Just curios, here are 2 examples.
1). A Canadian citizen who obtains the rank of say Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces. If they moved to England or the United states and “joined-up” would they start at the bottom officer rank (lieutenant I guess?) or would they start off as a Captain?
2). Say somebody was a Sergent in the US Army and decided they needed a change and wanted to be a US Marine, can they transfer into a different military branch and keep their rank?
Thanks!
MtM
I suspect they would start off as private.
Given that Captain is an officer rank, that seems unlikely. Surely the requirements to be a commissioned officer aren’t that different between the US and UK or Canada.
FWIW, a US citizen can get into big trouble for being a commissioned or non-commissioned officer in a foreign military, though being an enlistee is generally OK, especially for American citizens who are required to perform compulsory military service in the country where they reside.
Generally, these requirements include attending a (local) officer school, or being promoted according to the regulations in force. I doubt that having attended a foreign school or having been promoted within a foreign army would have any relevance. Actually, I suspect it would rather be a major hindrance. One isn’t even necessarily able to re-enlist in his own country’s army with the rank he formerly held.
That said, it’s just my best guess.
To be a commissioned officer in the United States military, one must be a citizen, either through birth or naturalization. If you held citizenship, theoretically you meet a qualification to be a commissioned officer, but then the actual determination of rank would be left to the branch of service you joined. Knowing a friend who was British by birth, but naturalized, he still had to go through ROTC to earn his rank. I highly suspect the incoming person would have to go through officers’ schooling of some sort as well–but that’s up to each individual service. [sub]Certain restrictions may apply.[/sub]
Yes. I know of several Air Force NCOs who were prior Army, and it was fairly straightforward. Depending on MOS <-> AFSC certification, job training, and other professional qualifications, there may be a slight reduction/promotion in rank, but for the most part, it was a lateral move for those I know. There are tales out there of reduction in rank, but that was usually accompanied with a break in service (i.e. someone took a few years off), or a reenilstment from one non-technical job to another (going from cook to UAV operator).
Tripler
Cite? Anecdotal evidence and direct observation.
It depends on whether or not they have an opening for someone of your rank and your job skills.
Cite? Anecdotal evidence, most of it second-hand
A friend of mine was first commissioned as a 2nd Lieutnant of artillery in the US Marine Corps, then transferred to the US Navy and became a fighter pilot (not sure, but I think as a Lieutenant JG). A medical issue rendered him ineligible to fly aircraft, so he left the navy, and joined the NM Army National Guard as a Sergeant (Back to the artillery). When an officer’s slot opened up, he was commissioned as a Captain. (He claims that he would have preferred to remain a sergeant, but was ordered either to accept the promotion or to leave the Guard.)
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The CO of 71 Engineer Regt. (TA) British Army is an Aussie, who I know joined the Australian Army initially, and worked his way through the officer ranks.
He impressed some British powers-that-be and came over the the British Army. He did not have to start again as a 2Lt, but I’m not sure what rank he joined us at.
This question freaks me out just a little. When my dad as a Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces (about 40 years ago) he was a bit of a drinker. Apparently at one point he actually DID ask this exact question.
The were delighted to have him. At the rank of Private. He would have had to do basic training and then, if successfuly move on to officer training. Just like he did in the Canadian military.
He turned it down. 
Tripler’s answer to the second question applies pretty much the same to the US army. Breaks in service and differences in job titles may or may not force you to lose rank when transferring into the army from another branch of service, but a grunt in the marines should be able to come over to the army and be a grunt of the equivalent rank in the army.
The Marines are pretty insistant that anyone who wants to be a Marine needs to go through their Boot Camp. As far as I know the Marines do not take interservice transfers. The other branches have no trouble taking them. You do have to finish up your contract, you just can’t move because you get a whim. I am in the National Guard and we see a lot of interservice transfers. This is because of the nature of the business. Someone might get out of the active duty Marines and find there are no Marine Reserve units close by. Marine Reserves are much smaller than the National Guard.
Sometimes a National Guard soldier decides they want to switch to the active duty army. Often they have to take a reduction in rank. The active duty army feels that the experience level of the national guard soldier is not the same as their AD peers. However the Army has no trouble activating us at our current ranks.
And no, a foreign officer can not transfer into the US military at his current rank. They would have to go through the same selection and training as US college kids wanting to become officers.