Editing Gurkha (section)

=== Gurkha military rank system in the British Indian Army ===
Gurkha ranks in the British Indian Army followed the same pattern as those used throughout the rest of the Indian Army at that time.<ref>Cross & Gurung 2002, p. 33.</ref> As in the British Army itself, there were three distinct levels: private soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and commissioned officers. Gurkha commissioned officers in Gurkha regiments held a "Viceroy's Commission", distinct from the King's or Queen's Commission that British officers serving with a Gurkha regiment held. Any Gurkha holding a commission was technically subordinate to any British officer, regardless of rank.<ref name="Cross34">Cross & Gurung 2002, p. 34.</ref>

[[File:5th Gurkha Rifles, Japan 1946.jpg|thumb|The 2nd/5th Royal Gurkha Rifles marching through Kure soon after their arrival in Japan in May 1946 as part of the Allied forces of occupation]]

==== Rank equivalents in modern Indian and British Armies ====
{|class=wikitable
|-
! British Indian Army !! Modern Indian Army !! British Army<ref>Source: Cross & Gurung 2002, pp.&nbsp;33–34</ref> !! [[Ranks and insignia of NATO|NATO code]]
|-
!colspan=4|[[Viceroy's commissioned officer|Viceroy Commissioned Officer]]s (VCOs, &ndash;1947) and [[Junior commissioned officer|Junior Commissioned Officer]]s (JCOs, 1947&ndash;)
|-
| [[Subedar Major]]||[[Subedar Major]]||no equivalent||{{N/A}}
|-
| [[Subedar]] || [[Subedar]]||no equivalent||{{N/A}}
|-
| [[Jemadar]] || [[Naib Subedar]]||no equivalent||{{N/A}}
|-
!colspan=4|Warrant officers
|-
| [[Regimental Havildar Major]]||[[Regimental Havildar Major]]||[[Warrant Officer Class 1]]||OR-9
|-
| [[Company Havildar Major]]||[[Company Havildar Major]]||[[Warrant Officer Class 2]]||OR-8
|-
!colspan=4|Non-commissioned officers
|-
| [[Company Quartermaster Havildar]]||[[Company Quartermaster Havildar]]||[[Colour Sergeant]]||OR-7
|-
| [[Havildar]]||[[Havildar]]||[[Sergeant]]||OR-6, OR-5
|-
| [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]|| [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]]||[[Corporal]]||OR-4
|-
| [[Lance Naik]]||[[Lance Naik]]||[[Lance Corporal]]||OR-3
|-
!colspan=4|Enlisted
|-
| (no rank)||(no rank)||[[Other ranks|Private]]||OR-2, OR-1
|}
'''Notes'''
* British Army officers received Queen's or King's Commissions, but Gurkha officers in this system received the Viceroy's Commission. After Indian independence in 1947, Gurkha officers in regiments which became part of the British Army received the King's (later Queen's) Gurkha Commission, and were known as King's/Queen's Gurkha Officers (KGO/QGO). Gurkha officers had no authority to command troops of British regiments. The QGO Commission was abolished in 2007.
* [[Jemadar]]s and [[subedar]]s normally served as platoon commanders and company 2ICs but were junior to all British officers, while the subedar major was the Commanding Officer's advisor on the men and their welfare. For a long time it was impossible for Gurkhas to progress further, except that an honorary lieutenancy or captaincy was (very rarely) bestowed upon a Gurkha on retirement.<ref name="Cross34" />
* The equivalent ranks in the post-1947 Indian Army were (and are) known as Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs). They retained the traditional rank titles used in the British Indian Army: Jemadar (later Naib Subedar), Subedar and Subedar Major.
* While in principle any British subject may apply for a commission without having served in the ranks, Gurkhas cannot. It was customary for a Gurkha soldier to rise through the ranks and prove his ability before his regiment would consider offering him a commission.<ref name="Cross34" />
* From the 1920s Gurkhas could also receive King's Indian Commissions, and later full King's or Queen's Commissions, which put them on a par with British officers. This was rare until after the Second World War.
* Gurkha officers commissioned from the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]] and Short Service Officers regularly fill appointments up to the rank of major. At least two Gurkhas have been promoted to lieutenant colonel and there is theoretically now no bar to further progression.<ref name="Cross34" />
* After 1948, the [[Brigade of Gurkhas]] (part of the British Army) was formed and adopted standard British Army rank structure and nomenclature, except for the three Viceroy Commission ranks between Warrant Officer 1 and Second Lieutenant (jemadar, subedar and subedar major) which remained, albeit with different rank titles Lieutenant (Queens Gurkha Officer), Captain (QGO) and Major (QGO). The QGO commission was abolished in 2007; Gurkha soldiers are currently commissioned as Late Entry Officers (as above).<ref name="Cross34" />