Specialist

Specialist rank insignia (U.S. Army)

Specialist (abbreviated "SPC") is a junior enlisted rank in the U.S. Army. In the U.S. Space Force, all enlisted ranks below sergeant are filled by one of four grades of specialist.

United States Army

In the Army, it is just above Private First Class and equivalent in pay grade to Corporal. Unlike Corporals, Specialists are not considered junior non-commissioned officers (NCOs).

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Specialist 9 rank insignia (U.S. Army) Specialist 8 rank insignia (U.S. Army) Specialist 7 rank insignia (U.S. Army) Specialist 6 rank insignia (U.S. Army) Specialist 5 rank insignia (U.S. Army) Specialist 4 rank insignia (U.S. Army)
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On 1 July 1955 four grades of Specialist were established. The first was Specialist Three (E-4). It is the only one that still exists. It was changed to Specialist Four in 1958. Specialist Two (E-5), Specialist One (E-6), and Master Specialist (E-7) were also created in 1955. These were all eventually replaced with other titles. In 1958 the DoD added two more pay grades. This gave enlisted soldiers more opportunities to progress to a full career. These were Specialist Eight (E-8) and Specialist Nine (E-9) which were abolished in 1968. All except SP4 were abolished in 1984 when SP4 was renamed as "Specialist" and abbreviated as "SPC".

United States Space Force

The Space Force created the ranks of Specialist 1 through Specialist 4 in 2021. Since it was spun off from the Air Force in 2019, it started out using Air Force terms for its junior enlisted ranks. The rank of Specialist 1 replaced Airman Basic (E-1), Specialist 2 replaced Airman (E-2), Specialist 3 replaced Airman First Class (E-3), and Specialist 4 replaced Senior Airman (E-4). All Specialist ranks are abbreviated as "SpcX", with "X" replaced by the number that matches the holder's pay grade. In speaking, all are addressed as "Specialist" regardless of rank.

References

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