Is it a lesser crime to assault a lower ranked officer than a higher ranked officer ?

No.
A superior officer is one of higher rank than yourself, be that person a non-commissioned or commissioned officer.

If you’re in the same military, then yes striking a superior officer is a much worse offense than striking someone of equal or lesser rank.

Because, as a rule, a military takes chain of command very very seriously.

There really is no difference. A superior officer who would strike a lower rank officer or enlisted person will still be up on charges and is usually considered worse because they are supposed to set the example and the person who is lower in rank may feel intimidated and may not report them. Now if you hit a superior officer while in a war zone than that ads a whole bunch of other stuff I’m sure. For instance. I have seen superior officers get their career trashed for having an affair with an enlisted mans spouse. That is a huge no-no because it undermines moral.

@Pandora Really? Because it looks to me like Article 90 of the US Uniform Code of Military Justice says the junior officer could be confined for up to ten years, and/or be dishonorably discharged and stripped of their military pay and benefits. During time of war, it’s also possible to get executed for it.

Even disobeying a lawful order of a superior officer is potentially as bad, except only up to 5 years confinement in peacetime.

@Zaku I found this. Assault is assault in the military. Military people are property of the government. This article also gives a little more detail. Officers basically have to also follow laws and rules.

Yes, everyone in the military needs to follow the rules. Yes, officers aren’t supposed to assault juniors, or break any laws or rules.

What I’m questioning are your assertions of equality between superiors and inferiors.

It seems to me that the rules specify different requirements and different punishments based on rank and relative organizational positions, as both of your links also mention various details of.

AFAIK, the differences don’t extend to it being OK for an officer to assault an enlisted man, but Articles 89 & 90 (likely others) describe additional rules and punishments, including possible execution or imprisonment for 10 years for striking a superior officer.