," deriving from the Latin word *magnus*, means "something greater" than a captain, and the rank sat between captain and colonel in the European structures from which the American system was adopted.<sup>[12](https://media.defense.gov/2017/Oct/11/2001825484/-1/-1/1/AF101%20SPOUSE%20HANDBOOK.PDF.PDF)</sup>

## Scale of the grade

The O-4 grade is one of the larger officer populations. [Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.edgepedia.org/bureau-of-labor-statistics) tabulation of active-duty personnel by rank and employment for February 2024 counted 44,588 members at O-4 across the services, against 10,865 at O-6.<sup>[7](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/military/military-careers.htm)</sup> Promotion into and through the field grades is selective: the military is capped at the number of personnel it can have at each rank, so promotions at one level constrain advancement at the levels below.<sup>[13](https://apnews.com/article/664c15d00d330b2b06b75ebeda8e3f01)</sup>

## References

1. [37 U.S.C. § 201, Pay grades: assignment to; general rules](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title37-section201)
2. [10 U.S.C. § 741, Rank: commissioned officers of the armed forces](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741)
3. [U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Department of Defense](https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Insignia/Military-Ranks/)
4. [Military Insignia: What Are Those Stripes and Bars?, Military OneSource](https://www.militaryonesource.mil/military-basics/new-to-the-military/military-insignia-what-are-those-stripes-and-bars/)
5. [37 U.S.C. Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services, GovInfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title37/html/USCODE-2024-title37.htm)
6. [U.S. Army Ranks, Army.mil](https://www.army.mil/ranks/)
7. [Military Careers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/military/military-careers.htm)
8. [Rank Insignia of the U.S. Armed Forces, CASCOM Standards Book](https://cascom.army.mil/g_staff/sgs/policies/Fort-Lee-Standards-Book.pdf)
9. [Military rank abbreviations (AP style), Defense Media Activity](https://www.dma.mil/Portals/0/Documents/DoD_VISG_20200128_8.5x11_Format%201-24-2023.pdf)
10. [CRS Report IF10685, Military Officer Personnel Management](https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2026-01-07_IF10685_7a7613f42ab0535a7302eca13f78123bbdf79653.html)
11. [TRADOC Pamphlet 600-4](https://adminpubs.tradoc.army.mil/pamphlets/TP600-4.pdf)
12. [AF101 Spouse Handbook, history of rank insignia, U.S. Air Force](https://media.defense.gov/2017/Oct/11/2001825484/-1/-1/1/AF101%20SPOUSE%20HANDBOOK.PDF.PDF)
13. [Military officers begin to speak out on the harm done by Sen. Tuberville's holds on promotions, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/664c15d00d330b2b06b75ebeda8e3f01)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Ranks, honours, and service traditions › Military ranks › Ranks by country › United States rank system*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license