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Army MajorO-4 Field Officer, U.S. Army |
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Army Ranks » Major Rank • MAJ Pay • MAJ Rank History • Promotion Information
O-4 Major -
Field Officer -
U.S. Army Ranks
Major Army Military Ranks
| Class | Field Officer |
| Abbr. | MAJ |
| Title | Major (last name) |
| Paygrade |
O-4 (DoD Paygrade) OF-4 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $5,803/mo |
Major is the first field officer rank in the United States Army, ranked above Captain but below Lieutenant Colonel. Majors usually serve as specialized executive or operations officers for battallion-sized unit of 300 to 1,200 soldiers, but they may also be found leading specialized companies, such as Service Support and Special Operations units, or serving as staff officers in high-level command posts.
Most Majors attend the Command and General Staff School in Kansas for a ten-month course before beginning their commission.
Major is the 22nd rank in the United States Army , ranking above Captain and directly below Lieutenant Colonel. A major is a Field Officer at DoD paygrade O-4, with a starting monthly pay of $5,803.
How do you become a Major?
A Major is most often promoted from Captain (CPT), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. Click here to learn more about promotion to Major.
What is the proper way to address a Major?
The correct way to address a Major named Mr. Johnson is "Major Johnson", or written as MAJ Johnson. In formal situations, a Major should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a Major earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level Major with 2 or less years of experience is $5,803.20 per month.
A Major receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Major's final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Army Major may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including education allowance, hostile fire pay, and more.
For full details on the Army's Major compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Army Major Pay Chart. A full table of the Army's current paygrades are available at the Army Pay Chart.
Military Occupational Specialties for Army's O-4 Major
 | Medical Corps Officer
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 | Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Officer
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 | Cardiologist
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 | Entomologist
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 | Cyber Operations Officer
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To learn more about Military Occupational Specialties, see our complete list of MOS job titles.
Equivalent Ranks to the Army's O-4 Major
To learn more about the Army's rank structure, see our complete list of Army ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Major is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Army rank to GS grade conversion table 
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To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Army and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.