The Composition of Military Ranks
The Defence Code distributes military ranks by composition: the privates' composition includes private and private first class; the corporals' — corporal and corporal-specialist; the sergeants' — junior sergeant, sergeant, senior sergeant, master sergeant and chief sergeant. The officers' composition divides into three tiers: junior officers (lieutenant, senior lieutenant, captain), senior officers (major, lieutenant colonel, colonel) and the highest officers (brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general). Questions of rank subordination are regulated by military regulations.
Granting the First Rank
The rank of private is granted to a person enrolled in national military service, a junker enrolled in a military school, a person in contract service and a person enrolled in the reserve — each, where he holds no other rank — and to one who has completed the voluntary military training program for students. The junior sergeant's rank is granted after the relevant course, the reserve junior-officer program (for one without a bachelor's degree), or 11 months of compulsory service where the person completed the sergeants' course and was appointed to the relevant position.
The routes to lieutenant are likewise precisely framed: completion of a military school bachelor's program; an academic degree together with the junior-officer candidate program; the reserve junior-officer program with a bachelor's degree (or submission of the degree document within 5 years, up to the age of 35); or 11 months of service with the junior-officer training program and the relevant position, the degree being held at completion or submitted within 10 years, up to the age of 35.
Terms for the Next Rank
Exact service terms are established for the next rank: from private to private first class — 1 year; from private first class to corporal — 1 year; from junior sergeant to sergeant — 3 years; sergeant to senior sergeant — 4 years; senior sergeant to master sergeant — 4 years; master sergeant to chief sergeant — 5 years; lieutenant to senior lieutenant — 2 years; senior lieutenant to captain — 3 years; captain to major — 4 years; major to lieutenant colonel — 5 years; and lieutenant colonel to colonel — 6 years. No term is set for an officer's next highest rank, while for a person in the active reserve the term is double the minimum.