UNSC rank structure

The rank structure of the United Nations Space Command's mainline branches of service (the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Army, and the Air Force) is largely derived from the system employed by the 21st century United States military.

Overview
The UNSC's rank structure is similar to that used by 21st century militaries, primarily the United States military. Unlike contemporary military forces, however, the UNSC largely employs two main rank schemes throughout its organization; NAVCOM rankings for organizations within UNSC Naval Command (namely, the UNSC Navy and Office of Naval Intelligence) and UNICOM rankings for Unified Ground Command subordinates (UNSC Army, Air Force, Marine Corps). UNSC ranks can be broadly categorized into several groupings;
 * Enlisted: Regular personnel who perform the "front line" duties. This includes regular infantry personnel.
 * Non-commissioned Officers: Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) are enlisted personnel that fill most intermediary leadership and administrative roles. Their responsibilities vary by service, occupational specialty and duty station. The UNSC relies heavily on NCOs, and they share many responsibilities with officers.
 * Warrant Officers: Warrant officers are technical specialists and subject matter experts who are given an officer's commission in recognition of their expertise and leadership role. They take the officer's oath of service and are rated above enlisted troops but are subordinate to full officers. The Air Force does not select or utilize warrant officers, and they are rarely found in the Marine Corps.
 * Officers: UNSC officers are commissioned, meaning that their authority is granted by a formal legal document issued on the authority of the UEG President. This commission is awarded after the completion of Officer Candidate School (OCS) and after taking the oath of service.

NAVCOM ranks
UNSC Naval Command uses rank titles which are different to the other branches. Navy ranks and terminology have a long history which dates back to eras when ships sailed on the oceans of Earth rather than in space. These ranks are used by the UNSC Navy and ONI.

UNICOM ranks
UNSC ground forces rely on little administrative overhead and bureaucracy thanks to artificial intelligences and automated services, which handle the majority of routine paperwork and coordination. The UNSC's standards of training and high "tooth to tail" ratio of fighting troops to support personnel also allow senior enlisted and junior officers to be given much more responsibility and command authority than what was historically possible. Some UNSC Army and Air Force personnel additionally make use of ranks and/ or roles that do not fit into the UNICOM system of organisation.

Spartan Operations
Unlike NAVCOM and UNICOM, the Spartan Operations division does not employ traditional ranks. Instead, the Spartan branch works to take the informal leadership traditions of the SPARTAN-IIs and adapt them into a structure that emphasizes independence and unity of purpose over rigid adherence to the chain of command. Nevertheless, SPARTAN-IV personnel are given additional responsibilities and authority as they advance in their careers. All Spartans receive a direct commission as an officer of the UNSC, though this authority does not typically extend out of their chain of command.

Overall, Spartans are considered strategic assets in the post-war environment. While Spartan Operations does retain administrative control of Spartan personnel, tactical deployments are the responsibility of the unit to which they are assigned. As such, they are often paired to work alongside UNICOM and NAVCOM special forces - in particular Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and UNSC Army Rangers.

While aboard naval vessels, Spartans report directly to the ship's captain in all matters relating to the safety and security on-board the ship - superseding all other responsibilities and orders. In all other cases, the Spartan Commander has operational control of Spartan personnel, and Spartans cannot give or be given orders to/from Navy or ONI personnel. Spartans are, however, encouraged to accommodate reasonable requests when they do not violate existing orders or the Spartan Code.

Trivia

 * The Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) erroneously describes the structure and insignia of the UNSC's ranking system as being identical to those used in Halo multiplayer, Halo 3 in the original printing and Halo: Reach in the 2011 edition. It also lists the O-11 rank "Commanding General".
 * In Halo 3: ODST's VISR mode, rank icons can be seen given for the various members of Alpha-Nine. The rank icons on display use the icons found in the multiplayer ranking of Halo 3, and for the most part match up with the ranks of the various squadmembers with the exception of Jonathan Doherty (see gallery for a full comparison).