M
Marine – Capitalize references to U.S. forces: the U.S. Marines, the Marines, the Marine Corps. Do not use USMC. Uppercase when referring to a member of the U.S. Marines: She met a fellow Marine. Use "U.S." before service names only when the context is unclear without it.
mental disorder – Not mental condition.
mental health – Not behavioral health. Do not use interchangeably with behavioral health.
midnight – Do not put a 12 in front of it. It’s part of the day that is ending, not the one just beginning.
Mil – Abbreviation for “military” usually combined with other words to create customized terms such as MilLife, MilSpouse, MilKid, etc. Always capitalize the first letter of Mil and the first letter of the associated word.
Military and Family Life Counseling Program – Use this complete term and capitalize as shown when referring to the program. When referring to the service or the individual counselors, lowercase: You can learn more about military and family life counseling by visiting your Military and Family Support Center.
Military and Family Support Center – Capitalize as shown.
Military Community and Family Policy digital properties – These are all MC&FP websites, applications, assets and resources, including the MilitaryOneSource.mil online platform and website.
Military Family Readiness System – The Military Family Readiness System is the network of programs, services, people and agencies, and the collaboration among them, that promotes the readiness and quality of life of service members and their families. Capitalize this term in all uses.
Military Funeral Honors Program – Capitalize as shown when referring to the program, which establishes procedures for requesting and rendering military funeral honors.
Military In Lasting Tribute — Capitalize the first letter of each word in this title. Use Department of Defense (not Defense Department) when writing about this official online memorial. Note that this is referred to as an online memorial and not a digital memorial, website or application.
military life, military lifestyle – When referring to life as a military service or family member, use the preferred term military life. Avoid the term military lifestyle except for direct quotes.
Military OneSource – Always capitalize as shown. Never abbreviate as MOS; always write out the full term. This is the program, inclusive of call center, specialty consultations, non-medical counseling, and online platform.
Military OneSource online platform – This encompasses all websites, applications and resources that have MilitaryOneSource.mil in the URL, to include all eNewsletters and social media platforms.
MilitaryOneSource.mil – When referring to the Military OneSource website and not the program, use the URL and the term "site" or "website" when appropriate to do so. There are several acceptable ways to write the website address for printed or downloadable documents. These include:
military service uniform – As per Department of Military Affairs policy, uniform names should only be capitalized if you are using the formal name. For example: Army Combat Uniform “Scorpion” or Marine Corps Dress Blues. Informal names could be: combat uniform, service uniform, dress whites, summer whites, etc. For a directory of photographs of military service uniforms and their formal names, review this Military Service Uniform Guide.
military titles – Capitalize military ranks only when using as a formal title before a person’s name. On first reference, use the appropriate title before the full name of the service member. In subsequent references, use only the last name. Spell out and lowercase a title when using in the place of a name: Capt. James Smith gave the order. The general travels on Monday. For plurals, add s to the principal element: Majs. Smith and Jones. The following are abbreviations, with ranks in descending order:
ARMY
Commissioned Officers
- general – Gen.
- lieutenant general – Lt. Gen.
- major general – Maj. Gen.
- brigadier general – Brig. Gen.
- colonel – Col.
- lieutenant colonel – Lt. Col.
- major – Maj.
- captain – Capt.
- first lieutenant – 1st Lt.
- second lieutenant – 2nd Lt.
Warrant Officers
- chief warrant officer five (CW5) – Chief Warrant Officer 5
- chief warrant officer four (CW4) – Chief Warrant Officer 4
- chief warrant officer three (CW3) – Chief Warrant Officer 3
- chief warrant officer two (CW2) – Chief Warrant Officer 2
- warrant officer (W01) – Warrant Officer
Enlisted Personnel
- sergeant major of the Army – Sgt. Maj. of the Army
- command sergeant major – Command Sgt. Maj.
- sergeant major – Sgt. Maj.
- first sergeant – 1st Sgt.
- master sergeant – Master Sgt.
- sergeant first class – Sgt. 1st Class
- staff sergeant – Staff Sgt.
- sergeant – Sgt.
- corporal – Cpl.
- specialist – Spc.
- private first class – Pfc.
- private – Pvt.
NAVY, COAST GUARD
Commissioned Officers
- admiral – Adm.
- vice admiral – Vice Adm.
- rear admiral upper half – Rear Adm.
- rear admiral lower half – Rear Adm.
- captain – Capt.
- commander – Cmdr.
- lieutenant commander – Lt. Cmdr.
- lieutenant – Lt.
- lieutenant junior grade – Lt. j.g.
- ensign – Ensign
Warrant Officers
- chief warrant officer – Chief Warrant Officer
Enlisted Personnel
- master chief petty officer of the Navy – Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
- master chief petty officer – Master Chief Petty Officer
- senior chief petty officer – Senior Chief Petty Officer
- chief petty officer – Chief Petty Officer
- petty officer first class – Petty Officer 1st Class
- petty officer second class – Petty Officer 2nd Class
- petty officer third class – Petty Officer 3rd Class
- seaman – Seaman
- seaman apprentice – Seaman Apprentice
- seaman recruit – Seaman Recruit
MARINE CORPS
Commissioned officer ranks and abbreviations follow the same system as the Army. Warrant officer ratings follow the same system as the Navy. There are no specialist ratings.
Enlisted Personnel
- sergeant major of the Marine Corps – Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps
- sergeant major – Sgt. Maj.
- master gunnery sergeant – Master Gunnery Sgt.
- first sergeant – 1st Sgt.
- master sergeant – Master Sgt.
- gunnery sergeant – Gunnery Sgt.
- staff sergeant – Staff Sgt.
- sergeant – Sgt.
- corporal – Cpl.
- lance corporal – Lance Cpl.
- private first class – Pfc.
- private – Pvt.
AIR FORCE
Commissioned officer ranks and abbreviations follow the same system as the Army. The Air Force does not have warrant officer ratings.
Enlisted Personnel
- chief master sergeant of the Air Force – Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force
- chief master sergeant – Chief Master Sgt.
- senior master sergeant – Senior Master Sgt.
- master sergeant – Master Sgt.
- technical sergeant – Tech. Sgt.
- staff sergeant – Staff Sgt.
- senior airman – Senior Airman
- airman first class – Airman 1st Class
- airman – Airman
- airman basic – Airman
Retired officers – Use a military rank on first reference before the name of an officer who has retired if it is relevant. Do not use the military abbreviation Ret. Spell out retired and use it in the same way as former would appear before a civilian title: They asked retired Army Gen. Robert Jones to speak.
Firefighters, police officers – Use the abbreviations in this section when using military-style titles before the name of a firefighter or police officer outside a direct quote. Add police or fire before the title as needed for clarity: police Sgt. Wendy Smith, fire Capt. Lee Williams. Spell out titles such as detective that do not appear in the lists for armed forces.
military treatment facility – Use this term instead of medical treatment facility.
more than/over – Use more than instead of over to indicate greater numerical value. Paychecks went up more than $100 a week.
My Military OneSource – This is the appropriate way to refer to the Military OneSource application.
