Military		Civilian
Military Grade	Rank	White Collar (GS/GM)	Blue Collar (FWS)
O-10	Admiral
O-9	Vice Admiral	SES*
O-8	Rear Admiral (Upper Half)	SES*/GS-16,17, or 18
O-7	Rear Admiral (Lower Half)	SES*/GS-16,17, or 18
O-6	Captain	GS/GM-15	Ships Pilots,
O-5	Commander	GS/GM-13-14	WS-14 thru WS-19,
O-4	Lt. Commander	GS/-12	WT-15
O-3	Lieutenant	GS-10-11
O-2	Lieutenant (J.G.)	GS-8-9
O-1	Ensign	GS-7	WS-8 thru WS-11 WL-8 thru WL-14
W-4	Chief Warrant	GS-8-9	WG-12 thru WG-15
W-3	Chief Warrant	GS-8-9
W-2	Chief Warrant	GS-7
W-1	Warrant Officer	GS-7
E-9	Master Chief Petty Officer	GS-6
E-8	Senior Chief Petty Officer	GS-6	WS-1 thru WS-7
E-7	Chief Petty Officer	GS-6	WL-1 thru WL-5
E-6	Petty Officer 1st Class	GS-5	WG-9 thru WG-11
E-5	Petty Officer 2nd Class	GS-4
E-4	Petty Officer 3rd Class	GS-4
E-3	Seaman	GS-1-3	WG-1 thru WG-8
E-2	Seaman Apprentice	GS-1-3
E-1	Seaman Recruit	GS-1-3

*All SES [Senior Executive Service] are considered equivalent to "Flag" rank. However, the specific position determines their equivalency within the "Flag" level.
For example, a Deputy Commander of a Systems Command would be considered the same as what a military would be in a similar position.

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Source of information: DOD JTR, Appendix C, 9/1/76, Table of Military and Civilian Equivalent Grades for Prisoner of War Identification - Geneva Convention.

Note: This is the only known information available that shows military/civilian grade equivalencies: therefore, it should be used only as a guide. Table has been updated to reflect current ranks, pay plans, and grades.

Source of document: "Comparison of Military and Civilian Equivalent Grades," n.d., located in "Ranks" vertical file. [Information received by the Navy Department Library from the Bureau of Personnel (BUPERS) on 5 April 1994.].

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Related Source: Why is the Colonel Called "Kernal"? The Origin of the Ranks and Rank Insignia Now Used by the United States Armed Forces