Why doesn't the Army eliminate one of ranks in the pay grade of E-4?

Question

I understand that Specialist and Corporal are pay grade E-4 and yet A) there are more Specialist than Corporals and B) all of the other branches have only one rank in the pay grade of E-4. So why can't the Army eliminate one of them?

Answer 1

The role of the specialist and the corporal are two different roles that have two entirely different sets of responsibilities.



The specialists is still considered "lower enlisted" though once they have enough time in grade they are none as E4 promotable, which means if the slot for them to be an E5 was open, they’d make sergeant. E4 (Specialist or corporal) is as high as you can get in the Army without having to compete for a slot.



The Corporal is used as a junior NCO (Non Commissioned Officer), which means while they are still an E4; they are given all the respect and responsibility of an NCO. A specialist should stand at parade rest when talking to a corporal even though they are the same pay grade. Corporals are usually only found in combat arms units such as field artillery, MPs, infantry etc.



The Army keeps theses two ranks around because in a combat zone there is a need to have someone who can take charge in the absence of a sergeant, in this situation, the corporal would step up. The specialist is also known in the Army as "a Special Private"



The rank of corporal is hard to attain. I've actually heard that the Army is considering getting rid of the corporal rank. Personally I hope they don't.

Answer 2

one is considered NCO and has more duties, while a specialist isn't (in most cases and MOSs)



Specialist (abbreviated "SPC") is one section of the fourth enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and below Corporal. It shares the same enlisted pay grade as the Corporal, which is a rank for non-commissioned officers (NCO).





In the U.S. Army a Corporal (CPL) is the fourth enlisted rank, the first three being forms of Private and the fourth being the Specialist. A Corporal ranks above a Specialist and below a Sergeant, and has the same pay grade (E-4) as a Specialist.



Unlike a Specialist, a Corporal is a non-commissioned officer and may direct the activities of other soldiers, including Specialists. Corporal is the most junior non-commissioned officer rank. A promotion from Specialist to Corporal is a lateral promotion: an increase in rank but not in pay grade. Currently, very few soldiers are made Corporal; most go from Private First Class to Specialist to Sergeant. However, Corporals are found in some combat units. The typical criteria for promotion to Corporal is that the Specialist must be serving in a leadership position which would typically be occupied by an NCO such as a Sergeant.



It is common for a Corporal to lead a fireteam; however, if a soldier is promoted to Corporal and there are too many soldiers of that rank, the new Corporal will stay in his current position.



The rank of Corporal is the only rank in the United States Army that has never been removed from the NCO Corps.

Answer 3

why not eliminate Master sergeant or first sergeant? both are E-8. There is a method to the madness and organization. E-4 Corporal is a NCO rank for certain MOS's that have a higher responsibility for E-4's.



It sounds like the question asker might be one of those Specialists who is jealous of Corporals, jeeze leave the system alone.

Answer 4

Corporal is a command rank while Specialist is a technical rank. It is the same idea as other definitions of rank in the Marine Corps. A First Sergeant is the same pay grade as a Master Sergeant, but has more authority. The same thing with E-9, Sergeant Major and Master Gunnery Sergeant.

There is a similar situation in the other services as well, but I am not familiar with the names of them. It is a realist way of dealing with specialties and commanding men, especially in war time.

Answer 5

Busted!They might be lenient if it's his first time and he goes through drug Rehab.It depends on how desperate they are to fill his pay grade.I don't like the idea of a guy smoking pot before handling high Explosives or nuclear weapons.Since they are not doing anything immediete,that's a good sign that they will keep him,but bust him down in rank or put him in the stockade as punishment.

Answer 6

There used to be specialisyt renka from E-4 through E-9. Over the years it has been chopped down to the Chicken Corporal. The specialist grade is for technical oriented troops as opposed to leaders.

Answer 7

Corporal is typically a rank in Infantry Divisions. The military used to have more pay grades...Specialist E-5, etc. I don't know why they retained two designations under the E-4.

Answer 8

Independant ... Things as big as the U.S. Army change very, very slowly. Did you know there were Spec 5s, 6s, and 7s ... and I heard there were specialist ranks for E-8 and E-9 too. That was quite a long time ago, though.



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Answer 9

The USAF used to have two E-4 ranks, SRA( senior airmen) and SGT., you had to have one year time in service and go thru the first AF NCO course to gain SGT.



The USAF did away with SGT. around 1987 or so.

Answer 10

They actually are. You can only be a corporal in a few MOS's now. But who cares about corporal, you need to be working on SGT and become a full NCO. Good luck. Thanks for serving.