Military ranks of Albania


The Military ranks of Albania are the military insignia used by the Albanian Armed Forces.

Current ranks (since 2011)

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

History

Albanian military insignia have undergone several periods during which their design changed radically.
The first ranks in the Albanian Armed Forces were formed in 1926 during the reign of King Zog I. His rule comprises two periods, the "Austrian" and the "Prussian + Italian " style of insignia.
During the time of Italian and German occupations of Albania their respective ranks were worn on Albanian militia uniforms.
After the Second World War, when the communist regime took power, military ranks were radically changed in looks and in naming. In the first years officers and generals wore sleeve insignia whose order was loosely based on that time's Yugoslav patterns. In 1947 a new model was introduced, where insignia and ranks came from the Soviet Union. This followed the traditions of Stalin's last years where insignia of all the Communist Bloc countries tended to uniformity. While most socialist countries abandoned this model soon after Stalin's death, Albania preserved it until May 1966, when military ranks were abolished altogether following Chinese example and based on doctrines of guerilla warfare.
With the fall of the communist regime the military ranks were re-established in 1991 following a Western model. However, there were several crucial changes in their design and a few minor ones.

1966–1991

On 22 April 1966, the military ranking system of the Armed forces of the People's Republic of Albania, was officially abolished by the order nr. 0227 "Mbi heqjen e gradave" of the Minister of People's Defence, Beqir Balluku,in accordance with the Nr. 4113 decree edicted by the Presidium of the People's Assembly on 7 March 1966.

1991–1999

;Officer
;Other

1999–2004

;Commissioned officers
;Enlisted

2004–2011

;Commissioned officers
;Enlisted