🇸🇾
Syria vs Iraq Military Ranks
The Syrian Army has 20 ranks — 11 officer and 9 enlisted — from جندي up to فريق. Below: all 60 ranks across 3 branches (Army, Navy, Air Force), aligned tier by tier with their Iraqi equivalents.
Branches
3
Ranks documented
60
Active personnel
169K
Army
Rank Ladder
Highest first · 17 of 20 matched
| 🇸🇾 Syria · Army | NATO code |
Equivalent in
|
|---|---|---|
| Officers | ||
| فريق | OF-10 Marshal / General of the Army |
مشیر / Mushir
|
| عماد أول | OF-9 General |
فريق أول / Fariq 'awal
|
| عماد | OF-8 Lieutenant General |
فريق / Fariq
|
لواء
|
OF-7 Major General |
لواء / Liwa
|
عميد
|
OF-6 Brigadier General |
عميد / Amid
|
عقيد
|
OF-5 Colonel |
عقيد / Aqid
|
مقدم
|
OF-4 Lieutenant Colonel |
مقدم / Muqaddam
|
رائد
|
OF-3 Major / Commandant |
رائد / Ra'id
|
نقيب
|
OF-2 Captain / 1st Lieutenant |
نقيب / Naqib
|
ملازم أول
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
ملازم أول / Mulazim awwal
ملازم / Mulazim
|
ملازم
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
ملازم أول / Mulazim awwal
ملازم / Mulazim
|
| Enlisted ranks | ||
| مساعد أول | OR-9 Sergeant Major | نائب دابيت / Nayib dabit |
| مساعد ثاني | OR-8 1st Sergeant | – |
| مساعد | OR-7 Sergeant 1st Class |
رقيب أول / Raqib 'awal
|
| رقيب أول | OR-6 Staff Sergeant |
رقیب / Raqib
|
| رقيب ثاني | OR-5 Sergeant | – |
| رقيب | OR-4 Corporal |
عريف / Earif
|
| عريف | OR-3 Private 1st Class | – |
| جندي أول | OR-2 Private |
جندي أول / Jundiun awwal
|
| جندي | OR-1 Private |
جندي / Jundiun
|
Navy
Rank Ladder
Highest first · 17 of 20 matched
| 🇸🇾 Syria · Navy | NATO code |
Equivalent in
|
|---|---|---|
| Officers | ||
| فريق | OF-10 Marshal / General of the Army |
مشیر / Mushir
|
| عماد أول | OF-9 General |
فريق أول / Fariq 'awal
|
| عماد | OF-8 Lieutenant General |
فريق / Fariq
|
| لواء | OF-7 Major General |
لواء / Liwa
|
عميد
|
OF-6 Brigadier General |
عميد / Amid
|
عقيد
|
OF-5 Colonel |
عقيد / Aqid
|
مقدم
|
OF-4 Lieutenant Colonel |
مقدم / Muqaddam
|
رائد
|
OF-3 Major / Commandant |
رائد / Ra'id
|
نقيب
|
OF-2 Captain / 1st Lieutenant |
نقيب / Naqib
|
ملازم أول
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
ملازم أول / Mulazim awwal
ملازم / Mulazim
|
ملازم
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
ملازم أول / Mulazim awwal
ملازم / Mulazim
|
| Enlisted ranks | ||
| مساعد أول | OR-9 Sergeant Major | نائب دابيت / Nayib dabit |
| مساعد ثاني | OR-8 1st Sergeant | – |
| مساعد | OR-7 Sergeant 1st Class |
رقيب أول / Rayiys eurafa
|
| رقيب أول | OR-6 Staff Sergeant |
رقيب / Arif
|
| رقيب ثاني | OR-5 Sergeant | – |
| رقيب | OR-4 Corporal |
نائب عريف / Nāyīb arīf
|
| عريف | OR-3 Private 1st Class | – |
| جندي أول | OR-2 Private |
جندي أول / Jundi 'awwal
|
| جندي | OR-1 Private | جندى / Jundi |
Air Force
Rank Ladder
Highest first · 17 of 20 matched
| 🇸🇾 Syria · Air Force | NATO code |
Equivalent in
|
|---|---|---|
| Officers | ||
| فريق | OF-10 Marshal / General of the Army |
مشیر / Mushir
|
| عماد أول | OF-9 General |
فريق أول / Fariq 'awal
|
| عماد | OF-8 Lieutenant General |
فريق / Fariq
|
| لواء | OF-7 Major General |
لواء / Liwa
|
عميد
|
OF-6 Brigadier General |
عميد / Amid
|
عقيد
|
OF-5 Colonel |
عقيد / Aqid
|
مقدم
|
OF-4 Lieutenant Colonel |
مقدم / Muqaddam
|
رائد
|
OF-3 Major / Commandant |
رائد / Ra'id
|
نقيب
|
OF-2 Captain / 1st Lieutenant |
نقيب / Naqib
|
ملازم أول
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
ملازم أول / Mulazim awwal
ملازم / Mulazim
|
ملازم
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
ملازم أول / Mulazim awwal
ملازم / Mulazim
|
| Enlisted ranks | ||
مساعد أول
|
OR-9 Sergeant Major | نائب دابيت / Nayib dabit |
مساعد ثاني
|
OR-8 1st Sergeant | – |
مساعد
|
OR-7 Sergeant 1st Class |
رقيب أول / Raqib 'awal
|
رقيب أول
|
OR-6 Staff Sergeant |
رقیب / Raqib
|
رقيب ثاني
|
OR-5 Sergeant | – |
رقيب
|
OR-4 Corporal |
عريف / Earif
|
عريف
|
OR-3 Private 1st Class | – |
جندي أول
|
OR-2 Private |
جندي أول / Jundiun awwal
|
| جندي | OR-1 Private |
جندي / Jundiun
|
Overview
Syria's armed forces were dissolved and rebuilt following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024. The Ministry of Defence has reorganised the force around three branches:
- Syrian Army (الجيش السوري): Conducts land operations, including infantry, armoured and artillery formations. Rebuilt from 2025 around former opposition factions and returning personnel, replacing the Ba'athist-era Syrian Arab Army.
- Syrian Navy (البحرية السورية): Responsible for coastal defence along the Mediterranean. The pre-2024 fleet was effectively destroyed — at least six Osa II missile boats were sunk in Israeli strikes on Latakia on 9–10 December 2024 — and the branch has since operated without a publicly identified combatant fleet.
- Syrian Air Force (القوات الجوية السورية): Responsible for air defence and air operations, rebuilding after the loss of most of its inventory and infrastructure in strikes carried out during and after the December 2024 transition.
Note on the rank structure below: the ranks and Arabic titles are carried over largely unchanged from the Ba'athist era. Some officer insignia have been redesigned since 2025, and the versions shown here are reconstructed from press and official photographs dated 2025–2026. As of August 2026 the Syrian Ministry of Defence has not published an official confirmation of the current rank insignia, and the enlisted insignia in particular remain those of the previous structure.
Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) and other open sources.
Insignia image credits
- CC0, via Wikimedia Commons: لواء, عميد, عقيد, مقدم, رائد, نقيب, ملازم أول, ملازم, مساعد أول, مساعد ثاني, مساعد, رقيب أول, رقيب ثاني, رقيب, عريف, جندي أول
- Reki Fadhullah AKA Abu Khabr — CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons: عميد (Navy), عقيد (Navy), مقدم (Navy), رائد (Navy), نقيب (Navy), ملازم أول (Navy), ملازم (Navy), عميد (Air Force), عقيد (Air Force), مقدم (Air Force), رائد (Air Force), نقيب (Air Force), ملازم أول (Air Force), ملازم (Air Force)