Military ranks of Serbia

The Military ranks of Serbia are the military insignia used by the current Serbian Armed Forces and historical Royal Serbian Army.

## Ranks of the Serbian Armed Forces

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Note: Serbian River Flotilla is a brigade-level brown water naval branch of the Serbian Armed Forces, subordinated to the Serbian Army.

### Officers

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The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group  | General / flag officers  | Senior officers  | Junior officers

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Serbian Army[1]

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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Генерал
General | Генерал-потпуковник
General-potpukovnik | Генерал-мајор
General-major | Бригадни генерал
Brigadni general | Пуковник
Pukovnik | Потпуковник
Potpukovnik | Мајор
Major | Капетан прве класе
Kapetan prve klase | Капетан
Kapetan | Поручник
Poručnik | Потпоручник
Potporučnik
Serbian River Flotilla[1]

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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Адмирал
Admiral | Вицеадмирал
Vitseadmiral | Контраадмирал
Kontraadmiral | Комодор
Komodor | Капетан бојног брода
Kapetan bojnog broda | Капетан фрегате
Kapetan fregate | Капетан корвете
Kapetan korvete | Поручник бојног брода
Poručnik bojnog broda | Поручник фрегате
Poručnik fregate | Поручник корвете
Poručnik korvete | Потпоручник
Potporučnik
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence[1]

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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Генерал
General | Генерал-потпуковник
General-potpukovnik | Генерал-мајор
General-major | Бригадни генерал
Brigadni general | Пуковник
Pukovnik | Потпуковник
Potpukovnik | Мајор
Major | Капетан прве класе
Kapetan prve klase | Капетан
Kapetan | Поручник
Poručnik | Потпоручник
Potporučnik
Rank group  | General / flag officers  | Senior officers  | Junior officers

### Enlisted

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The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group  | Senior NCOs  | Junior NCOs  | Enlisted

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Serbian Army[1]

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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Заставник I класе
Zastavnik I klase | Заставник
Zastavnik | Старији Водник I класе
Stariji Vodnik I klase | Старији Водник
Stariji Vodnik | Водник
Vodnik | Млађи водник
Mlađi vodnik | Десетар
Desetar | Разводник
Razvodnik | Војник
Vojnik
Serbian River Flotilla[1]

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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Заставник I класе
Zastavnik I klase | Заставник
Zastavnik | Старији Водник I класе
Stariji Vodnik I klase | Старији Водник
Stariji Vodnik | Водник
Vodnik | Млађи водник
Mlađi vodnik | Десетар
Desetar | Разводник
Razvodnik | Војник
Vojnik
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence[1]

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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Заставник I класе
Zastavnik I klase | Заставник
Zastavnik | Старији Водник I класе
Stariji Vodnik I klase | Старији Водник
Stariji Vodnik | Водник
Vodnik | Млађи водник
Mlađi vodnik | Десетар
Desetar | Разводник
Razvodnik | Војник
Vojnik
Rank group  | Senior NCOs  | Junior NCOs  | Enlisted

## Ranks of the Royal Serbian Army

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Following the unification of the Kingdom of Serbia into Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the ranks were replaced with the military ranks of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

### Officers

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There were only three general ranks in Royal Serbian Army: General (from 1872), Army General (from 1900 to 1901) and Vojvoda (from 1901). There were only two types of shoulder cords: with double-headed eagle (from the coat of arms) for Vojvoda 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 (honorary rank from 1900 to 1901) and divisional generals and in a colour of service for brigadier general.[2] 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 the Royal Serbian Army (equivalent of the Field Marshal in other armies). This rank was introduced by the 1901 Law on the Organization of the Army and has been awarded only during the war for "special merits of top-ranking generals". The first Vojvoda 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 (1912), Stepa Stepanović (1914), Živojin Mišić (1914) and Petar Bojović (1918).[3]

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group  | General / flag officers  | Senior officers  | Junior officers

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Royal Serbian Army[4] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Војвода
Vojvoda | Ђенерал
Đeneral | Пуковник
Pukovnik | Потпуковник
Potpukovnik | Мајор
Major | Капетан I класе
Kapetan I klase | Капетан II класе
Kapetan II klase | Поручник
Poručnik | Потпоручник
Potporučnik | Заставник
Zastavnik

#### Student officer ranks

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Rank group | Student officer

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Royal Serbian Army |  |  |  |
Питомац наредник
Pitomac narednik | Питомац поднаредник
Pitomac podnarednik | Питомац каплар
Pitomac kaplar | Питомац
Pitomac

### Enlisted

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The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group  | Non-commissioned officer  | Enlisted

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Royal Serbian Army |  |  |  |  |
Наредник водник
Narednik vodnik | Наредник
Narednik | Поднаредник
Podnarednik | Каплар
Kaplar | Редов
Redov

## Ranks of the Revolutionary Serbian Army

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See also: Revolutionary Serbian Army

Senior ranks were the kaplar ("corporal"), fendrek (from "fähnrich"), kapetan or buljubaša ("captain"), podvojvoda and vojvoda ("warlord"), in the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13).[5] The ranks were initially given from within the army until the strengthening of central power when commander-in-chief Karađorđe with or without the Governing Council appointed them.[5] At the end of the uprising, the officer ranks included kapetan, poručnik, potporučnik, praporčik, vahtmajstor (or narednik, from wachtmeister), estandarfirer (or barjaktar, "standard-bearer"), unteroficir (or podnarednik) and barabančik (or dobošar, "drummer").[6]

## See also

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* Military ranks of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
* Military ranks of Socialist Yugoslavia
* Military ranks of Serbia and Montenegro

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f "ЧИНОВИ У ВОЈСЦИ СРБИЈЕ". vs.rs (in Serbian). Serbian Armed Forces. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
2. ^ Bjelajac 2004, p. 15.
3. ^ Milićević 2002, p. 41-59.
4. ^ Thomas, Nigel; Babac, Dusan (2001). Armies in the Balkans 1914–18. Men-at-Arms. Osprey Publishing. p. 39\. ISBN 978-1841761947.
5. ^ a b Bodrožić 2022, p. 32.
6. ^ Bodrožić 2022, p. 34.

## Sources

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* Bjelajac, Mile (2004). Generali i admirali Kraljevine Jugoslavije 1918—1941. Belgrade: Institut za novu istoriju Srbije. ISBN 86-7005-039-0.
* Bodrožić, Đuro (2022). "Vojska i država: počeci moderne srpske vojske". Nacionalni interes. 44 (2): 29–46.
* Milićević, Milić (2002). Reforma Vojske Srbije: 1897—1900. Beograd: Vojnoizdavački zavod. ISBN 86-335-0112-0.

## External links

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

* "Serbia". uniforminsignia.org. The International Encyclopedia of Uniform Insignia. Retrieved 7 July 2022.

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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

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Military ranks and insignia by country

* List of comparative military ranks

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* DR Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with
limited recognition|

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Former|

* People's Republic of Angola
* Biafra
* Bophuthatswana
* Ciskei
* Kingdom of Egypt
* Ethiopian Empire
* Katanga
* People's Republic of Mozambique
* Rhodesia
* South West Africa
* Transkei
* Venda
* Zaire

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Apartheid States in Southern Africa

Americas|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Officers:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Enlisted:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Other:
* Marine Corps
* Space Force
* Warrant officer
* Opposing forces
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Former|

* Canada (pre-Unification)
* Confederate States of America
* Union
* Army
* Navy
* Costa Rica
* Republic of Cuba
* Empire of Brazil
* Panama
* Republic of Texas
* Army
* Navy
* United States Army enlisted
* World War I
* World War II

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* PR of China
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Rocket Force
* Armed Police
* India
* Army
* Air Force
* Navy
* Coast Guard
* Border Roads Organisation
* Paramilitary forces
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North
* South
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Marines
* Civil Armed Forces
* Maritime Security Agency
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan (Republic of China)

Former|

* Artsakh
* China
* Empire
* Republic (1912–1949)
* Dutch East Indies
* East Turkestan (Second Republic)
* People's Republic of Kampuchea
* Imperial Iran
* Imperial Japan
* Army
* Navy
* Korea
* Empire
* Liberation Army
* Kingdom of Laos
* Manchukuo
* Mengjiang
* Mongolian People's Republic
* Vietnam
* State
* South
* South Yemen
* Tibet
* Tuva

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Europe|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Home Guard
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Army
* Navy
* Gendarmerie
* Air and Space Force
* Foresters
* Germany
* Georgia
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Land Forces
* Coast Guard
* Ireland
* Italy
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Carabinieri
* Finance Guard
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* North Macedonia
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Cossacks
* Between 1994 and 2010
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Officers:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Other:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Vatican

States with
limited recognition|

* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* Transnistria

Former|

* Albania
* Kingdom
* People's Socialist Republic
* Austria–Hungary
* Army
* Navy
* Bulgaria
* Kingdom
* People's Republic
* Independent State of Croatia
* Czechoslovakia
* German Empire
* Weimar Republic
* Nazi Germany
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* East Germany
* Kingdom of Greece
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* France
* Napoleonic Grand Army
* Hungary
* Kingdom
* People's Republic
* Italy
* Kingdom
* Social Republic
* Ottoman Empire
* Polish People's Republic
* Republika Srpska
* Romania
* Kingdom
* Socialist Republic
* Russian Empire
* White Movement
* Slovakia (First Republic)
* Soviet Union
* 1918–35
* 1935–40
* 1940–43
* 1943–55
* 1955–91
* Spain
* 2nd Republic
* State
* Yugoslavia
* Kingdom
* Socialist Federal Republic
* Federal Republic

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Oceania|

* Australia
* Fiji
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea
* Tonga
* Vanuatu

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Language|

| Anglophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

|

Arabophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Francophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Gendarmerie
* Officers
* Enlisted

Hispanophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Lusophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Military police
* Officers
* Enlisted

Post-Soviet states|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Commonwealth of Nations|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

European Union|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

NATO|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air Force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Comparative ranks of

* Star ranking
* WWI
* Officers
* WWII
* Officers
* Women's services
* Marine forces
* Space forces
* Gendarmeries
* UK and US

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