Sailor second class

The entry-level rank for either conscripted or volunteer enlisted members of the space military. Recently inducted members will receive basic military training which can last up to 8 weeks. Depending on the department and specific sub-branches of the MSN, they will receive specialized training and after completion will serve their one or two-year tour of duty, or depending on the longevity of a campaign they may be on as part of a ship or ground forces under the supervision of non-commissioned officers.

The insignia consists of a collar pin with no stripes.

The equivalent of a Legionnaire/ground forces rank is private.

Sailor first class

Draftees or not, a sailor will become eligible for promotion to sailor first class after one year of military service.

In colonial naval forces, however, such as the Ruthenian's naval militia, conscripted sailors begin their mandatory service at the age of 18, in some colonial cases 17. For Ruthenina, their sailors will be promoted upon reaching the age of 20, and/or they have survived one year of their two-year military service.

The insignia consists of a collar pin with one stripe.

A Legionnaire/ground forces equivalent is private first class.

Able sailor

Promotion to an able sailor comes with some prerequisites; such as merit, evaluation, or a certain monthly cycle. They may begin to have more specialized training in their department, such as any given bridge's control systems.

The insignia of an able sailor consists of a collar pin with two stripes.

A legionnaire/ground force's equivalent is lance corporal.

Leading sailor

At this point in their career, a leading sailor is expected to be experienced in handling hardware and machinery and maybe the core member of a ship's main bridge team. In this case, they operate some stations such as a radar or communication with the rest of the ship or with the rest of their fleet/squadron.

A leading sailor's insignia consists of a collar pin with two stripes and a half stripe, with a dot at the front.

A legionnaire/ground force's equivalent is corporal.

Petty Officer Second Class

Similar to an able sailor, advancement to petty officer comes with certain prerequisites such as dependent of their time in service, leadership assessments, performance evaluations by superiors, and examinations of their expertise thus far as some examples. Petty officers at this point may form the nucleus of their bridge team or other specific departments, such as a ship's fire team or a marine platoon. They generally serve as the assistant to a petty officer first class.

The insignia consists of an I-shaped collar pin.

The ground force's equivalent is a sergeant.

Petty Officer First Class

Petty Officers serve as the leading officer of a personnel team in their technical area, with often a second class petty officer assisting them with duties. In marine squads, they serve as the commanding officer. At this point, a first class petty officer will have garnered enough expertise in their specialty that advancement to warrant officer will not be too far off in their future.

Insignia consists of an I-shaped collar pin with a dot on the top right side.

The ground force's equivalent is a staff sergeant.

Warrant Officer

Warrant officers are regarded as the senior-most of enlisted ranks but classified as junior-class in comparison to cadet officers such as ensigns or sub-lieutenants. Warrant officers would have at this point be thoroughly proficient in their areas of expertise in contrast to the general training of fleet or ground operations personnel, given they usually rise through the enlisted ranks to get here. Though, it can in rare cases be considered an entry-level rank for academy graduates. In any case, part of their activities will be with training sailors and soldiers in their departments.

The insignia consists of a collar pin with a half-field.

The ground force's equivalent is sergeant major.

Ensign

The lowest officer commission rank in the Federation as well some colony militias such as the Ruthenese. Depending on their studies and evaluations, officer cadets will generally start with this rank upon graduation. Their studying will not end at the school's gates, and usually in times of conflict will have post-commission training in whichever post they are sent to. As such, they will hold very little command responsibilities given they will be learning from their senior officers.

They may serve as a junior staff officer to a ship's commander, as shuttle pilots, or any given department position. They are not as specialized compared to their warrant officers, as they have generally broader fleet training.

The insignia consists of a collar pin with a half-field with a single dot at the front.

For ground forces, the equivalent is a second lieutenant.

Sub-lieutenant

The second lowest officer commission in the Federation and colonial/Ruthenian navies. Typically this is what an ensign will progress to either through merit and/or evaluation though it is not unheard of for Federation cadet officers to achieve this rank after graduation given they have excellent grades. In Ruthenian and colonial cases, there is a greater chance of an officer cadet becoming this given their anti-piracy measures and pressing for able-bodied leadership.

Much like ensigns, sub-lieutenants are expected to learn from their senior officers. In the cases of an ensign being promoted to this, they will be expected in wrapping up their post-graduation training around this point in time. Their actual responsibilities will not change much, however.

A sub-lieutenant's insignia consists of a collar pin with a half-field, with a single horizontal dash at the front.

A legionnaire/ground force's equivalent is a first lieutenant.

Lieutenant

The third possible officer commission rank in the Federation and her colonies, and is regarded as the senior-most entry-level rank for academic and marine commissioned officers.

Lieutenants will have some command responsibilities at this point in their careers such as will be capable of commanding sections of their ship department, etc, which will help in growing their knowledge of ship and troop command. They can serve as a senior staff officer in their ships' department, and as a junior staff officer in their fleet's war councils. In some cases, a lieutenant can become the XO in smaller ships such as cruisers or destroyers, in auxiliary ships such as cargo and engineer craft to better hone their leadership skills. This is not as common in times of peace and is generally more of an occurrence when there is a lack of lieutenant commanders.

Lieutenants may also command company-sized ground units, either as marines or Legionnaires units and in some cases military police. During down periods in the MSN such as when there is no expected campaign, they may be posted as a junior instructor in academy courses, or act as advisor/liaison to colonial militaries.

A naval lieutenant is equivalent to a Legionnaire/ground captain.

The insignia of a lieutenant consists of a collar pin with a half-field, a single horizontal dash towards a front, and a dot in front of the dash.

Lieutenant commander

After the entry-level officer ranks come the first actual field officer rank in the Federation and her territories, the lieutenant commander. This is regarded as a junior-grade level rank for fleet and ground operations officers. Lieutenant commanders are expected to fully know the ropes of all fields of command—from ships to section firing lines, and of course ground/Side combat units. They'll serve as department heads in capital ships, as commanders of small craft, and as a junior-level staff member in a fleet-wide war council. They also serve as the XO of battlecruisers and as COs of smaller vessels such as destroyers and cruisers, as well as auxiliary units. They can oversee command of a battalion-sized ground unit if the demand calls for it.

A lieutenant commander's insignia comprises of a collar pin with a border on two sides and a single dot in the middle.

The equivalent of a naval lieutenant commander for ground forces and legionnaires is a major.

Commander

The mid-level field officer rank in the Federation and her colonies. This is the bread and butter field grade rank of fleet and ground officers. Commanders will exercise full command authority over ships and troops by this point in their career. They may serve as COs of battlecruisers and as XOs of battleships and other flagships. This will be the point in their career that they may command a squadron of smaller vessels like destroyers and cruisers, or auxiliary support squadrons. In some cases, commanders may even command a firing section of battlecruisers in the absence of a captain.

The commander insignia consists of a collar pin with a border on each end, a single dash on the front left, with no dot.

Their ground forces counterpart is a lieutenant colonel and can lead either an augmented battalion or one that's regiment-sized.

Captain

The senior-level field officer rank in the Federation. They serve as COs of battleships and flagships and may serve as head of their fleet's various departments, as well as being a mid-level staff officer in fleet-wide war councils. a more senior captain can command a squadron of battleships and battlecruisers if there is no commodore to fulfill the position. For ground units, they can command a regiment-sized ground force.

The insignia of a captain is a collar pain with a border on each end, a dash on the left, and a dot in the middle.

The ground/Legionnaire rank equivalent is a colonel.

Commodore

The rank of commodore is the junior-most flag officer rank throughout the Federation and is as such the lowest rank possible for an officer to command fleets. Commodores direct and give guidance to their departments, to the ship squadron(s) under them, and give directives to ground units. As part of larger fleets commodore serve as the armada's department head, and in such a case may as commander of small spacecraft divisions. For fleet-wide department councils, they are considered a mid-level staff member. They serve as COs of flagships and are capable of commanding squadrons ranging from mightily battleships, battlecruisers, and an assortment of smaller vessels either as part of an armada's wing, or an autonomous squadron.

In some instances, like with Chal Hugo during his mission to the Frankish realm in 219/220, a commodore can hold full authority over command of several squadrons at once, numbering between 400~800 ships.

For ground units, the equivalent is brigade general, which is capable of commanding a bridge-sized ground force.

A commodore's insignia is a collar pin with no borders and two horizontal dashes.

Rear admiral

Rear admirals are the second junior flag officer rank throughout the Federation. Like the commander rank, this is the backbone flag rank for Federation officers. Rear admirals serve as numbered fleet wing commanders when part of a larger fleet, and act as high-level staff officers in fleet-wide department council meetings. When part of a larger fleet, it's possible for a rear admiral to act as a deputy commander.

A rear admiral's insignia consists of a collar pin with no borders and a single star on the left.

The ground/legionnaire equivalent is major general, which can command a reinforced brigade-sized ground force.

Vice admiral

The mid-level flag officer commission rank in the Metropolitan Spacy Navy and colonial counterparts. They hold full authority over their fleet and ground troops. When there are multiple fleets involved vice admirals serve as department heads. They act as department chiefs in fleet war councils.

A vice admiral's insignia consists of a collar pin with no borders and two stars.

For legionnaire and ground units, the equivalent rank is lieutenant general, capable of commanding a divisional-sized formation.

Admiral

The rank of admiral is the senior-level officer commission rank in the Federation and colonies like Ruthenia. An admiral's command responsibilities may include command of combined Federation fleets and ground/Side operations. Some will form part of the chief of staff in the Federation armada. Depending on an assignment's nature, either the Congressional Assembly or the defense ministry may appoint an admiral to oversee a strategic star zone as well. For ground units, they may command a corps-sized ground formation.

The insignia of an admiral consists of a collar pin with no borders and three stars.

The legionnaire/ground forces equivalent is a general.

Fleet admiral The highest level flag officer rank in the Metropolitan Space Navy. They are more or less the supreme commander as appointed by the Congressional Assembly. The ground forces counterpart would be the general of the army, which likewise commands the marine branch of the Spacy Navy. Though the Frankish Legionnaires were technically a separate organization outside of MSN jurisdiction, it has been reorganized into the MSN branch sometime in the 200s'.

A Frankish Legionnaire with M88 military uniform, unofficially called the Perdenka by Legionnaires stemming from its prolific use in the 180s' Bloody Perdenes conflicts. The uniform still sees uses late into the 3rd century in Side and planetary operations in several different variants.

Examples of Metropolitan Naval uniforms. The top left is roughly the uniform of a flag officer (starting from a commodore). The top right is roughly a lower commissioned officer uniform (from warrant officer to at least captain rank). The bottom left is the armor of an enlisted ship marine (non-officer), the middle depicts armor of a ship marine officer, and the bottom right is an enlisted sailor's uniform (from Sailor second class to petty officer class) The flag they're holding is the Metropolitan space naval flag.