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Ranks, Uniforms, and Decorations

The army and air force each have a total of 17 ranks: five for enlisted personnel, two for warrant officers, and 10 officer grades. In the officer group there are three general, three field-grade, and four company-grade ranks. This hierarchy represents a departure from typical rank structures in a majority of the world's armed forces by creating a rank of captain commandant between the captain and major ranks and also by limiting general officers to three instead of four or five grades.

Warrant officers are referred to as adjutants and chief adjutants, indicative of their primarily administrative functions. Below them are three sergeant grades; sergeants are NCOs. At the lower end of the rank scale are corporals and privates. The navy and the gendarmerie have similar and parallel rank structures. Both services have the same number of ranks as the army and air force at levels below that of general officer. The navy has two admiral ranks; the gendarmerie has two general officer ranks. The gendarmerie also has special titles for its enlisted grades but uses army ranks at higher levels. Naval ranks follow established patterns: two degrees of ensign and two degrees of lieutenant. However, instead of the usual commander ranks, three degrees of captain are used. Petty officer and seaman grades are similar to those of other navies.

The army uses rank insignia primarily on the collars and caps of its uniforms. To differentiate between ranks, it is necessary to recognize small insignia details, but it is unreliable to differentiate high or low rank by the degree of ornateness of the patch. Cap insignia, however, do become more striking with increasing rank.

Sleeve and shoulder board stripes on navy and air force uniforms closely resemble those of the majority of other armed forces and are relatively easy to recognize. Gendarmerie rank is shown on caps of all ranks, on sleeves of enlisted personnel, and on shoulder boards of officer uniforms.

The army service uniform most frequently worn for light work and informal recreation includes olive-khaki coats and trousers that are worn by all ranks. The navy uniform is navy blue. The air force uniform is also dark blue but a slightly lighter shade than that of the navy. The gendarmerie uniform is also a dark shade of blue. With the exception of navy whites, the summer uniforms of all services are identical in color but lighter in weight than the winter uniforms.

The Order of Leopold, when awarded with its "collar", is the highest and most cherished Belgian decoration. The order is actually a beautifully jeweled, unusually ornate necklace from which the medal itself is suspended. The order is also awarded in lower degrees that do not include the necklace; different medals of the same degree may also be struck for civilians. The Order of Leopold is followed in importance by the Order of the Crown and the Order of Leopold II. These decorations are awarded in five degrees. They are followed by the Iron Cross, the Military Cross, and the Croix de Guerre. During World War I and World War II, the Croix de Guerre was presented to members of foreign armies more frequently than were the other high Belgian military decorations.