What are the differences in officer corps across military branches?

I've been researching a lot about officer ranks in different military branches for a possible future career. Can someone help me understand the differences in the officer corps structure across the military branches? Thanks in advance!

Of course, happy to help. The first thing to know is that the officer corps across the different branches of the U.S military generally follow similar structures, but there are a few key distinctions in terms of titles and roles for each branch.

In the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the officer ranks begin with Second Lieutenant(O-1) and go up to General(O-10). The ranks are:

1. Second Lieutenant (O-1)

2. First Lieutenant (O-2)

3. Captain (O-3)

4. Major (O-4)

5. Lieutenant Colonel (O-5)

6. Colonel (O-6)

7. Brigadier General (O-7)

8. Major General (O-8)

9. Lieutenant General (O-9)

10. General (O-10)

In the Navy and Coast Guard, the structure is similar but the titles are different. Here they are:

1. Ensign (O-1)

2. Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2)

3. Lieutenant (O-3)

4. Lieutenant Commander (O-4)

5. Commander (O-5)

6. Captain (O-6)

7. Rear Admiral (Lower Half) (O-7)

8. Rear Admiral (Upper Half) (O-8)

9. Vice Admiral (O-9)

10. Admiral (O-10)

The most recently established branch, the Space Force, uses the same rank structure as the Air Force.

Beyond the titles, the roles and responsibilities of officers can also vary depending on the branch. For example, in the Navy, an officer might be responsible for a certain section of a ship, while in the Air Force, they could be in charge of an aircraft or team of enlisted members.

One last thing to keep in mind is officer training programs can be quite different across the branches. For instance, the Navy has its Officer Candidate School, Naval ROTC, and the U.S. Naval Academy. The Army, on the other hand, has its ROTC, Direct Commission, and the U.S. Military Academy (also known as West Point). So, when considering a career as an officer, you might also want to research the different pathways to becoming one.