Editing Non-commissioned officer (section)

===Canada===
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In the [[Canadian Forces]], the [[Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces|Queen's Regulations and Orders]] formally defined a non-commissioned officer as "A Canadian Forces member holding the rank of Sergeant or Corporal."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/qro-orf/vol-01/doc/chapter-chapitre-001.pdf |title=Volume 1 – Administration: Chapter 1 Introduction and Definitions |date=9 October 2008 |work=Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces |publisher=Assistant Deputy Minister (Finance and Corporate Services), [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]]/Canadian Forces |page=6 |access-date=19 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613162041/http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/qro-orf/vol-01/doc/chapter-chapitre-001.pdf |archive-date=13 June 2011 }}</ref> In the 1990s, the term "[[non-commissioned member]]" (NCM) was introduced to indicate all ranks in the Canadian Forces from recruit to chief warrant officer.<ref>Department of National Defence Canada [http://mpmuseum.org/securncm1.html Non-Commissioned Officer Rank Insignia 1967–1985]. Canadian Military Police Virtual Museum. Retrieved on: 7 December 2011.</ref>

By definition, with the unification of the Canadian Forces into one service, the rank of sergeant included the naval rank of [[Petty Officer 2nd Class|petty officer 2nd class]], and corporal includes the naval rank of [[leading_seaman#canada|sailor first class]]; corporal also includes the appointment of [[Master Corporal|master corporal]] (naval [[master sailor]]).

NCOs are officially divided into two categories: junior non-commissioned officers, consisting of corporals/sailors first class and master corporals/master sailors; and senior non-commissioned officers, consisting of sergeants and petty officers 2nd class. In the [[Royal Canadian Navy]], however, the accepted definition of "NCO" reflects the international use of the term (i.e. all grades of petty officer).

Junior non-commissioned officers mess and billet with privates and seamen; their mess is usually referred to as the junior ranks mess. Conversely, senior non-commissioned officers mess and billet with [[Warrant Officer#Canada|warrant officers]]; their mess is normally referred to as the warrant officers and sergeants mess (army and air force establishments) or the chiefs and petty officers mess (naval establishments).

As a group, NCOs rank above [[Private Recruit|privates]] and below warrant officers. The term "non-commissioned members" includes these ranks.