Posted on Sep 3, 2015
What is the difference between a Specialist and a Corporal in the Army? Inquiring Marine minds want to know.
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At one time, the Army had four Specialist ranks; Specialist 4 through Specialist 7. The Specialist ranks were for Soldiers in highly technical jobs for which we needed to promote them and raise their pay as they became more and more proficient. In the mid-1980s, the clowns in charge did away with all the Specialist Ranks except for Specialist 4. The Army does not have Corporal positions, in reality. Corporals now are paygrade E-4 Soldiers that are holding a Sergeant position because there isn't a Sergeant available to fill it. Corporal is not a permanent rank; you only hold it while in the NCO position that was vacant. Corporal and Specialist are the same paygrade; E4. But a Corporal is an NCO with all the rights and authorities on an NCO. A Specialist is not an NCO.
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Many of the answers already given kinda get more into the day-to-day functional differences, but I believe the technical difference is a Specialist-4 is NOT an NCO, a Corporal is.
I understand that there are some "schools of thinking" that would like to make it E5 and E7 for NCO and Staff-NCO across the board for all branches. The Air Force already put Senior Airman at E4, a Non-NCO rank. The Army seems to promote E3s to Specialist E4s as Non-NCOs far more often than to an Army Corporal, which is an NCO rank. I had heard that the only time the Army does this anymore is when they need to ensure there are enough NCOs lurking around to pull that lovely weekend barracks duty. The Navy Petty Officer III is an NCO, but has about zero functional authority, as the saying goes "In the Navy if you ain't a Chief, (or at the very least a PO1 who is also a department head) you ain't chit." Back to the E5 and E7 bit, for those who don't know, in the Corps that scales down one rank, to E4 and E6 respectively, and although I am not sure, I think the Coast Guard does the same (mutters something about the too many Indians and not enough chiefs bit).
I knew an Army Specialist-4 who was an Intel person by MOS but attached to an infantry unit. He said he got all the benefits of being an E4 without any of the responsibilities of a Corporal, which in his words meant he dodged being pulled for barracks duty.
It might be fair to state that a Marine Corporal has (by far) more realistic and functional authority over their squad/section members, than any other E4 anywhere. Moving the first NCO rank to E5 requires each 4-year enlistee to re-up to ever pin it on, thus there would never be enough given the percentage of promotable E4s who decide to go home, many whom already had the promotion points for E5, and got irritated when those Prior Service Recruiters dangle E5 in front of you, as if they are offering you something you hadn't already earned. Ooh ooh didn't mean to get too personal ;P
I understand that there are some "schools of thinking" that would like to make it E5 and E7 for NCO and Staff-NCO across the board for all branches. The Air Force already put Senior Airman at E4, a Non-NCO rank. The Army seems to promote E3s to Specialist E4s as Non-NCOs far more often than to an Army Corporal, which is an NCO rank. I had heard that the only time the Army does this anymore is when they need to ensure there are enough NCOs lurking around to pull that lovely weekend barracks duty. The Navy Petty Officer III is an NCO, but has about zero functional authority, as the saying goes "In the Navy if you ain't a Chief, (or at the very least a PO1 who is also a department head) you ain't chit." Back to the E5 and E7 bit, for those who don't know, in the Corps that scales down one rank, to E4 and E6 respectively, and although I am not sure, I think the Coast Guard does the same (mutters something about the too many Indians and not enough chiefs bit).
I knew an Army Specialist-4 who was an Intel person by MOS but attached to an infantry unit. He said he got all the benefits of being an E4 without any of the responsibilities of a Corporal, which in his words meant he dodged being pulled for barracks duty.
It might be fair to state that a Marine Corporal has (by far) more realistic and functional authority over their squad/section members, than any other E4 anywhere. Moving the first NCO rank to E5 requires each 4-year enlistee to re-up to ever pin it on, thus there would never be enough given the percentage of promotable E4s who decide to go home, many whom already had the promotion points for E5, and got irritated when those Prior Service Recruiters dangle E5 in front of you, as if they are offering you something you hadn't already earned. Ooh ooh didn't mean to get too personal ;P
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A Corporal and a Specialist have the same paygrade, but the Corporal have more of a NCO role than a Specialist, Corporal doing a E-5 (Sergeant) job at a E-4 paygrade.
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A Corporal is in a tactical or leadership position and recognized as a NCO. A Specialist is more of a technical or administrative position. This was the working definition we had back when I wore the "ice cream cone."
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Unlike in the Corps, not all E4s are expected to lead. The ones who aren't are called Specialists. Interestingly, Specialists once went all the way to E8.
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The Army corporal is, essentially, a Specialist that has been put in a SGT position, but does not meet one or any of the requirements to obtain that 3rd stripe.
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SPC Brian Stephens
Sort of. I was a PFC with about a year in when I became my platoon's gunner, which was a E-5 slot. My roommate was an E-4 when he became the launch specialist which was also an E-5 slot. My section chief was an E-5 filling an E-6 slot and the only guys who were at the ranks they were supposed to be was the RT operator (E-5), platoon sergeant (E-7), and the drivers and finslappers (E-1 through E-4). No corporals anywhere in that unit but where we did have corporals and they were few, they ran their own shops, like Commo, maybe Supply and other areas where NCOs and personnel were scarce.
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1LT (Join to see)
Agreed! I was a section chief (E6) billet as an E4P. I was the senior person in my specialty and earned the position. I held that for 13 months until an E6P rotated into the unit. Then he became the PLT SGT 3 months later and I was back in an E6 billet.
If the MTOE does not have a CPL then there will not be an CPL, only specialists, unless they have come from a previous combat arms assignment as a CPL. Normally a move 'back' to SPC is punitive.
If the MTOE does not have a CPL then there will not be an CPL, only specialists, unless they have come from a previous combat arms assignment as a CPL. Normally a move 'back' to SPC is punitive.
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A CPL AND A SPC ARE THE SAME PAY GRADE, BUT THE CPL HAS MORE RESPONSIBILITIES.
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A Corporal is in a leadership position...say fire team leader. A specialist is just someone that got promoted to E-4.
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Its the same rank same pay they are both Jr nco. spc and a corporal one was just promoted in a combat unit and the other was not is what I was told by my command staff when I asked what the difference was
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SGT Bryon Sergent
That would be incorrect. The SPC rank isn't and NCO. Even is a SPC is put in a team leader slot and is the ACTING team leader they have the authority of the NCO but are not. The SPC and CPL both are the same GRADE but not the same rank. Slotting a SPC and the hard stripper is the common misconception.
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SGM Mikel Dawson
SGT Bryon Sergent - And a CPL doesn't have to be in a combat unit, it can be any type of unit.
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