Military ranks in the Polish Armed Forces

Poland has a long and proud military history, and its military ranks reflect the country’s strong military tradition. If you’re interested in learning more about the military ranks in Poland, you’ve come to the right place.

In this blog post, we’ll give you a brief overview of different military ranks in Poland, both for land forces, air force (same as land forces), and navy which have their own names for ranks, appropriate NATO codes, responsibilities, and their significance. It is also worth noting, that Territorial Guard use the same ranks as the land forces of Poland.

Ranks in the Polish army are divided into three corps:

• Privates
• Non-commissioned officers
• Officers

From this, the NCO corps is divided into two parts: NCOs and senior NCOs, and the officer corps is divided into three parts: officers, senior officers, and generals.

Let's take a closer look at these groups.

Officers in the Polish army

Officers are a group of people nominated to their ranks by the president of the Republic of Poland. They are responsible for coordinating, planning and supervising military operations, which requires a high level of leadership skills and quick decisions under pressure. Polish army has three sub-groups in this group:

• Generals
• Senior officers
• Junior officers

Generals

The highest rank group in the Polish Army during the time of peace. The only higher rank is a Marshall, which is given to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces only during and for the time of war. In this group, we distinguish such ranks:

• Generał/Admirał [OF-09]
• Generał broni/ Admirał floty [OF-08]
• Generał dywizji/Wiceadmirał [OF-07]
• Generał brygady/Kontradmirał [OF-06]

Senior officers

They are the second from the top group of ranks in the Polish Army. People belonging to this group are commanders of regiments, brigades, and battalions, while also holding commanding positions in headquarters. In this sub-group of officers, we distinguish such ranks:

• Pułkownik/Komandor [OF-05]
• Podpułkownik/Komandor porucznik [OF-04]
• Major/Komandor podporucznik [OF-03]

Junior officers

Last of the sub-groups in the officer corps of the Polish Army. Its members hold staff positions in battalions, regiments, and brigades, while also directly commanding soldiers in the field, going from the level of the platoon to the company. This group consists of these ranks:

• Kapitan/Kapitan marynarki [OF-02]
• Porucznik/Porucznik marynarki [OF-01]
• Podporucznik/Podporucznik marynarki [OF-01]

Non-commissioned officers in the Polish Army

Non-commissioned officers in the ranks of the Polish army hold positions of squad leaders, making sure that their squads are cohesive, effective, and capable of completing their tasks successfully. They are also in supporting positions for officers, sharing their specialist knowledge and experience accumulated during their service. This corp is divided into two groups:

• Senior NCOs
• Junior NCOs

Senior non-commissioned officers in the ranks of the Polish Army

The highest rank group in the NCOs corp. They are the soldiers with the most accumulated experience in service and unquestionable experts in their jobs. It is thanks to their work and experience that the tasks are fulfilled fast and effectively. This group consists of these ranks:

• Starszy chorąży sztabowy/Starszy chorąży sztabowy marynarki [OR-10]
• Starszy chorąży/Starszy chorąży marynarki [OR-09]
• Chorąży/Chorąży marynarki [OR-08]

Junior non-commissioned officers

They are the people directly responsible for commanding squads, teams, and crews, and in case of the highest ranks, also supporting the platoon commander. They are also the people responsible for the specific “mood” during basic training and teaching army life and job to the soldiers. This group consists of six ranks, which makes it the biggest group in the Polish Army:

• Młodszy chorąży/Młodszy chorąży marynarki [OR-07]
• Starszy sierżant/Starszy bosman [OR-06]
• Sierżant/Bosman [OR-05]
• Plutonowy/Bosmanmat [OR-04]
• Starszy kapral/Starszy mat [OR-04]
• Kapral/Mat [OR-03]

Privates in the Polish Army

The lowest rank group in the Polish Army. They fulfill the most basic functions in the army, such as rifleman, driver, and gunner. They are the main workforce of the army and the most numerous corp in manpower. This corp consists of these ranks:

• Starszy szeregowy specjalista/Starszy marynarz specjalista [No NATO code yet]
• Starszy szeregowy/Starszy marynarz [OR-02]
• Szeregowy/Marynarz [OR-01]