Ranks and insignia of Royal Danish Army

In 1801, new uniforms were introduced for the whole army. Along with the new uniforms, epaulette ranks were introduced for officers.[2][3] Following the defeat in the English Wars in 1812, Denmark was on the brink of financial bankruptcy, resulting in drastic reductions in the military.[4] Therefore, only generals were allowed to wear epaulettes, with other ranks reverting to cuff insignia.[4] In 1822, epaulettes were introduced to all ranks.[5]

The current insignia for the Royal Danish Army was introduced along with the introduction of the MultiCam uniform. This sand coloured insignia replaced the older standard green slip-on and all other special slip-ons.[6]

Officers

The highest officer's rank is OF-9 (General) which is reserved for the Chief of Defence (only when this seat is occupied by an army officer). Similarly, OF-8 (Lieutenant general) is reserved for the Vice Chief of Defence). OF-7 (Major general) is used by the Chief of the Royal Danish Army and OF-6 (Brigadegeneral) by the chief of a brigade as well as keepers of high-office positions.

NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Group[7]			Leadership level (Chefniveau)												Management level (Lederniveau)
Royal Danish Army[8]
			General		Generalløjtnant		Generalmajor		Brigadegeneral		Oberst		Oberstløjtnant		Major		Kaptajn		Premierløjtnant			Løjtnant			Sekondløjtnant						Sergent (Officerselev)
Danish Pay Grade[9]			M406		M405		M404		M403		M402		M401		M332 M331 M322		M321		M312			M311			M310

Medical personnel

Insignia used by physicians, dentists and veterinarians.[10]

NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Shoulder straps
Position									Surgeon general		Staff physician 1st class Staff veterinarian		Staff physician 2nd class Staff veterinarian		Chief Physician	Staff Specialist	Resident 1st class		Resident 2nd class			Resident 3rd class
Rank designation									Brigadegeneral		Oberst		Oberstløjtnant		Major		Kaptajn		Premierløjtnant			Løjtnant

Enlisted

The Danish OR's also follow the NATO system, though there are no OR-6's. OR-4 (Korporal) is the highest of the M100-level ranks and is not considered a NCO-rank.

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4				OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Group[7]	Middle management level (Mellemlederniveau)																						Manual level (Manuelt niveau)
Service uniform
Royal Danish Army[8]
	Hærchefsergenten			Chefsergent			Seniorsergent		Oversergent								Sergent			Sergent (Officerselev)			Korporal				Overkonstabel af 1. grad		Overkonstabel						Konstabel
Danish Pay Grade[9]	M232						M231		M221								M212			M211			M113				M112

Other rank insignia
NATO Code	OR-9	OR-8	OR-5	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Service uniform
Shoulder board[8]
English	Command sergeant major	Command sergeant major	Sergeant trainee	Lance corporal, section commander	Private first class, section commander	Private, section commander	Private recruit	Conscript, section commander
Danish	Regiments-, brigade- og skole chefsergent	Regiments- og brigade-, seniorsergent	Sergentelev	Overkonstabel 1. grad, meniggruppefører	Overkonstabel, meniggruppefører	Konstabel, meniggruppefører	Konstabel elev	Meniggruppefører

Citations

References

• Badges of Rank for the Royal Danish Army, 2018
• Badges of Rank for the Royal Danish Army, 2018 (in Danish)