Nicaragua military ranks explained

The Military ranks of Nicaragua are the military insignia used by the Nicaraguan Armed Forces.

Current ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Other ranks

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

Historic ranks

See main article: National Guard (Nicaragua). The Nicaraguan National Guard rank chart was directly inspired by the US Army,^[1] with chevrons pointed upwards for NCOs, horizontal linked brass bars for company officers and vertically placed gilded or silvered stars for field officers. The sequence however was slightly different, with Sergeants' ranks being limited to two only; Captains were identified by three bars instead of two as per in the US Armed Services, whilst Majors had a five-point gilded star in lieu of a leaf. National Guard rank insignia from Subteniente to Coronel resembled a US antecedent—but that of the Confederate States Army. There were also some differences in colour and nomenclature according to the branches of service: Ground Forces' NCOs had yellow on dark-green chevrons, the Air Force personnel wore white on royal blue ground forces' rank insignia whilst the Navy's Seamen and Petty Officers' ranks were identical to the other branches of the Guardia, but Line Officers had US Navy-style rank insignia on removable navy blue shoulder boards instead.

Guardia ranks (Ground Forces and National Police)

Ground Forces and National Police	<	--None-->																									No insignia
	Spanish; Castilian: Sargento primero						Spanish; Castilian: Sargento segundo						Spanish; Castilian: Cabo						Spanish; Castilian: Soldado de primera						Spanish; Castilian: Soldado

Air Force ranks

Air Force of the National Guard	<	--None-->
	Spanish; Castilian: Coronel piloto aviador		Spanish; Castilian: Teniente coronel piloto aviador		Spanish; Castilian: Mayor piloto aviador		Spanish; Castilian: Capitán piloto aviador		Spanish; Castilian: Teniente piloto aviador			Spanish; Castilian: Subteniente piloto aviador

Air Force of the National Guard	<	--None-->																									No insignia
	Spanish; Castilian: Sargento primero						Spanish; Castilian: Sargento segundo						Spanish; Castilian: Cabo						Spanish; Castilian: Soldado de primera						Spanish; Castilian: Soldado

Navy ranks

• Spanish; Castilian: Soldado – Seaman (no insignia)
• Spanish; Castilian: Soldado de primera – Able seaman (one pointed chevron)
• Spanish; Castilian: Cabo – Seaman 1st class (two pointed chevrons)
• Spanish; Castilian: Sargento Segundo – Petty officer, 2nd class (three pointed chevrons)
• Spanish; Castilian: Sargento Primero – Chief petty officer (three pointed chevrons above one arc)
• Spanish; Castilian: Alférez – Ensign (one five-pointed star above one narrow bar)
• Spanish; Castilian: Teniente de Corbeta – Lieutenant junior grade (one five-pointed star above one bar)
• Spanish; Castilian: Teniente de Fragata – Senior lieutenant (one five-pointed star above one narrow and one wider bars)
• Spanish; Castilian: Teniente de Navío – Lieutenant (one five-pointed star above two bars)
• Spanish; Castilian: Capitán de Corbeta – Lieutenant commander (one five-pointed star above one narrow between two wider bars)
• Spanish; Castilian: Capitán de Fragata – Commander (one five-pointed star above three bars)
• Spanish; Castilian: Capitán de Navío – Captain (one five-pointed star above four bars)
• Spanish; Castilian: Contra Almirante – Commodore (one five-pointed star above one very wide bar)

External links

• Book: Tartter . Jean R. . Merrill . Tim . Nicaragua: a country study . Area Handbook . 1994 . Library of Congress . Washington, D.C. . 94021664 . 210 . 5th . 21 October 2021 . National Security.
• Web site: Nicaragua . uniforminsignia.org . The International Encyclopedia of Uniform Insignia . 21 October 2021.

Notes and References

1. Caballero Jurado & Thomas, Central American Wars 1959–89 (1990), p. 44.
2. Book: Bunkley . Joel William . Military And Naval Recognition Book: A Handbook On The Organization, Uniforms And Insignia Of Rank Of The World's Armed Forces; Etiquette And Customs Of The American Services . 1943 . D. Van Nostrand Company . New York . 406–407 . 4th . 29 June 2022.