What is the difference between “officer” and “enlisted personnel?
There are important differences between enlisted personnel and officers. People who have high school diplomas join as enlisted personnel. People who have four-year college degrees usually join as officers. Enlisted personnel and officers fill different types of jobs. Enlisted personnel are found mainly in office, mechanical, transportation, and combat occupations. There are nine pay grades for enlisted personnel, E-1 to E-9. Most enlisted personnel are in pay grades E-3, E-4, and E-5. About 83 percent of all military personnel are enlisted. Officers work mainly in managerial, professional, and technical occupations. For example, military doctors and registered nurses are officers. So are military lawyers and engineers. All military pilots are officers. There are officer specialties in all of the management and combat areas such as accounting, planning, artillery, and naval operations. There are ten pay grades for officers, O-1 to O-10.
