Ensign ( rank ) Ensign late 14c . , via Scottish , from Old French " enseigne " ( 12c . ) " mark , symbol , signal ; flag , standard , pennant , " from Latin " insignia " ( plural ) is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries , normally in the infantry or navy . As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag , the rank itself acquired the name . This rank has generally been replaced in army ranks by second lieutenant . Ensigns were generally the lowest ranking commissioned officer , except where the rank of subaltern itself existed . " Ensign " is " enseigne " in French , " Fähnrich " in German , " Vaandrig " in Dutch ( whereby despite the fact that " Fähnrich " and " Vaandrig " have a parallel etymology , they are not a junior officer but only an officer cadet rank ) , and " chorąży " in Polish , each of which derives from a term for a flag . The Spanish " alférez " and Portuguese " alferes " is a junior officer rank below lieutenant associated with carrying the flag , and so is often translated as " ensign " . Unlike the rank in other languages , its etymology has nothing to do with flags . The NATO rank code is OF - 1 ( junior ) . Argentina . In Argentina , the rank of ensign is used by both the air force and the gendarmerie . It is , however , used differently in the two services . The air force uses the rank for newly qualified officers , while the gendarmerie uses " ensign " ranks as an equivalent for the army ' s " lieutenant " ranks . The other armed forces of Argentina have ranks equivalent to ensign : " subteniente " ( which can be translated into English as " sublieutenant " ) in the army and " guardiamarina " ( midshipman ) in the navy " . In the army , the most junior sublieutenant in a regiment ( or other unit ) is also the flag carrier . France and Canada . In France of the " Ancien Régime " , like in other countries , the ensign ( " enseigne " ) was the banner of an infantry regiment . As in other countries , the name began to be used for the officers who carried the ensign . It was renamed sublieutenant ( " sous - lieutenant " ) in the end of the 18th century . The Navy used a rank of ship - of - the - line ensign ( " enseigne de vaisseau " ) , which was the first officer rank . It was briefly renamed ship - of - the - line sublieutenant ( " sous - lieutenant de vaisseau " ) in the end of the 18th century , but its original name was soon restored . Nowadays , the rank is still used in the " Marine Nationale " : Ship - of - the - line ensign ( " enseigne de vaisseau " ) is the name of the two lowest officer ranks ( which are distinguished as from one another as " first class " , equal to an army lieutenant , and " second class " , equal to an army sublieutenant . ) Both ranks of ensign use the style " lieutenant " . French - speaking Canadian Naval officers also use the terms of " enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe " and " de première classe " as the French term for acting sublieutenant and sublieutenant respectively . However , French - Canadian sublieutenants use the short form of " enseigne " instead of " lieutenant . " The rank " ensign " is also used to refer to second lieutenants ( NATO OF - 1 ) in household regiments of the Canadian Army . Austria and Germany . " Fähnrich " which has a parallel etymology to ensign , containing the corresponding German word stem of " flag " in it , is a German and an Austrian officer cadet rank . The word " Fähnrich " comes from an older German military title , " Fahnenträger " ( literally : " flag carrier " ) , and first became a distinct military rank on 1 January 1899 . The German " Fähnrich " is a non - commissioned officer promoted from the rank of " Fahnenjunker " ( German Army ) or " Seekadett " ( German Navy ) . " Fähnrich " is equivalent to " Feldwebel " ( staff sergeant ) , but with additional responsibilities as an officer cadet . If successful , he may be promoted to " Oberfähnrich " ( German Army , equivalent to " Hauptfeldwebel " , or sergeant first class ) or to " Oberfähnrich zur See " ( German Navy ) , before being made an officer . The German rank " Fähnrich " should not be translated into English as " ensign " to avoid the possible misconception that this would be an officer ' s rank , and the English navy rank " ensign " should not be translated as " Fähnrich " but as " Leutnant zur See " , which is the German equivalent . New Zealand . The Royal New Zealand Navy , unlike the Royal Navy — whose uniforms , insignia , and traditions it inherited — created the ensign grade to equal the lowest commissioned RNZAF grade of pilot officer and the New Zealand Army grade of second lieutenant . It ranks above the grade of midshipman . Like the grade of pilot officer , it uses a single thin strip of braid . The fact that the Royal Navy has no real equivalent to the lowest commissioned Royal Air Force and British Army grades was the driving factor behind the RNZN ' s decision to create the ensign grade , as well as the fact that at the time New Zealand was actively involved with the United States Armed Forces , it also made sense to balance the rank system out with that used by the United States Navy . Norway . The Royal Norwegian Navy , the Norwegian Army and the Royal Norwegian Air Force ' s equivalent of ensign is " fenrik " ( the rank below " lieutenant " ) . It was previously referred to as " second lieutenant " ( Norwegian : " sekondløytnant " ) , while the rank of lieutenant was called " premier lieutenant " . The rank is obtained after attending " befalsskolen " for one year , from which the candidate emerges as a sergeant , and serving as a sergeant for three additional years . The rank is known to have been temporarily given to soldiers with rank equivalent of non - commissioned officers , showing skill - set ' s and performance beyond their rank , in contract based operative service ( UN , NATO ) . This is highly uncommon and the rank is reverted after the contract period ends . A " fenrik " serves as a NATO ( OF - 1 ) second lieutenant , but the function of the rank differs drastically from other armies . Although it is an officer rank , it strongly resembles an NCO rank in practice . " Fenrik " s are usually former experienced sergeants without officer education , and usually fill such roles as squad leaders and platoon sergeants . This is due to the lack of an NCO - corps in the Norwegian Army . The historical background for this is that Norway ' s NCO corps was discontinued on 1 July 1975 , and the senior NCOs currently serving were given officer ranks . NCOs ranking as " oversersjant " were given the officer rank of " fenrik " , NCOs ranking as " stabssersjant " were given the rank of " lieutenant " , and - in accordance with " Hærordningen av 1 . januar 1977 " - the most senior of the NCOs ranking as " stabsserjant " were given the rank of " captain " . The corresponding ranks for the Royal Norwegian Navy were " overkvartermester " ( " kvartermester I klasse " ) and " flaggkvartermester " . The corresponding ranks for the Royal Norwegian Air Force were " vingsersjant " and " stabssersjant " . The rank insignia is worn on the sleeves ( navy dress uniform only ) , on the shoulders of service uniforms or - more recently - on the chest . The chest placement is of newer date , and was introduced with the M - 2000 uniform , which is worn by both noncommissioned ranks and officers in all branches of the Norwegian Defence . Poland . The Polish Army equivalent of " ensign " is " " chorąży " " ( the Polish for " ensign " or " flag " being " " chorągiew " " ) . In Poland " ensign " is not an officer rank - it is NCO - equivalent . Before the 2007 reform " chorąży " formed a separate corps above the NCOs . They have following , different ranks of ensign : Romania . The Romanian Navy equivalent of " ensign " is " aspirant " . Russia . The present - day Russian Army linguistic equivalent is the non - commissioned officer ( NCO ) rank of " praporshchik " ( ) , and the Russian Navy equivalent is " mitshman " ( ) . Slovakia . In The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic equivalent is " práporčík " . United Kingdom . In Thomas Venn ' s 1672 " Military and Maritime Discipline in Three Books " the duties of ensigns are to include not only carrying the colour but assisting the captain and lieutenant of a company and in their absence , have their authority . Until 1871 , when it was replaced by second lieutenant , ensign was the lowest rank of commissioned officer in infantry regiments of the British Army ( except fusilier and rifle regiments , which always used second lieutenant ) . It was the duty of officers of this rank to carry the colours of the regiment . In the 16th century " ensign " was corrupted into " ancient " , and was used in the two senses of a banner and the bearer of the banner . Today , the term " ensign " is still used by the Foot Guards regiments , for instance during the ceremony of trooping the colour . The equivalent cavalry rank was cornet , also being derived from the name of a banner . United States . The ranks of ensign and cornet were abolished in the U . S . Army in the Army Organization Act of 1815 In the U . S . Navy , the rank of " ensign " superseded " passed midshipman " in 1862 . Ensign is the junior commissioned officer rank in the U . S . Navy , the U . S . Coast Guard , the NOAA Commissioned Corps , and the PHS Commissioned Corps . This rank is also used in the U . S . Maritime Service and the U . S . Naval Sea Cadet Corps . Ensign ranks below lieutenant junior grade , and it is equivalent to a second lieutenant in the U . S . Army , the Marine Corps , and the Air Force . Depending upon the warfare community , an ensign may go directly to a warship after being commissioned to serve as a division officer , or he or she may serve up one to two years of specialty training before reporting to a combat unit ( e . g . flight school , weapons systems school , navigator school , submarine school , amphibious warfare school , radar school ) . Ensigns who become division officers are responsible for leading a group of petty officer s and enlisted men in one of the ship ' s divisions ( for example , engineering , navigation , communications , sensors or weapons ) while at the same time receiving on - the - job training in leadership , naval systems , programs , and policies from higher - ranking officers and from enlisted men and women . Navy and Coast Guard ensigns wear collar insignia of a single gold bar and because of this share the nickname " butterbars " with Army , Air Force , and Marine Corps second lieutenants , who wear the same insignia . Within the U . S . Public Health Service , those wearing the rank of ensign are part of a commissioned officer student training , and extern program ( COSTEP ) , either junior , for those with more than a year remaining of education in a commissionable degree ( JRCOSTEP ) , or senior , for those within one year of graduating with a commissionable degree ( SRCOSTEP ) . Some officers may hold a permanent rank of ensign based on their experience and education , but than can hold the temporary rank of lieutenant , junior grade .