Military ranks of Serbia

Military of Serbia

Components
Serbian Army Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
Ranks
Military ranks of Serbia
History
Serbian Army Serbian Air Force Military history of Serbia
Equipment
Army Air Force and Air Defence

This is a list of military ranks used by the Serbian Armed Forces.

Army (land forces)

Officers

NATO Code	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Army
Serbian title	Генерал	Генерал-Потпуковник	Генерал-Мајор	Бригадни Генерал	Пуковник	Потпуковник	Мајор	Капетан	Поручник	Потпоручник
English equivalent	General1	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier General	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant
1General - This rank is reserved for promotion only to chiefs of general staff and defense ministers from army.

Enlisted

NATO Code	OR-9	OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Army									No insignia
Serbian title	Заставник I класе	Заставник	Старији Водник I класе	Старији Водник	Водник	Млађи водник	Десетар	Разводник	Војник
English equivalent	Ensign 1st class	Ensign	Staff Sergeant 1st class	Staff Sergeant	Sergeant	Junior Sergeant	Corporal	Lance Corporal	Private

Air Force and Air Defense

Officers

NATO Code	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Air Force and Air Defence
Serbian title	Генерал1	Генерал-Потпуковник	Генерал-Мајор	Бригадни Генерал	Пуковник	Потпуковник	Мајор	Капетан	Поручник	Потпоручник
English equivalent	General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier General	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant
1General - This rank is reserved for promotion only to chiefs of general staff and defense ministers from air force.

Enlisted

NATO Code	OR-9	OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Air Force and Air Defence									No insignia
Serbian title	Заставник I класе	Заставник	Старији Водник I класе	Старији Водник	Водник	Млађи водник	Десетар	Разводник
English equivalent	Ensign 1st class	Ensign	Flight Sergeant 1st class	Staff Sergeant	Sergeant	Junior Sergeant	Corporal	Airman First Class	Airman

River Flotilla

Although a landlocked country, Serbia maintains a river flotilla (small river navy) of about 15 vessels on the Danube river.

Officers

NATO Code	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
River Flotilla
Serbian title	Адмирал1	Вице Адмирал	Контра Адмирал	Комодор	Капетан Бојног Брода	Капетан Фрегате	Капетан Корвете	Поручник Фрегате	Поручник Корвете	Потпоручник
English equivalent	Admiral	Vice Admiral	Rear Admiral	Commodore	Captain	Fregattenkapitän	Korvettenkapitän	Fregattenleutnant	Korvettenleutnant	Unterleutnant
1Admiral - This rank is reserved for promotion only to chiefs of general staff and defense ministers from river flotilla.

Enlisted

NATO Code	OR-9	OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
River Flotilla									No insignia
Serbian title	Заставник I класе	Заставник	Старији Водник I класе	Старији Водник	Водник	Млађи водник	Десетар	Разводник	Морнар
English equivalent	Ensign, 1st class	Ensign	Senior Chief Petty Officer	Chief Petty Officer	Petty Officer	Master Seaman	Leading Seaman	Able Seaman	Seaman Recruit

Historical ranks - Ground Forces

Structure of the Military ranks of Kingdom of Serbia (until 1918)

King of Yugoslavia special Field Marshal insignia with dynasty coat of arms and royal monogram

Generals

There were only three ranks in pre-World War I Serbia: General (from 1872), Army General (from 1900 to 1901) and Field Marshal (Serbian: Бојни Bojвода / Bojni Vojvoda) (from 1901). Four ranks were introduced in Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1923, and lasted until 1945. There were only two types of shoulder cords: with doubleheaded eagle and coat of arms of Kingdom of SHS or Kingdom of Yugoslavia for Field Marshal and without for all other General ranks. The different general grades were indicated by 6-pointed stars on the cuffs. Also the backing cloth for the shoulder cords was light blue for army general (was honorary rank in period from 1900-1901) and divisional generals and in a colour of service for brigadier general. During the Middle Ages, the Vojvoda was a military commander rank and a noble titule. In the Balkan Wars and World War I this title was used to designate the highest military rank in Serbian Army and later Royal Yugoslav Army (above the General - as equalent of Field Marshal in other armies). This rank was introduced by the law on the Organization of the Army Kingdom of Serbia in 1901. It has been awarded only during the war for: special merits of top generals. The first Field Marshal was promoted by the Great military decree of the Kingdom of Serbia on 20 October 1912. Only four people ever officially held that military rank: Radomir Putnik (got it in 1912), Stepa Stepanović (1914), Živojin Mišić (1914) and Petar Bojović (1918). Honorary title but not military rank held Montenegrin General Janko Vukotić (1915) and the French General Louis Franchet d'Espérey (1921). After unification of Kingdom of Serbia in to Kingdom SHS (later Kingdom Yugoslavia) no further officers where promoted to rank of Field Marshal. King of Yugoslavia held the rank of Supreme Commander and wear special Field Marshal uniform.

In SHS and Yugoslavia

Ranks	Field Marshal	Army General	Divisional General	Brigadier General
Ranks in Serbian	Бојни Војвода Bojni Vojvoda	Армијски ђенерал Armijski đeneral	Дивизијски ђенерал Divizijski đeneral	Бригадни ђенерал Brigadni đeneral

Officers

Ranks	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain, 1st class	Captain, 2nd class	Lieutenant	Sub-Lieutenant
Ranks in Serbian	Пуковник Pukovnik	Потпуковник Potpukovnik	Мајор Major	Капетан I класе Kapetan I klase	Капетан II класе Kapetan II klase	Поручник Poručnik	Потпоручник Potporučnik

NCOs (Only in SHS and Yugoslavia)

Ranks	Sergeant-Major, 1st class	Sergeant-Major, 2nd class	Sergeant-Major, 3rd class
Ranks in Serbian	Наредник-Водник I класе Narednik-Vodnik I klase	Наредник-Водник II класе Narednik-Vodnik II klase	Наредник-Водник III класе Narednik-Vodnik III klase

Soldiers

Ranks	Sergeant	Junior Sergeant	Corporal	Private
Ranks in Serbian	Наредник Narednik	Поднаредник Podnarednik	Каплар Kaplar	Редов Redov

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military rank insignia of Serbia.

• Serbian Armed Forces official rank structure
• Military ranks of Serbia - uniforminsignia.org

Serbian Armed Forces
Commanders Commander-in-chief Minister of Defence Chief of the General Staff Commands Army Command Air Force and Air Defence Command Training Command
See also Military history of Serbia