A Navy captain holds the same rank as a full bird colonel in the United States Army.
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- Sources
- 6 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Unsubscribe PodcastSep 13, 2026
The claim that a Navy captain holds the same rank as an Army colonel (O-6) is supported by the statutory rank table in 10 USC 741 (Colonel equals Captain), the DoD insignia reference, and Wikipedia/Merriam-Webster, which state the equivalence.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
What was said
… William Mason. No, no, no, no, no, no they're talking about the Navy colonel. The Navy captain wasn't Mason. No No, no, Mason was our brigade colonel in the Army, and he was in charge of our brigade. But in the PRT, the Provincial Reconstruction Team, had a Navy captain, which is the same rank as a full bird colonel in the Army. Seems Captain Bob or something like that. It doesn't matter. In CA, you just have a first name. Either way, we had colonels around, and one of them was in the Navy, and so, yeah, I was confused. I was a young man making mistakes. Dude, you saluted a nobody. …
Unsubscribe Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. 10 USC 741 places Colonel (Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force) and Captain (Navy and Coast Guard) in the same intermediate grade order, establishing equivalent rank.[1][2]
Supports. The DoD U.S. Military Rank Insignia reference lists Army Colonel (O-6) alongside Navy Captain (CAPT), confirming the O-6 equivalence.[3]
Supports. Reference works including Merriam-Webster and the 1939 Naval Institute Proceedings article state that a Navy captain corresponds to an Army colonel.[4][5][6]
Context. The Navy Department Library notes the Navy captain was historically equal to an Army colonel, consistent with the modern equivalence.[7]
Sources
7 sources: 3 primary, 4 not rated
- 1ARMED FORCESgovinfo.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 210 USC 741: Rank: commissioned officers of the armed forcesuscode.house.gov › viewuscode.house.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3U.S. Military Rank Insigniawar.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Captain - A List of The U.S. Military Ranks in Order ...merriam-webster.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Commodore for Captain? | Proceedings - February 1939 Vol. 65/2/432usni.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Captain (United States O-6) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Navy Captainhistory.navy.mil · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post