Officer (armed forces)
Encyclopedia
An officer is a member of an armed force
or uniformed service
who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign
power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons, in a military environment, able to act as the commanding officer
(according to the most technical definition of the word) of a military unit. A superior officer is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior.
Non-commissioned officer
s (NCOs) in positions of authority
can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se; the use of the word "command" to describe any use of authority is often unofficial.
Having officers is one requirement for combatant
status under the laws of war
, though these officers need not have obtained an official commission or warrant. In such case, those persons holding offices of responsibility within the organization are deemed to be the officers, and the presence of these officers connotes a level of organization sufficient to designate a group as being combatant.
and management
generalists, in addition to training relating to their specific military occupational specialty
or function in the military. Many advanced militaries require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even from the enlisted ranks. Others, including the Australian Defence Force
, the British Armed Forces
, Nepal Army
, the Pakistani Armed Forces (except the Pakistan Air Force
), the Swiss Army, the Singapore Armed Forces
, the Israel Defense Forces
, Swedish Armed Forces
and the New Zealand Defence Force
are different in not requiring a university degree for commissioning, however a significant number of officers in these countries are graduates. In the Israel Defense Forces
, a university degree is a requirement for an officer to advance to a Lt. Colonel rank. The IDF often sponsors the studies for its Major
s. In the Pakistani Army all officers are by definition graduates, since in Pakistan, officer training
is recognized as the equivalent of a Pakistani bachelor's degree
.
, officers are commissioned both directly into the officer corps as what are known as 'Direct Entry' or DE officers, or commissioned from the ranks as 'Late Entry' or LE officers. LE officers, whilst holding the same Queen's Commission, generally work in different roles from the DE officers. In the infantry a number of Warrant Officers - Class 1 are commissioned as LE officers. DE Officers require Secondary Education to A-Level standard and 85% of officers have a degree.
Commissioning for DE officers occurs after a 1 year course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
for regular officers or the Territorial Army Commissioning Course for Territorial Army Officers, or for Royal Navy
and Royal Air Force
candidates, an equivalent period at either Britannia Royal Naval College
or the RAF College Cranwell respectively. Royal Marines
Officers receive their training in the Command Wing of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines
. The courses consist of not only tactical and combat training, but also leadership, management and international affairs training.
, officers without a university degree may under certain circumstances be commissioned, but are required to earn one before being promoted to Captain (USA, USMC, USAF) or Lieutenant (USN, USCG) (pay grade O-3). These Officers comprise less than 2% of all Officers and are usually Officer Candidate School graduates from the enlisted ranks. Officers may also be commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, which is composed of small training programs at several hundred American universities. Graduates from the service academies are commissioned immediately upon graduation and comprise around 20% of the Officer Corps. Officers may also be commissioned at federal or state based Officer Candidate School
s.These schools train and commission college graduates and enlisted personnel being promoted to Officer ranks.
Another route to becoming a commissioned officer is through direct commission
. Credentialed civilian professional
s such as scientists, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, clergy, and attorneys are directly commissioned upon entry into the military or another federal uniformed service
. However, these direct commission officers normally do not have command authority outside their specific branches (e.g., Medical Corps (United States Army)
or Judge Advocate General's Corps
).
Such commissioning of civilians was widely used in World War II
to bring industrial management expertise (for materiel
production) and medical and surgical skills into the U.S. armed forces. William S. Knudsen
, with the highest-ranking such commission, is possibly the most famous example.
, officers from the rank of Second Lieutenant
(Army), Sub-Lieutenant
(Navy) or Pilot Officer
(Air Force) to the rank of General
(Army), Admiral
(Navy) or Air Chief Marshal
(Air Force) are holders of a commission granted to them by the awarding authority. In Britain
and other Commonwealth realm
s, the awarding authority is the monarch
(or a Governor General representing the monarch) as head of state
. The head of state often is granted the power to award commissions, or has commissions awarded in his or her name.
In Commonwealth nations, Commissioned Officers are given commissioning scroll
s (a.k.a. commissioning scripts) signed by the Sovereign or the Governor General acting on the monarch's behalf. Upon receipt, this is an official legal document that binds the mentioned officer to the commitment stated on the scroll.
Non-commissioned members rise from the lowest ranks in most nations. Education standards for non-commissioned members are typically lower than for officers (with the exception of specialised-military and highly-technical trades). Enlisted members only receive leadership training as they are promoted to positions of responsibility, or as a prerequisite for such. In the past (and in some countries today but to a lesser extent) non-commissioned members were almost exclusively conscripts
, whereas officers were volunteers.
(NCO) is an enlisted
military member holding a position of some degree of authority who has (usually) obtained it by promotion from within the non-officer ranks. They usually receive some leadership training, but their function is to serve as supervisors within their area of trade speciality and, at lower NCO grades, they are not generally considered management specialists. Senior non-commissioned officers serve as advisors and leaders from the duty section level to the highest levels of the military establishment. The duties of an NCO can vary greatly in scope, so that an NCO in one country may hold almost no authority, while others such as the United States and the United Kingdom consider their NCOs to be "the backbone of the military."
In most maritime forces (navies and coast guards), the NCO ranks are called Petty Officers
and Chief Petty Officers
, with enlisted ranks prior to attaining NCO/petty officer status typically being called Seaman, or some derivation thereof. In most traditional infantry, marine and air forces, the NCO ranks are known as Sergeants
and Corporals
, with non-NCO enlisted ranks referred to as Privates and Aircraftmen (or Airmen).
However, some countries use the term commission to describe the promotion of enlisted soldiers.
Especially in countries with mandatory military service, NCOs are referred to as professional soldiers, not officers.
. In the militaries of many countries (as in the armed forces of the Commonwealth nations), a Warrant Officer is a very senior non-commissioned officer whose position has been affirmed by warrant
from the bureaucracy
directing the force - for example, the position of Regimental Sergeant Major in regiments of the British Army is held by a non-commissioned officer appointed by warrant.
In the US military, a Warrant Officer is a technically focused, single specialty officer - helicopter
pilots
and IT
specialists of the US Army, for example. They are given salutes and they are addressed as Mr, Ms, Mrs, Sir, or Ma'am. There are no Warrant Officers in the U.S. Air Force (the ranks exist, but go permanently and completely unfilled), but each of the other U.S. Armed Forces have Warrant Officers—though each warrant accession program is unique to the individual service's needs. US Warrant Officers are appointed by a warrant issued by the service secretary of their branch of service. Upon being promoted to Chief Warrant Officer, however, Warrant Officers of the US military receive a commission from the President of the United States, and have all the rights and privileges of commissioned officers, although they are paid somewhat less than regular commissioned officers. In the United States military, Commissioned Officers and Commissioned Warrant Officers are the only officers allowed to command units, although command by Commissioned Warrant Officers is rare and done so in units such as Army Bands or Criminal Investigative Units.
are separated between officers and enlisted personnel. This class system, historically correlated to socioeconomic status
is focused on discouraging fraternization
and encouraging professional and ethical relations between military personnel.
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
or uniformed service
Uniformed Services
Uniformed services are bodies of people in the employ of a state that are not employed on standard terms of contract, but have some element of additional discipline, and wear a uniform.Typically the uniformed services of a state include:...
who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons, in a military environment, able to act as the commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
(according to the most technical definition of the word) of a military unit. A superior officer is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior.
Non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s (NCOs) in positions of authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se; the use of the word "command" to describe any use of authority is often unofficial.
Having officers is one requirement for combatant
Combatant
A combatant is someone who takes a direct part in the hostilities of an armed conflict. If a combatant follows the law of war, then they are considered a privileged combatant, and upon capture they qualify as a prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention...
status under the laws of war
Laws of war
The law of war is a body of law concerning acceptable justifications to engage in war and the limits to acceptable wartime conduct...
, though these officers need not have obtained an official commission or warrant. In such case, those persons holding offices of responsibility within the organization are deemed to be the officers, and the presence of these officers connotes a level of organization sufficient to designate a group as being combatant.
Commissioned officers
Commissioned officers generally receive training as leadershipLeadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
and management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
generalists, in addition to training relating to their specific military occupational specialty
Military Occupational Specialty
A United States military occupation code, or a Military Occupational Specialty code , is a nine character code used in the United States Army and United States Marines to identify a specific job. In the U.S. Air Force, a system of Air Force Specialty Codes is used...
or function in the military. Many advanced militaries require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even from the enlisted ranks. Others, including the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
, the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
, Nepal Army
Nepal Army
The Nepalese Army is the army of Nepal and a major component of the Military of Nepal. The NA includes the Nepalese Army Air Service and is considered to be superior to Nepalese Police Force. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enrollment is 18 years...
, the Pakistani Armed Forces (except the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
), the Swiss Army, the Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
, the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, Swedish Armed Forces
Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces is a Swedish Government Agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of the Realm. The primary task of the agency is to train, organize and to deploy military forces, domestically and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the Realm in the...
and the New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force consists of three services: the Royal New Zealand Navy; the New Zealand Army; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the NZDF is His Excellency Rt. Hon...
are different in not requiring a university degree for commissioning, however a significant number of officers in these countries are graduates. In the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, a university degree is a requirement for an officer to advance to a Lt. Colonel rank. The IDF often sponsors the studies for its Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
s. In the Pakistani Army all officers are by definition graduates, since in Pakistan, officer training
Officer training
Officer training refers to the training that most military officers must complete before acquiring an officer rank. A potential recruit becomes an officer cadet, someone in training. An officer in training can either be trained in a military college like West Point, or taken from the enlisted ranks...
is recognized as the equivalent of a Pakistani bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
.
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, officers are commissioned both directly into the officer corps as what are known as 'Direct Entry' or DE officers, or commissioned from the ranks as 'Late Entry' or LE officers. LE officers, whilst holding the same Queen's Commission, generally work in different roles from the DE officers. In the infantry a number of Warrant Officers - Class 1 are commissioned as LE officers. DE Officers require Secondary Education to A-Level standard and 85% of officers have a degree.
Commissioning for DE officers occurs after a 1 year course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
for regular officers or the Territorial Army Commissioning Course for Territorial Army Officers, or for Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
candidates, an equivalent period at either Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
or the RAF College Cranwell respectively. Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
Officers receive their training in the Command Wing of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines
Commando Training Centre Royal Marines
Commando Training Centre Royal Marines is the principal military training centre for the Royal Marines of the British Armed Forces. It is situated near the village of Lympstone, between the city of Exeter, and the town of Exmouth in Devon...
. The courses consist of not only tactical and combat training, but also leadership, management and international affairs training.
United States
In the U.S. militaryMilitary of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
, officers without a university degree may under certain circumstances be commissioned, but are required to earn one before being promoted to Captain (USA, USMC, USAF) or Lieutenant (USN, USCG) (pay grade O-3). These Officers comprise less than 2% of all Officers and are usually Officer Candidate School graduates from the enlisted ranks. Officers may also be commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, which is composed of small training programs at several hundred American universities. Graduates from the service academies are commissioned immediately upon graduation and comprise around 20% of the Officer Corps. Officers may also be commissioned at federal or state based Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
s.These schools train and commission college graduates and enlisted personnel being promoted to Officer ranks.
Another route to becoming a commissioned officer is through direct commission
Direct commission officer
A direct commission officer is a uniformed officer who has received a commission without the typical prerequisites for achieving a commission, such as a four year service academy, a four year or two year college ROTC program, or one of the officer candidate school or officer training school...
. Credentialed civilian professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
s such as scientists, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, clergy, and attorneys are directly commissioned upon entry into the military or another federal uniformed service
Uniformed services of the United States
The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 33 and Title 42 of the United States Code.-Uniformed services:...
. However, these direct commission officers normally do not have command authority outside their specific branches (e.g., Medical Corps (United States Army)
Medical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
or Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
).
Such commissioning of civilians was widely used in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to bring industrial management expertise (for materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
production) and medical and surgical skills into the U.S. armed forces. William S. Knudsen
William S. Knudsen
William Signius Knudsen was a leading automotive industry executive. His experience and success as a key senior manager in the operations sides of Ford Motor Company and later General Motors led the Franklin Roosevelt Administration to commission him as a Lieutenant General in the United States...
, with the highest-ranking such commission, is possibly the most famous example.
Commonwealth
In countries whose ranking systems are based upon the models of the British Armed ForcesBritish Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
, officers from the rank of Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
(Army), Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
(Navy) or Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
(Air Force) to the rank of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
(Army), Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
(Navy) or Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
(Air Force) are holders of a commission granted to them by the awarding authority. In Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and other Commonwealth realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s, the awarding authority is the monarch
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
(or a Governor General representing the monarch) as head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
. The head of state often is granted the power to award commissions, or has commissions awarded in his or her name.
In Commonwealth nations, Commissioned Officers are given commissioning scroll
Commissioning scroll
A commission is a physical document issued to certify the appointment of a commissioned officer by a sovereign power.The more specific terms commissioning parchment or commissioning scroll are often used to avoid ambiguity, due to "commission" being a homonym which directs the individual in...
s (a.k.a. commissioning scripts) signed by the Sovereign or the Governor General acting on the monarch's behalf. Upon receipt, this is an official legal document that binds the mentioned officer to the commitment stated on the scroll.
Non-commissioned members rise from the lowest ranks in most nations. Education standards for non-commissioned members are typically lower than for officers (with the exception of specialised-military and highly-technical trades). Enlisted members only receive leadership training as they are promoted to positions of responsibility, or as a prerequisite for such. In the past (and in some countries today but to a lesser extent) non-commissioned members were almost exclusively conscripts
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
, whereas officers were volunteers.
Non-commissioned officers
A non-commissioned officerNon-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
(NCO) is an enlisted
Enlisted rank
An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...
military member holding a position of some degree of authority who has (usually) obtained it by promotion from within the non-officer ranks. They usually receive some leadership training, but their function is to serve as supervisors within their area of trade speciality and, at lower NCO grades, they are not generally considered management specialists. Senior non-commissioned officers serve as advisors and leaders from the duty section level to the highest levels of the military establishment. The duties of an NCO can vary greatly in scope, so that an NCO in one country may hold almost no authority, while others such as the United States and the United Kingdom consider their NCOs to be "the backbone of the military."
In most maritime forces (navies and coast guards), the NCO ranks are called Petty Officers
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
and Chief Petty Officers
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
, with enlisted ranks prior to attaining NCO/petty officer status typically being called Seaman, or some derivation thereof. In most traditional infantry, marine and air forces, the NCO ranks are known as Sergeants
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
and Corporals
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
, with non-NCO enlisted ranks referred to as Privates and Aircraftmen (or Airmen).
However, some countries use the term commission to describe the promotion of enlisted soldiers.
Especially in countries with mandatory military service, NCOs are referred to as professional soldiers, not officers.
Warrant officers
In some branches of many militaries there exists a third grade of officer known as a Warrant OfficerWarrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
. In the militaries of many countries (as in the armed forces of the Commonwealth nations), a Warrant Officer is a very senior non-commissioned officer whose position has been affirmed by warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
from the bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
directing the force - for example, the position of Regimental Sergeant Major in regiments of the British Army is held by a non-commissioned officer appointed by warrant.
In the US military, a Warrant Officer is a technically focused, single specialty officer - helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pilots
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
specialists of the US Army, for example. They are given salutes and they are addressed as Mr, Ms, Mrs, Sir, or Ma'am. There are no Warrant Officers in the U.S. Air Force (the ranks exist, but go permanently and completely unfilled), but each of the other U.S. Armed Forces have Warrant Officers—though each warrant accession program is unique to the individual service's needs. US Warrant Officers are appointed by a warrant issued by the service secretary of their branch of service. Upon being promoted to Chief Warrant Officer, however, Warrant Officers of the US military receive a commission from the President of the United States, and have all the rights and privileges of commissioned officers, although they are paid somewhat less than regular commissioned officers. In the United States military, Commissioned Officers and Commissioned Warrant Officers are the only officers allowed to command units, although command by Commissioned Warrant Officers is rare and done so in units such as Army Bands or Criminal Investigative Units.
Officer ranks and accommodation
Officers in nearly every country of the world are segregated from the enlisted soldiers in many facets of military life. Facilities accommodating needs such as the mess hall, bunks and domiciles, and general recreationRecreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
are separated between officers and enlisted personnel. This class system, historically correlated to socioeconomic status
Socioeconomic status
Socioeconomic status is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family’s economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation...
is focused on discouraging fraternization
Fraternization
Fraternization is "turning people into brothers"—conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class as though they were siblings, family members, personal friends or lovers....
and encouraging professional and ethical relations between military personnel.
See also
- Officer (Disambiguation page)
- Direct Commission OfficerDirect commission officerA direct commission officer is a uniformed officer who has received a commission without the typical prerequisites for achieving a commission, such as a four year service academy, a four year or two year college ROTC program, or one of the officer candidate school or officer training school...
- Exchange officerExchange officerAn exchange officer is a commissioned officer in a country's armed forces who is temporarily attached to a unit of the armed forces of another country....
- List of comparative military ranks
- Mustang OfficerMustang (military officer)A Mustang is United States Military slang for a commissioned officer who began his or her career as an enlisted service member. Mustangs are older and more experienced than their peers-in-grade who earned their commissions from one of the service academies , Officer Candidate...
- Staff Officer
- Roving commissionRoving commissionA roving commission details the duties of a commissioned officer or other official whose responsibilities are neither geographically nor functionally limited....
- STA-21STA-21STA-21 or Seaman to Admiral - 21 is the U.S. Navy's commissioning program for the 21st century and is designed to enable active-duty Sailors to get a college degree and become commissioned officers.-History:...
- BrevetBrevet (military)In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
- Foreign Service OfficerForeign Service OfficerA Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...