🇸🇾
Syrian 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), with insignia and NATO-code equivalents.
Branches
3
Ranks documented
60
Active personnel
169K
Army
Rank Ladder
Highest first · 20 of 20 matched
| 🇸🇾 Syria · Army | NATO code |
Equivalent in
|
|---|---|---|
| Officers | ||
| فريق | OF-10 Marshal / General of the Army |
General of the Army
|
| عماد أول | OF-9 General |
General
|
| عماد | OF-8 Lieutenant General |
Lieutenant general
|
لواء
|
OF-7 Major General |
Major general
|
عميد
|
OF-6 Brigadier General |
Brigadier general
|
عقيد
|
OF-5 Colonel |
Colonel
|
مقدم
|
OF-4 Lieutenant Colonel |
Lieutenant colonel
|
رائد
|
OF-3 Major / Commandant |
Major
|
نقيب
|
OF-2 Captain / 1st Lieutenant |
Captain
|
ملازم أول
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
First lieutenant
Second lieutenant
|
ملازم
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
First lieutenant
Second lieutenant
|
| Enlisted ranks | ||
| مساعد أول | OR-9 Sergeant Major |
Command sergeant major
Sergeant major
|
| مساعد ثاني | OR-8 1st Sergeant |
First sergeant
Master sergeant
|
| مساعد | OR-7 Sergeant 1st Class |
Sergeant first class
|
| رقيب أول | OR-6 Staff Sergeant |
Staff sergeant
|
| رقيب ثاني | OR-5 Sergeant |
Sergeant
|
| رقيب | OR-4 Corporal |
Specialist
Corporal
|
| عريف | OR-3 Private 1st Class |
Private first class
|
| جندي أول | OR-2 Private |
Private
|
| جندي | OR-1 Private | Private |
Navy
Rank Ladder
Highest first · 20 of 20 matched
| 🇸🇾 Syria · Navy | NATO code |
Equivalent in
|
|---|---|---|
| Officers | ||
| فريق | OF-10 Marshal / General of the Army |
Fleet admiral
|
| عماد أول | OF-9 General |
Admiral
|
| عماد | OF-8 Lieutenant General |
Vice admiral
|
| لواء | OF-7 Major General |
Rear admiral
|
عميد
|
OF-6 Brigadier General |
Rear admiral (lower half)
|
عقيد
|
OF-5 Colonel |
Captain
|
مقدم
|
OF-4 Lieutenant Colonel |
Commander
|
رائد
|
OF-3 Major / Commandant |
Lieutenant commander
|
نقيب
|
OF-2 Captain / 1st Lieutenant |
Lieutenant
|
ملازم أول
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
Lieutenant (junior grade)
Ensign
|
ملازم
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
Lieutenant (junior grade)
Ensign
|
| Enlisted ranks | ||
| مساعد أول | OR-9 Sergeant Major |
Command master chief petty officer
Master chief petty officer
|
| مساعد ثاني | OR-8 1st Sergeant |
Command senior chief petty officer
Senior chief petty officer
|
| مساعد | OR-7 Sergeant 1st Class |
Chief petty officer
|
| رقيب أول | OR-6 Staff Sergeant |
Petty officer first class
|
| رقيب ثاني | OR-5 Sergeant |
Petty officer second class
|
| رقيب | OR-4 Corporal |
Petty officer third class
|
| عريف | OR-3 Private 1st Class |
Seaman
|
| جندي أول | OR-2 Private |
Seaman apprentice
|
| جندي | OR-1 Private | Seaman recruit |
Air Force
Rank Ladder
Highest first · 20 of 20 matched
| 🇸🇾 Syria · Air Force | NATO code |
Equivalent in
|
|---|---|---|
| Officers | ||
| فريق | OF-10 Marshal / General of the Army |
General of the Air Force
|
| عماد أول | OF-9 General |
General
|
| عماد | OF-8 Lieutenant General |
Lieutenant general
|
| لواء | OF-7 Major General |
Major general
|
عميد
|
OF-6 Brigadier General |
Brigadier general
|
عقيد
|
OF-5 Colonel |
Colonel
|
مقدم
|
OF-4 Lieutenant Colonel |
Lieutenant colonel
|
رائد
|
OF-3 Major / Commandant |
Major
|
نقيب
|
OF-2 Captain / 1st Lieutenant |
Captain
|
ملازم أول
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
First lieutenant
Second lieutenant
|
ملازم
|
OF-1 Lieutenant |
First lieutenant
Second lieutenant
|
| Enlisted ranks | ||
مساعد أول
|
OR-9 Sergeant Major |
Command chief master sergeant
First sergeant
Chief master sergeant
|
مساعد ثاني
|
OR-8 1st Sergeant |
First sergeant
Senior master sergeant
|
مساعد
|
OR-7 Sergeant 1st Class |
First sergeant
Master sergeant
|
رقيب أول
|
OR-6 Staff Sergeant |
Technical sergeant
|
رقيب ثاني
|
OR-5 Sergeant |
Staff sergeant
|
رقيب
|
OR-4 Corporal |
Senior airman
|
عريف
|
OR-3 Private 1st Class |
Airman first class
|
جندي أول
|
OR-2 Private |
Airman
|
| جندي | OR-1 Private | Airman basic |
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)