View source for Lance corporal

{{short description|Military rank}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2022}}
{{military ranks}}
'''Lance corporal''' is a [[military rank]], used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of [[corporal]].

==Etymology==
The presumed origin of the rank of lance corporal derives from an amalgamation of "corporal" from the Italian phrase ''capo corporale'' ("head of the body") with the now-archaic ''[[wikt:lancepesade|lancepesade]]'', which in turn derives from the Italian ''lancia spezzata'', which literally means "broken lance" or "broken spear", formerly a non-commissioned officer of the lowest rank. It can be translated as "one who has broken a lance in combat", and is therefore a leader.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/lance-corporal.html | title=Why the Third-Lowest US Marine Corps Rank is Actually the Best | date=26 August 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hidesertstar.com/observation_post/news/article_8fe8dea2-f62b-11e2-9f11-001a4bcf887a.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113092316/http://www.hidesertstar.com/observation_post/news/article_8fe8dea2-f62b-11e2-9f11-001a4bcf887a.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 November 2014|title=Lance Corporal: What it means to be an E3 in the Corps|work=Hi-Desert Star|access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref> Other sources claim that it referred to a knight who had broken his lance and lost his horse, and thus had to join a foot company temporarily;<ref>[[Thomas Dekker (writer)|Dekker, T.]], [[Richard Herne Shepherd|Shepherd, R. H.]] (1873:371). ''The Dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker: Now First Collected with Illustrative Notes and a Memoir of the Author''. United Kingdom: J. Pearson.</ref><ref>''Notes and Queries''. (1926:2). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.</ref> or to [[gendarmerie]] who could no longer afford to fight on horseback and formed a foot unit.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-cRAAAAYAAJ&dq=lancia+spezzata,++%22broken+lance+attle&pg=PA220 | title=Time | date=1883 | last1=Yates | first1=Edmund Hodgson }}</ref>

"Lance" or "[[lances fournies]]" was also a term used in medieval Europe to denote a unit of soldiers (usually three<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Warfare Source Book Vol. I: Warfare in Western Christendom|last=Nicolle |first=David |author-link=David Nicolle |year= 1995|publisher=Arms & Armour Press |location=New York|isbn=0-19-280208-9 |page= 118}}</ref> or six<ref>{{cite book |title=War in European History|last=Howard|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Howard |year= 1976|publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London |isbn=978-1-85409-236-6 |page= 3}}</ref> men).

==Commonwealth of Nations==
In Commonwealth forces, a lance corporal is usually the [[second-in-command]] of a [[Section (military unit)|section]]. Lance corporals are commonly addressed as "corporal", with "lance jack" or "half-screw" (with corporals being "full screws") being common colloquialisms for the rank. Much like the use of bombardier instead of corporal in [[artillery]] units, lance corporals are known as [[Bombardier (rank)|lance bombardiers]] in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.<ref>NZ Army "[http://www.army.mil.nz/our-army/structure/ranks/default.htm Ranks in the New Zealand Army]". Retrieved 11 December 2009.</ref> The badge of rank is a single [[Chevron (insignia)|chevron]] worn on both sleeves or on an epaulette.

===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 (rank)|private]] and corporal. It is the only appointed rank, and thus demotion is easier than with other ranks. A commanding officer can demote a lance corporal, whereas other ranks require a [[court martial]] for demotion. A lance corporal is usually the second in command of a section, and is in control of the gun group in an infantry section.  There is no equivalent rank within the Royal Australian or New Zealand Air Force or Navy.

Second corporal was also formerly used in Australia in the same way that it was used in the British Army.

===Bangladesh===
In the [[Bangladesh Army]], the rank of lance corporal is above the rank of ''[[Private (rank)#Bangladesh|sainik]]'' (সৈনিক) and below the rank of corporal.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.army.mil.bd/Rank-Categories |title=Rank Categories |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= <!--Not stated--> |website=Bangladesh Army |access-date=24 September 2019 |quote= <!--Not stated--> }}</ref>

===Canada===
The [[Canadian Armed Forces]] abolished the [[Canadian Army]] rank of lance corporal on their [[Unification of the Canadian Forces|creation as a unified force]] in 1968.

===United Kingdom===
{{Infobox military rank
| name           = Lance corporal
| native_name    = 
| image          = [[File:United Kingdom-Army-OR-3.svg|50px]] [[File:British Royal Marines OR-3.svg|50px]] [[File:United Kingdom-AirForce-OR-3 (service).svg|50px]]
| image_size     = 
| alt            =
| caption        = Army, marine and RAF insignia
| image2         = 
| image_size2    = 
| alt2           =
| caption2       = 
| image3         = 
| image_size3    = 
| alt3           =
| caption3       = 
| country        = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| service branch = {{ubl|{{army|United Kingdom}}|{{marines|United Kingdom}}|{{flag icon|United Kingdom|air force}} [[RAF Regiment]]}}
| abbreviation   = LCpl
| rank group     = [[Non-commissioned officer]]
| rank           = 
| NATO rank      = OR-3
| Non-NATO rank  = 
| pay grade      = 
| formation      = 
| abolished      = 
| higher rank    = [[Corporal#United Kingdom|Corporal]]
| lower rank     = [[Private (rank)#United Kingdom|Private]] (or [[British Army other ranks rank insignia#Variants|equivalent]])
| equivalents    = [[Bombardier (rank)|Lance bombardier]]
| history        = 
}}

====British Army and Royal Marines====
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. {{citation needed span|date=June 2025|Although officially they have a NATO grade of OR3, they are often treated as OR5s when working with U.S. forces as they have the same battlefield role of fire team commander as a sergeant in the U.S. Army.}} 

The badge of rank is a single point-down chevron worn on both sleeves, or on an epaulette on the front of the Combat Soldier 95 dress standard. However, lance corporals in the [[Foot Guards]], [[Honourable Artillery Company]], [[1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards]] and [[The Queen's Royal Hussars]] wear two chevrons and lance corporals in the [[Household Cavalry]] wear two chevrons surmounted by a gilt crown. The [[Royal Artillery]] uses the rank of [[lance bombardier]] instead.
[[File:Corporal, East Surrey Regiment 1940.jpg|left|thumb|A lance corporal of the [[East Surrey Regiment]] equipped with a Thompson M1928 submachine gun ([[drum magazine]]), 25 November 1940]]
The date of introduction of lance corporals to the British Army is unclear, but the rank is mentioned in late-18th century military essays such as Major William Young's "An essay on the Command of Small Detachments" (1766) and John Williamson's "The Elements of Military Arrangement" (1781):

<blockquote>"When from sickness or other causes there are not in a company a sufficient number of non-commission officers to do the duty, the captain can appoint corporals to do the duty of serjeants, who are called lance serjeants, and private men to do the duty of corporals, who are called lance corporals."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Williamson|first=John|title=The Elements of Military Arrangement; Comprehending the Tacktic, Exercise, Manoevres, and Discipline of the British Infantry|year=1981|location=London|pages=14}}</ref></blockquote>

The designation "chosen man", used during the [[Napoleonic Wars]], was possibly a precursor to the rank.<ref>Michael Glover, "Wellington's Army in the Peninsula, 1808-1814", p. 69, Hippocrene Books, 1977 {{oclc|3263356}}.</ref><ref>Nicholas Payan Dawnay, "The Badges of Warrant and Non-commissioned Rank in the British Army", p. 18, Gale & Polden for the Society for Army Historical Research, 1949 {{oclc|459091948}}.</ref> The first mention of a lance corporal in ''[[The Times]]'' is in 1819,<ref>"Ceylon Government Gazette", ''[[The Times]]'', 4 January 1819</ref> although the first mention in the ''[[London Gazette]]'' is not until 1831.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18858|page=2068|date=9 October 1831}}</ref> The first mention in the ''London Gazette'' of a lance corporal in the Royal Marines is in 1838.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=19689|page=2975|date=25 December 1838}}</ref>

Until 1 September 1961, lance corporal and lance bombardier were only appointments rather than substantive ranks, given to privates (or equivalent) who were acting NCOs, and could be taken away by the soldier's commanding officer (whereas a full corporal or bombardier could only be demoted by [[court martial]]).<ref>"Lance Corporal to Become Army Rank", ''[[The Times]]'', 26 August 1961</ref> Until 1920, the [[Royal Engineers]] and [[Royal Army Ordnance Corps|Army Ordnance Corps]] also used the similar rank of [[second corporal]], which was a substantive rank (also wearing one chevron). Until 1920, [[Bombardier (rank)|bombardiers]] in the Royal Artillery were equivalent to second corporals and until 1918 (when the rank of lance bombardier replaced it), 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 [[Fireteam|fire team]]. It is also a rank commonly held by specialists such as clerks, drivers, signallers, machine-gunners, and mortarmen. In the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]] and [[Royal Military Police]], all other ranks are promoted to lance corporal on completion of their training.

====Royal Air Force====
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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raf-families-federation.org.uk/policies-news.asp?id=179|title=RAF Families Federation, Royal Air Force, RAF – RAF Families Federation|first=RAF Families|last=Federation|website=Raf-families-federation.org.uk|access-date=3 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125054016/http://www.raf-families-federation.org.uk/policies-news.asp?id=179|archive-date=25 January 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive.cfm?storyid=F2704E04-5056-A318-A8A32544D3DCB41E&rss=true|title=New Rank for the RAF Regiment|website=Raf.mod.uk|access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref> RAF Regiment lance corporals have powers of charge over [[Aircraftman|aircraftmen]], [[Leading Aircraftman|leading aircraftmen]] and [[Senior Aircraftman|senior aircraftmen]], but not [[junior technician]]s or [[Senior Aircraftman Technician|senior aircraftmen technicians]], who, despite being OR2s, require a corporal or above to charge if required.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0CFB5106-08D1-43EF-8EFF-D4A6F3221379/0/jsp833.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-06-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904005518/http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0CFB5106-08D1-43EF-8EFF-D4A6F3221379/0/jsp833.pdf |archive-date=2012-09-04 }}</ref>

====Cadet forces====
{{main|Ranks of the cadet forces of the United Kingdom}}
The British cadet forces reflect the ranks of their parent services, so the [[Army Cadet Force]], the Army section of the [[Combined Cadet Force]] (CCF), and the various [[Royal Marines Cadets|marine cadet organisations]] use cadet lance corporal as their lowest NCO rank. In the CCF (RAF), this rank is also used as the lowest NCO rank (it was formerly known as junior corporal before its introduction into the RAF Regiment). The [[Air Training Corps]] and the naval cadet forces do not use the rank.

==Singapore==
{{see also|Singapore Armed Forces ranks}}

=== Singapore Armed Forces ===
The Lance Corporal (LCP) rank in the [[Singapore Armed Forces]] (SAF) is between the rank of [[Private (rank)|Private]] (PTE) and [[Corporal]] (CPL).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/press_room/SAF_Rank_Insignias_Chart.html|title=SAF Military Ranks – Enlistees|website=Mindef.gov.sg|access-date=26 February 2015|archive-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927013359/https://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/press_room/SAF_Rank_Insignias_Chart.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lance-corporals who are appointed second-in-command/third-in-command of a section can give commands to the rest of the section. [[National Service in Singapore|National servicemen]] are usually promoted to this rank after completing their respective vocational courses and within the first year of service. Servicemen who fail to pass their [[Individual physical proficiency test]] (IPPT) during their active service will have their rank capped at LCP regardless of vocation.

A lance-corporal wears rank insignia of a single point-down chevron with an arc above it (similar to an inverted US Army PFC rank insignia).

=== Uniformed youth organisations ===
In the [[National Cadet Corps (Singapore)|National Cadet Corps]] (NCC), the [[National Police Cadet Corps]] (NPCC) and the [[National Civil Defence Cadet Corps]] (NCDCC), the rank of lance corporal is below the rank of corporal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acsindep.moe.edu.sg/nccland/ncc-ranks-and-badges/|title=NCC Ranks and Badges|website=Anglo Chinese School (Independent)|language=en|access-date=2018-11-20|archive-date=20 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221139/https://www.acsindep.moe.edu.sg/nccland/ncc-ranks-and-badges/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npcc.org.sg/roa.html|title=National Police Cadet Corps|website=www.npcc.org.sg|language=en|access-date=2018-11-20|archive-date=20 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120221035/https://www.npcc.org.sg/roa.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uniforminsignia.org/?option=com_insigniasearch&Itemid=53&result=3489|title=National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) / National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC)|website=www.uniforminsignia.org|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-11-20}}</ref> Generally, the rank is awarded to cadets in secondary two. NCC, NPCC and NCDCC lance corporals rarely, if not never, have the chance to command a squad.

NCC lance corporals wear the same rank insignia as that of the SAF, except that the letters 'NCC' are below the insignia so as to differentiate NCC [[cadet]]s from SAF personnel. NPCC and NCDCC lance corporals wear the same rank insignia as that of an SCDF lance corporal, except that the letters 'NPCC' and 'NCDCC' are below the insignia so as to differentiate NPCC and NCDCC cadets from [[Singapore Police Force]] and [[Singapore Civil Defence Force]] personnel respectively.

==United States==
{{more citations needed|section|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox military rank
| name           = Lance corporal
| native_name    = 
| image          = USMC-E3.svg
| image_size     = 80px
| alt            =
| caption        = Lance corporal's dress blues arm chevron (USMC)
| image2         = 
| image_size2    = 
| alt2           =
| caption2       = 
| image3         = 
| image_size3    = 
| alt3           =
| caption3       = 
| country        = 
| service branch = {{army|United States}} {{small|(USA)}}<br />{{marines|United States}} {{small|(USMC)}}
| abbreviation   = LCpl
| rank group     = [[Enlisted rank]]
| rank           = 
| NATO rank      = OR-3
| Non-NATO rank  = 
| pay grade      = E-3
| formation      = 1802 {{small|(USA)}}<BR>1830s  {{small|(USMC)}}
| abolished      = 1920 {{small|(USA)}}
| higher rank    =[[Corporal]]
| lower rank     =[[Private first class]]
| equivalents    =[[Seaman (rank)|Seaman]] {{small|(Navy)}}<br />[[Airman first class]] {{small|(Air Force)}}<br />[[Private first class]] {{small|(USA)}} 
| history        = 
}}
===Army===

Lance corporal was a title used in the [[United States Army]] to denote privates serving as temporary non-commissioned officers. The title of lance corporal existed in the U.S. Army from at least 1802, as the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry documents its first occurrence in an "unofficial journal" dated that year. The first official use of the title of lance corporal is documented in the ''General Regulations for the Army, or, Military Institutes'' (Articles 18 and 20), authorised by an Act of Congress on 2 March 1821 and published by the War Department in July 1821 and again on 1 March 1825.

In the ''General Regulations for the Army of the United States'' (Article XVI, Paragraph 64), published on 25 January 1841, and again in the 1847 edition (Article XIII, Paragraph 121; Article XIV, Paragraph 134; and Article XLIX Paragraph 818), the title of lance corporal is authorised. Again, in the ''Revised Army Regulations of 1861'' published on 10 August 1861 and in the 1863 edition ''"With An Appendix Containing the Changes and Laws Affecting Army Regulations And Articles Of War To June 25, 1863"'' (Article 40, Paragraph 971), lance corporal is authorised. Lance corporal is again authorised in ''Regulations of the Army of the United States and General Orders In Force on the 17th of February 1881'' (Article LV, Paragraph 812) and in ''Regulations of the Army of the United States 1895'' (Article XXXII, Paragraph 257).

In the edition of 1901 "''With Appendix Separately Indexed And Showing Changes to January 1, 1901''", in the Appendix, page 331, in ''Headquarters of the Army, General Orders, No. 42, June 30, 1897, Part II'', the lance corporal is authorised to wear "...a chevron having one bar..." In ''Regulations for the Army of the United States 1904'' (Article XXX, Paragraph 263), "...no company shall have more than one lance corporal at a time, unless there are noncommissioned officers absent by authority, during which absences there may be one for each absentee." This proscription appears again in Article XXX, Paragraph 272 of ''Regulations for the Army of the United States 1910'', and the editions of 1913, and 1917 "''Corrected to April 15, 1917 (Changes, Nos. 1 to 55)''".

In 1920, the former lance corporal insignia of rank was assigned to the rank of private first class in ''War Department Circular No. 303'', dated 3 August 1920. However, the Institute of Heraldry states that some older U.S. Army Tables of Organization and Equipment still in use in 1940 continued to authorise lance corporals.

In February 1965, the US Army announced that, effective from 1 September 1965, pay grade E-3 would be redesignated as lance corporal.<ref>''Army Information Digest'', April 1965, page 39</ref> The rank insignia was to be the pre-World War II specialist grade 6 insignia of one chevron above one arc, or "rocker". However, by September 1965 the plan was cancelled.<ref>''Army Information Digest'', September 1965, page 2</ref> The insignia was, however, adopted for pay grade E-3, which continued to be named [[private first class]].

===Marine Corps===
Lance corporal (LCpl) is the third [[enlisted rank]] in order of seniority in the [[United States Marine Corps]], just above [[private first class]] and below corporal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ranks |url=https://www.marines.mil/Ranks/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714012952/https://www.marines.mil/Ranks/ |archive-date=14 July 2024 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=www.marines.mil}}</ref> It is the most commonly held rank in the USMC, and the highest one that a marine can hold without being a non-commissioned officer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iaconelli |first=Tony |date=2021-11-22 |title=Ranks in the Marines {{!}} Enlisted and Officers Ranks Described! |url=https://forthecorps.com/ranks-in-the-marines-enlisted-and-officers-ranks-described/ |access-date=2025-08-14 |website=For The Corps |language=en-US}}</ref>

The USMC is the only component of the U.S. Armed Forces to currently use the rank. 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 [[List of United States Marine Corps MOS|MOS]], so even with a qualifying score, promotions may be delayed due to an excessive number of corporals occupying billets in a certain MOS.

[[File:SCHP Lance Corporal.png|upright|thumb|Lance corporal's rank insignia of the [[South Carolina Highway Patrol]] (SCHP)]]From the earliest years of the Corps, the ranks of lance corporal and [[lance sergeant]] were in common usage. The rank of lance corporal has been used in the Marine Corps since the 1830s in the [[American Indian Wars|Indian Wars]]. Marines were appointed temporarily from the next lower rank to the higher grade but were still paid at the lower rank. By 1887, this practice was widespread in the Corps. The [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|Commandant]] had later ordered that such appointments should only last one month, and that if the marine holding the appointment had failed to pass the relevant examination for the rank he was temporarily serving by the end of this one month period, his appointment was to be given to someone else. As the rank structure became more firmly defined, the rank of lance sergeant fell out of use, but the rank of lance corporal remained in unofficial use in the Corps into the 1930s, although it had officially become redundant when the rank of private first class was established in 1917. The rank of lance corporal fell out of usage prior to World War II, but was permanently re-established in the sweeping rank restructuring of 1958.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ww2gyrene.org/rank_structure.htm|title=World War II era Marine Corps enlisted ranks|website=2gyrene.org|access-date=26 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013125833/http://www.ww2gyrene.org/rank_structure.htm|archive-date=13 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/ranks%20and%20grades%201775-1969.pdf |title=United States Marine Corps Rank and Grades 1775-1969 |publisher=Historical Division Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps |year=1970 |location=Washington D.C. |pages=24, 41 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Other agencies ===
Some law enforcement agencies, most notably the [[South Carolina Highway Patrol]], use the rank for non-supervisory officers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salary & Benefits {{!}} SCDPS |url=https://scdps.sc.gov/careers/sctrooper/benefits |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=scdps.sc.gov}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:British Army OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Antigua and Barbuda Regiment]])<ref name="Antigua&Barbuda">{{cite web |title=Paratus |author1=Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force |url=http://abdf.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ABDF_mag_2011.pdf |publisher=Regional Publications Ltd. |access-date=2 March 2020 |pages=12–13 |archive-date=7 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607174320/http://abdf.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ABDF_mag_2011.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
File:Australian Army OR-4.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Australian Army]])<ref name="Australia">{{cite web |title=Badges of rank |url=https://www.defence.gov.au/images/Badges_of_rank.pdf |website=defence.gov.au |publisher=Department of Defence (Australia) |access-date=31 May 2021}}</ref>
File:Bangladesh-army-OR-3.svg|{{lang|bn|ল্যান্স কর্পোর‍্যাল}}<br />{{lang|bn-Latn|Lyānsa karpōrāla}}<br />([[Bangladesh Army]])<ref name="Bangladesh_Army">{{cite web |title=Ranks & insignia |url=https://joinbangladesharmy.army.mil.bd/home/page/ranks-insignia |website=joinbangladesharmy.army.mil.bd |access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref>
File:BDF OR-3 (2021).svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Barbados Regiment]])<ref name="Medals Parade">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDeATyAgCWE |title=Barbados Defence Force Medal Ceremony |date=18 Jul 2019 |access-date=29 October 2022 |website=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Barbados Defence Force]]}}</ref>
File:British Army OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Belize Defence Force]])
File:Botswana-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Botswana Ground Force]])<ref name="Botswana">{{Cite web|url=http://www.gov.bw/en/Ministries--Authorities/Ministries/State-President/Botswana-Defence-Force-BDF/About-the-BDF1/Ranks-and-Insignia/ |title=Ranks |publisher=Government of Botswana |access-date=22 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826111806/http://www.gov.bw/en/Ministries--Authorities/Ministries/State-President/Botswana-Defence-Force-BDF/About-the-BDF1/Ranks-and-Insignia/ |archive-date=26 August 2016 }}</ref>
File:01.Bhutan Army-LCPL.svg|Lance corporal<br />{{small|({{langx|dz|འགོ་ པ །|Gopa}})}}<br />([[Royal Bhutan Army]])<ref name="Bhutan">{{cite web |title=Army ranks |url=http://www.rba.bt/rank |website=rba.bt |publisher=Royal Bhutan Army |access-date=14 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105122449/http://www.rba.bt/rank |archive-date=5 January 2015}}</ref>
File:01.RBrLF-LCPL.svg|{{lang|ms|Lans koperal}}<br />([[Royal Brunei Land Force]])<ref name="Brunei_Army">{{cite web |title=Akta angkatan bersenjata diraja Brunei (Penggal 149) |url=http://www.agc.gov.bn/AGC%20Images/LAWS/Gazette_PDF/2013/BM/b088.pdf |website=agc.gov.bn |access-date=14 July 2021 |pages=1999–2000 |language=ms |date=16 December 2013}}</ref>
File:Fijian-OR-04.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Fiji Infantry Regiment]])
File:01.Gambian Army-LCPL.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Gambian National Army]])
File:Ghana-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Ghana Army]])
File:Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lance Corporal insignia.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Guyana Defence Force|Guyana Army]])<ref name="Guyana_Army">{{cite book |last1=Merrill |first1=Tim |title=Guyana and Belize: country studies |date=1993 |publisher=Library of Congress |lccn=93010956 |page=138 |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.guyanabelizecoun00merr_0/?sp=176&st=text |access-date=3 June 2021}}</ref>
File:Jamaica-Army-OR-3.png|Lance corporal<br />([[Jamaica Defence Force|Jamaican Army]])<ref name="Jamaica">{{cite web |title=BADGES OF RANK |url=https://www.jdfweb.com/badges-of-rank/ |website=Official Jamaica Defence Force Website |access-date=16 November 2019 |date=2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820143541/https://www.jdfweb.com/badges-of-rank/ |archive-date=20 August 2020}}</ref>
File:Kenya-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Kenya Army]])
File:Zimbabwe-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Lesotho Army]])<ref name="Lesotho">{{cite web |title=Ranks in the Army |url=http://www.ldf.gov.ls/ranks.html |publisher=Lesotho Defence Force |access-date=5 May 2021 |archive-date=1 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601224631/http://www.ldf.gov.ls/ranks.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
File:Blank.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Malawi Army]])
File:Maldives-Army-OR-3.svg|{{lang|dv|ލާންސް ކޯޕްރަލް}}<br />{{lang|dv-Latn|Laans koapral}}<br />([[Maldives National Defence Force]])<ref name="Maldives">{{cite web |title=ރޭންކް ސްޓްރަކްޗަރ |url=https://mndf.gov.mv/mndf/ranks |website=mndf.gov.mv |publisher=Maldives National Defence Force |access-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229225234/https://mndf.gov.mv/mndf/ranks |archive-date=29 February 2020 |language=dv}}</ref>
File:Malaysia-army-OR-3.svg|{{lang|ms|Lans koperal}}<br />([[Malaysian Army]])<ref name="Malaysia_Army">{{cite web |title=Kategori Pangkat |url=https://army.mod.gov.my/index.php/ms/about-us/profile/kategori-pangkat |website=army.mod.gov.my/ |publisher=Malaysian Army |access-date=10 July 2021 |language=mg |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928155733/http://army.mod.gov.my/index.php/ms/about-us/profile/kategori-pangkat |url-status=dead }}</ref>
File:01-Namibia Army-LCPL.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Namibian Army]])<ref name="Namibia">{{cite magazine |title=Government Notice |magazine=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia |date=20 August 2010 |volume=4547 |pages=99–102 |url=http://www.lac.org.na/laws/2010/4547.pdf |access-date=20 December 2021}}</ref>
File:New Zealand-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[New Zealand Army]])<ref name="NewZealand">{{cite web |title=Badges of Rank |url=https://nzdfpop.cwp.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Resources/21-Update_Rank-Poster-all-services.pdf |website=nzdf.mil.nz |publisher=New Zealand Defence Force |access-date=28 July 2022 |archive-date=28 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728162111/https://nzdfpop.cwp.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Resources/21-Update_Rank-Poster-all-services.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
File:Koplo Usu (Tanzania Army OR-03).png|Lance corporal<br />([[Nigerian Army]])<ref name="Nigeria">{{cite book |last1=Smaldone |first1=Joseph P. |editor1-last=Metz |editor1-first=Helen Chapin |editor1-link=Helen Chapin Metz |title=Nigeria: a country study |series=Area Handbook |date=1992 |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |lccn=92009026 |pages=296–297 |edition=5th |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.nigeriacountryst00metz_0/?sp=340 |access-date=21 October 2021 |chapter=National Security}}</ref>
File:PNGDF Land OR-03.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Papua New Guinea Defence Force|Papua New Guinea Land Element]])
File:SKN Regiment OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Saint Kitts and Nevis Defence Force|Saint Kitts and Nevis Regiment]])<ref name="SaintKitts&Nevis_Army">{{cite book |title=SAINT CHRISTOPHER AND NEVIS DEFENCE FORCE ACT |date=31 December 2009 |publisher=Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis |pages=110–111}}</ref>
File:Seychelles Army OR-03 (2018).svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Seychelles People's Defence Force|Seychelles Infantry Unit]])<ref name="Seychelles">{{cite web |title=Rank structure |url=https://www.spdf.sc/rank-structure/ |website=spdf.sc |publisher=Seychelles People's Defence Forces |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419035615/https://www.spdf.sc/rank-structure/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
File:Zimbabwe-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Sierra Leone Army]])
File:Army-SGP-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Singapore Army]])<ref name="Singapore">{{cite web |title=SAF Rank Insignias |url=https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/about-us/saf-rank-insignias |website=mindef.gov.sg |publisher=Ministry of Defence (Singapore) |access-date=7 June 2021 |archive-date=19 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419120802/https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/about-us/saf-rank-insignias |url-status=dead }}</ref>
File:01. SLA-LCPL.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Sri Lanka Army]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Other Ranks |url=https://www.army.lk/other-rank |website=army.lk |publisher=Sri Lanka Army |access-date=24 September 2021}}</ref>
File:SAA-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[South African Army]])<ref name="SouthAfrica_Army">{{cite web |title=Uniform: Rank insignia |url=http://www.army.mil.za/aboutus/uniform/rankinsignia.htm |website=army.mil.za |publisher=Department of Defence (South Africa) |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020110337/http://www.army.mil.za/aboutus/uniform/rankinsignia.htm |archive-date=20 October 2020}}</ref>
File:Tonga-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[His Majesty's Armed Forces (Tonga)|Tongan Land Component]])<ref name="Tonga">{{cite journal |title=Tonga Defence Services (Amendment) Regulations 2009 |journal=Tonga Government Gazette Supplement Extraordinary |date=10 May 2010 |volume=5 |pages=151–153 |url=https://ago.gov.to/cms/phocadownload/2010-regulations/TongaDefenceServices(Amendment)Regulations2009s.pdf |access-date=26 September 2021}}</ref>
File:TaT-Army-OR-03.png|Lance corporal<br />([[Trinidad and Tobago Regiment]])<ref name="Trinidad&Tobago_Other">{{cite web |title=Rank Chart (Enlisted) |url=http://69.0.195.188/HQ/Our-Organisation/Rank-Chart-(Non-Commissioned-Officers).aspx |website=69.0.195.188 |publisher=Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force |access-date=27 May 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
File:Uganda-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Uganda People's Defence Force|Ugandan Land Forces]])<ref name="Uganda_Army">{{cite journal |title=Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces Act |journal=The Uganda Gazette |date=18 September 2019 |volume=CXII |issue=46 |pages=1851–1854 |url=https://www.updf.go.ug/Gazette.pdf |access-date=29 May 2021 |publisher=Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814162155/https://www.updf.go.ug/Gazette.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
File:United Kingdom-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[British Army]])<ref name="United Kingdom">{{cite book |title=ARMY DRESS REGULATIONS (ALL RANKS) |date=February 2016 |publisher=Ministry of Defence |location=Part 9 Sect 2 Annex D |url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/393927/response/959318/attach/8/ADR%20Part%209.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1 |access-date=20 March 2022 |chapter=Part 9 Badges, Headdress and Embellishments |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520120110/https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/393927/response/959318/attach/8/ADR%20Part%209.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1 |archive-date=20 May 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
File:LCpl - HC.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Household Cavalry|British Household Cavalry]])
File:Zambia-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Zambian Army]])
File:Zimbabwe-Army-OR-3.svg|Lance corporal<br />([[Zimbabwe National Army]])
File:USMC-E3.svg|Lance corporal ([[United States Marine Corps]])
</gallery>

==Variants==

===Sweden===
Sweden uses the rank of ''vicekorpral'' (previously ''vicekonstapel'', or "vice constable", in the artillery and anti-aircraft artillery) between private and ''korpral''. It was primarily a training grade discontinued in 1972 but reinstated in 2009.

==See also==
* [[Comparative military ranks]]
* [[Lance sergeant]]
* [[Lances fournies]]
*[[Terminal Lance]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{US_enlisted_ranks}}

[[Category:Military appointments of Canada]]
[[Category:Military ranks of Australia]]
[[Category:Military ranks of the British Army]]
[[Category:Military ranks of Singapore]]
[[Category:Military ranks of the Commonwealth]]
[[Category:Military ranks of the Royal Marines]]
[[Category:Police ranks]]
[[Category:Military ranks of the United States Marine Corps]]
[[Category:United States military enlisted ranks]]
[[Category:Military ranks of the Royal Air Force]]
[[Category:Military appointments of the British Army]]
[[Category:Military appointments of the Royal Marines]]
[[Category:Former military ranks of Canada]]