Military Rank Equivalency
Although GS civilians do not have military rank by virtue of their GS position, regulations include civilian and military grade equivalencies for pay and protocol comparison purposes. Military rank or civilian grade often have no bearing on supervisory precedence—generally, precedence and authority are guided by situational expertise. For example, a GS-9 is considered comparable to a lieutenant (O-2), while a GS-15 (top of the General Schedule) is the equivalent grade of an army colonel or navy captain (O-6). Senior Executive Service (SES) and Senior Level grades correspond for protocol purposes to flag and general officers (admirals and generals).
Grade equivalencies were created by the U.S. Department of Defense for the purpose of treating civilians serving alongside the Armed Forces who have been captured as prisoners of war according to the Geneva Convention. With the exception of SES categories, grade equivalencies can be found in DoDI 1000.1 (U.S. DoD, 1974).
| Geneva Convention Category | GS | MILITARY |
|---|---|---|
| V: General Officer | Senior Executive Service | O-7 through O-10 |
| IV: Field Grade Officer | GS-15 GS-13/GS-14 GS-12 |
O-6 O-5 and W-5 O-4 and W-4 |
| III: Company Grade Officer | GS-10/GS-11 GS-8/GS-9 GS-7 |
O-3 and W-3 O-2 and W-2 O-1 and W-1 |
| II: Non-commissioned Officer/Staff Non-commissioned Officer | GS-6 GS-5 |
E-7 through E-9 E-5 through E-6 |
| I: Enlisted | GS-4 GS-1 through GS-3 |
E-4 E-1 through E-3 |
Grade equivalencies have also been issued by the U.S. Department of State for other purposes, such as assignment of permanent and transient housing to eligible civilian employees.
| Housing | FS | GS | Military | Wage System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 Executive |
SFS |
SES GS 16-28 |
O-10 through O-7 |
|
| Group 2 Middle |
FS-01 FS-02 |
GS-15 GS-14 GS-13 |
O-6 O-5/W-5 O-4/W-4 |
WS-14-19, WL-15, and Productive Support Equivalents |
| Group 3 Standard |
FS-03 FS-04 FS-05 FS-06 FS-07 FS-08 FS-09 |
GS-12 GS-11 GS-10 GS-09 GS-08 GS-07 GS-06 GS-05 |
O-3/W-3 O-2/W-2 O-1/W-1 E-7/8/9 E-5/6 E-1/2/3/4 |
WS 8-13, WL 6-14, WG 12-15, and Productive Support Equivalents |
Read more about this topic: General Schedule (US Civil Service Pay Scale)
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