Military Rank

Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms. Ranking systems have been known for most of military history to be advantageous for military operations, in particular with regards to logistics, command, and coordination; as time continued and military operations became larger and more complex, military ranks increased and ranking systems themselves became more complex

Types of rank
There are a number of different forms of rank; from highest to lowest degree, they are:
 * Substantive or permanent rank is the fully paid and confirmed rank.
 * War substantive rank is a confirmed rank only held for the duration of that war.
 * Temporary rank is usually granted for a specific task or mission. The holder holds the rank while occupying that position. Despite the name, temporary rank may be held for a considerable period of time, perhaps even years.

After a war, regular serving members of the military holding war substantive or temporary rank often revert to their former, substantive rank and all others often end their service. However, the holder may be granted permission to permanently retain the rank they held when the conflict ended.


 * Acting rank is where the holder assumes the pay and allowances appropriate to the acting rank, but a higher commanding officer may revert the holder to previous rank held. This is normally for a short period of time while the permanent occupant of the office is absent.
 * Brevet rank is a temporary rank, often honorary, without the pay and allowances appropriate to the rank. It was sometimes used by penurious governments to reduce costs.
 * Local rank is a form of temporary rank restricted to a specific location instead of a specific duty.
 * Honorary rank, often granted on retirement, treats the rank as if it were substantive, but usually does not grant a corresponding wage or pension increase.