Lance corporal Lance corporal is a military rank , used by many armed forces worldwide , and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations . It is below the rank of corporal , and is typically the lowest non - commissioned officer , usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR - 3 . Etymology . The presumed origin of the rank of lance corporal derives from an amalgamation of " corporal " with the now - archaic " lancepesade " , formerly a non - commissioned officer of the lowest rank . This in turn derives from the Italian " lancia spezzata " , which literally means " broken lance " or " broken spear " , which was used to denote a seasoned soldier or mercenary , who was not a part of a " lance " . " Lance " or " lances fournies " was a term used in Medieval Europe to denote a unit of soldiers ( usually 5 to 10 men strong ) . Australia and New Zealand . Lance corporal is the lowest of the non - commissioned officer ranks in the Australian Army and New Zealand Army , falling between private and corporal . It is the only appointed rank , and thus demotion is easier than with other ranks . A lance corporal is usually the second in command of a section , and is in control of the gun group in an infantry section . The same rank within artillery units is known as lance - bombardier ( lance bombardier in New Zealand ) . There is no equivalent rank within the Royal Australian Air Force or Royal Australian Navy . The badge of rank is a 1 - bar chevron worn on both sleeves or on an epaulette . Second corporal was also formerly used in Australia in the same way that it was used in the British Army . A common nickname for a lance corporal in Australia is a " lance jack " . Canada . The Canadian Forces abolished the rank of lance corporal on their creation as a unified force in 1968 . The rank of trained private equates to OR - 3 and wears the single chevron , but has no command authority . In terms of actual authority , the current appointment of Master Corporal equates most directly to the pre - unification appointment of lance corporal as in both cases , this rank was granted to soldier second - in - command of an infantry section , for example . The current rank of Sergeant equates most directly to the pre - unification appointment of corporal . Finland . The equivalent of a lance corporal in the Finnish Defence Forces is a " korpraali " ( literally , corporal ) . Korpraali is not considered an NCO rank . India and Pakistan . The equivalent to lance - corporal in the British Indian Army was acting lance - daffadar in cavalry regiments and lance - naik in other units . These ranks are still used in the Indian Army and Pakistan Army . Portugal and Brazil . Until the end of the 19th century , in the Portuguese Army , the equivalent of a lance corporal rank was that of " anspeçada " . The rank of " anspeçada " was replaced , in the end of the 19th century , by the present rank of " segundo - cabo " ( second corporal ) , the former rank of " cabo " ( corporal ) being renamed " primeiro - cabo " ( first corporal ) . After the independence of Brazil in 1822 , the new Brazilian Army followed the Portuguese system of ranks , having also the rank of " anspeçada " . The rank existed also in the Brazilian States Military Polices and in the Military Firefighters Corps . The rank of " anspeçada " was discontinued in Brazil in the first half of the 20th century . Singapore . The rank of lance - corporal ( LCP ) in the Singapore Armed Forces ranks between private first class and corporal . Like the rank of corporal , it is not considered a specialist rank , and the lance - corporal has absolutely no command authority by virtue of his rank . However , lance - corporals who are appointed second - in - command of a section ( military unit ) do have the authority to command the rest of the section . National Servicemen in such appointments are usually promoted to this rank in the middle of their two - year enlistment . A lance - corporal wears rank insignia of a single point down chevron with an arc above it ( similar to an upside down US Army PFC rank badge ) . Sweden . Sweden has " vicekorpral " ( previously " vicekonstapel " , " vice constable " , in the artillery and anti - aircraft artillery ) as a rank intermediate between private and " korpral " . It was primarily a school degree discontinued in 1972 but reinstated in 2008 or 2009 . United Kingdom . Lance corporal ( LCpl or formerly L / Cpl ) is the lowest ranking non - commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines , between private and Corporal ( and with a NATO grade of OR3 ) . The badge of rank is a one - bar chevron worn on both sleeves , or on an epaulette on the front of the Combat Soldier 95 dress standard ( although lance corporals in the Foot Guards , Honourable Artillery Company , 1st The Queen ' s Dragoon Guards and The Queen ' s Royal Hussars wear two - bar chevrons and in the Household Cavalry a two - bar chevron surmounted by the crown is worn ) . The Royal Artillery uses the term lance - bombardier instead . The designation " chosen man " , used during the Napoleonic Wars , was a precursor to the rank . A common nickname for a lance corporal is " lance jack " . Lance corporals are commonly addressed as " corporal " . Junior corporal was a rank in the Royal Air Force Section of the Combined Cadet Force ( CCF ) . The insignia was a single chevron and the rank is the cadet equivalent of a Lance Corporal in the RAF Regiment . The rank was introduced in the CCF , long before the equivalent RAF Regiment rank ( 2010 ) . This was in order to create a level of rank parity between cadet NCOs in the Army and RAF Sections . From 2012 it was replaced by the rank of Cadet Lance Corporal with the same insignia . Until 1961 , lance corporal was only an appointment rather than a rank , given to privates who were acting NCOs , and could be taken away by the soldier ' s commanding officer ( whereas a full corporal could only be demoted by court martial ) . The Royal Engineers and Army Ordnance Corps also used the similar rank of second corporal , which was a substantive rank ( also wearing one chevron ) , until 1920 . Until 1920 , bombardiers in the Royal Artillery were equivalent to second corporals and acting bombardiers were equivalent to lance corporals ( both wearing one chevron ) . In the infantry , a lance corporal usually serves as second - in - command of a section and commander of its delta fire team . It is also a rank commonly held by specialists such as clerks , drivers , signallers , machine - gunners , and mortarmen . In the Royal Military Police all other ranks are promoted to lance corporal on the completion of their training . On 1 April 2010 , the rank of lance corporal was introduced into the RAF Regiment , although it is not used by other branches of the Royal Air Force . RAF Regiment lance corporals have powers of charge over Aircraftmen , Leading Aircraftmen and senior aircraftmen , but not junior technician s and senior aircraftmen technicians , who , despite being OR2s , require a corporal or above to charge if required . The RAF sections of Combined Cadet Force s , seen in some British schools , use the rank of cadet lance corporal ( cadet junior corporal pre - 2012 ) for many years in order that NCOs can be ranked on parity with the cadet lance corporals in the army sections . United States . Marine Corps . Lance corporal ( LCpl ) is the third enlisted rank in order of seniority in the U . S . Marine Corps , just above private first class and below corporal . It is not a non - commissioned officer rank . The USMC is the only component of the U . S . Armed Forces to currently have lance corporals . Promotion to lance corporal is based on time in grade , time in service , and the conduct of the Marine . Further promotion to the NCO ranks ( Corporal and above ) is competitive and takes into account the individual service record of the marine . There can only be a certain number of corporals and sergeants in each MOS , so even with a qualifying score , promotions may be delayed due to an excessive number of corporals occupying billets in a certain MOS . From the earliest years of the Corps , the ranks of lance corporal and lance sergeant were in common usage . Marines were appointed temporarily from the next lower rank to the higher grade but were still paid at the lower rank . As the rank structure became more firmly defined , the rank of lance sergeant fell out of use , with rank of lance corporal serving in the Corps into the 1930s , but this unofficial rank became redundant when the rank of private first class was established in 1917 . The lance corporal fell out of usage prior to World War II , before it was permanently established in the sweeping rank restructuring of 1958 . Army . The United States Army had the rank of lance corporal from 1965 to 1968 signified by one chevron with a rocker underneath . The insignia later became private first class in 1968 with the former one chevron of a PFC , becoming private E - 2 .