For the Commonwealth equivalent, see Lance corporal.

Private first class (French: Soldat de 1re classe; Spanish: Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in many armed forces.

French speaking countries

In France and other French speaking countries, the rank Soldat de première classe (; ) is used.

Poland

In Poland, the rank is called Starszy szeregowy ().[1]

Singapore

See also: Singapore Armed Forces ranks

Introduced in 1983, the honorific rank is awarded to hardworking conscript citizen-soldiers who performed well in their National Service term. Private First Class (PFC) wear a rank insignia of a single chevron pointing down.[2]

The Private First Class (PFC) rank is rarely awarded nowadays by the Singapore Armed Forces. All private enlistees can be promoted directly to Lance Corporal (LCP) should they meet the minimum qualifying requirements, conduct appraisal and work performance.[3]

United States

Private first class
CountryUnited States
AbbreviationPFC
Rank groupEnlisted
Nato rank
  • OR-3 (USA)
    OR-2 (USMC)
Pay grade
  • E-3 (USA)
  • E-2 (USMC)
Higher rank
Lower rank
Equivalents

United States Army

In the United States Army, recruits usually enter service as a private in pay grade E-1. Private (E-2), designated by a single chevron, is typically an automatic promotion after six months of service.[4] Private first class (E-3), equivalent to NATO grade OR-3, is designated by a single chevron with one arc or "rocker," and is more common among soldiers who have served in the U.S. Army for one year or more.[4] Soldiers who have achieved an associate degree or its equivalent are entitled to enter the Army at this pay grade.[5]

The rank of private first class has existed since 1846[6] and, prior to 1919, its insignia consisted of the branch of service insignia without any arcs or chevrons. The Secretary of War approved "an arc of one bar" (i.e., a "rocker") under the branch of service or trade insignia for privates first class on 22 July 1919. From August 5, 1920, to May 28, 1968, the rank insignia for private first class was a single chevron, per War Department Circular No. 303. On May 28, 1968, the insignia was changed to its current form, consisting of a single chevron with one arc.[7]

United States Marine Corps

In the United States Marine Corps, the rank of private first class is the second lowest (pay grade E-2), just under lance corporal and just above private, equivalent to NATO grade OR-2. It was established on July 1, 1918,[8] to match the already existing Army rank, primarily because US Marine units were "often called upon to serve" with US Army organizations, such as in the American Expeditionary Force that served in Europe during World War I (e.g. 4th Marine Brigade of the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division). At the time the two ranks were directly equivalent. However, the USMC rank of PFC is one grade lower (E-2) than the similarly titled US Army rank.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sposób noszenia odznak stopni wojskowych na umundurowaniu wojsk Lądowych i sił Powietrznych" (in Polish). wojsko-polskie.pl. Armed Forces Support Inspectorate. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  2. ^ "MINDEF Singapore"
  3. ^ "MINDEF Singapore"
  4. ^ "Enlisted Promotions". Brooke Army Medical Center. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  5. ^ "Site Moved"
  6. ^ "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875". memory.loc.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  7. ^ United States Army Institute of Heraldry (2006). "History of Enlisted Ranks". United States Army. Archived December 31, 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 31, 2006.
  8. ^ 40stat714
  9. ^ Affairs, United States Congress House Committee on Naval & Padgett, Lemuel Phillips (1 January 1918). Hearings Before Committee on Naval Affairs of the House of Representatives, on Estimates Submitted by the Secretary of the Navy, 1918. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 240. – via Internet Archive. secretary of the navy private first class 1918.