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57-409: In some countries, commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank. Usually, there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued. The commanding officer is often assisted by an executive officer (XO) or second-in-command (2i/c), who handles personnel and day-to-day matters, and

114-596: A platoon , the smallest tactical unit of Marines usually led by a commissioned officer , typically a first or second lieutenant , is referred to as the platoon commander . This distinction in title also applies to officers who are aircraft commanders, as well as officers, staff non-commissioned officers (staff sergeant – master sergeant), and non-commissioned officers (corporal and sergeant) who are tank and armored vehicle commanders. While these officers, SNCOs, and NCOs have tactical and operational command (including full authority, responsibility, and accountability—especially in

171-514: A regiment , aviation group , or Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a colonel . At the Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), Marine Logistics Group (MLG), Marine Division (MARDIV), Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), and Fleet Marine Force (FMF) levels; however, the commanding officer is referred to as the commanding general , as these officers hold general officer rank. The officer in charge of

228-507: A senior enlisted advisor . Larger units may also have staff officers responsible for various responsibilities. In the British Army , Royal Marines , and many other Commonwealth military and paramilitary organisations, the commanding officer of a unit is appointed. Thus the office of CO is an appointment. The appointment of commanding officer is exclusive to commanders of major units ( regiments , battalions and similar sized units). It

285-412: A command position. XOs in these positions typically assist a commander or deputy commander (or in the case of joint staffs or joint commands, a director) by managing day-to-day activities such as management of the senior officer's schedule, screening of documents or other products, and oversight of the senior officer's administrative support staff. Management of individual assets in the airline industry

342-463: A commander-in-chief (e.g. C-in-C Land Army, C-in-C British Army of the Rhine). The OC of a sub-unit or minor unit is today customarily a major (although formerly usually a captain in infantry companies and often also in cavalry squadrons), although again the rank of the appointment holder and the holder's appointment are separate and independent of each other. In some cases, independent units smaller than

399-417: A commissioned officer is present; normally they serve as executive officer ( 2IC ). The commanding officer of a company , usually a captain , is referred to as the company commander or the battery commander (for field artillery and low altitude air defense units ). The commanding officer of a battalion or a squadron ( Marine aviation ), is usually a lieutenant colonel . The commanding officer of

456-410: A governance document. In the units of some military forces , the executive officer is the second-in-command , reporting to the commanding officer (CO). In most non-naval military services that are land-based (except the U.S. Army, where an executive officer is the second-in-command of certain units) or in joint military organizations, the executive officer is an administrative staff position versus

513-417: A leadership position in the same sense as commanders, the individual in charge of a platoon , the smallest unit of soldiers led by a commissioned officer , is referred to as the " platoon leader ", not the "platoon commander". This officer, typically a second lieutenant , does have command of the soldiers under him but does not have many of the command responsibilities inherent to higher echelons. For example,

570-696: A platoon leader cannot issue non-judicial punishment . Non-commissioned officers may be said to have charge of certain smaller military units. They cannot, however, hold command as they lack the requisite authority granted by the head of state to do so. Those wielding "command" of individual vehicles (and their crews) are called vehicle commanders. This distinction in title also applies to officers who are aircraft commanders ("pilot in command"), as well as officers and enlisted soldiers who are tank and armored vehicle commanders. While these officers and NCOs have tactical and operational command (including full authority, responsibility, and accountability – especially in

627-485: A senior enlisted member, executive chief petty officers or executive petty officers are usually assigned to serve as second-in-command. On U.S. aircraft carriers , per Title 10 United States Code , both the captain (i.e., the commanding officer or CO) and the XO assigned to the ship are naval aviators or naval flight officers . Although not specified by 10 U.S.C., large, air-capable amphibious assault ships will have one of

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684-572: A senior field grade (FGO) supporting a general officer. The U.S. Air Force uses the term executive officer for officers assigned as personal staff officers to general officers. Their role is similar to aides-de-camp in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and flag aides and flag lieutenants in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. A unique application of the term is executive officer to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and commander, United States European Command . This position

741-407: A ship, submarine or other vessel is addressed by naval custom as 'captain' while aboard in command, regardless of their actual rank." They may be informally referred to as "Skipper", though allowing or forbidding the use of this form of address is the commanding officer's prerogative. A prospective commanding officer (PCO) is a U.S. Navy officer who has been selected for his/her own command. The term

798-405: A squadron level organization, the second-in-command is typically termed the "director of operations" or "operations officer" (DO). These latter terms were previously used for similar positions at the group and wing level until renamed as the "operations group commander (OG/CC). The rank of an executive officer in the U.S. Air Force can vary from a junior officer supporting a mid level commander up to

855-465: A staff administrative assistant to a senior officer, starting with a commander at the squadron level or above (e.g., squadron, group, wing, numbered air force, major command). In the other uniformed services, this position may be called an aide, an "executive assistant" or an adjutant . Like the Army, while experience gained as an XO is highly beneficial for an Air Force officer's professional development, it

912-439: A sub-unit (e.g. a military police platoon that reports directly to a formation such as a brigade) will also have an OC appointed. In these cases, the officer commanding can be a captain or even a lieutenant. Appointments such as CO and OC may have specific powers associated with them. For example, they may have statutory powers to promote soldiers or to deal with certain disciplinary offences and award certain punishments. The CO of

969-518: A unit may have the power to sentence an offender to 28 days' detention, whereas the OC of a sub-unit may have the power to sentence an offender to 3 days' restriction of privileges. Commanders of units smaller than sub-units (e.g. platoons , troops and sections ) are not specific appointments and officers or NCOs who fill those positions are simply referred to as the commander or leader (e.g. platoon commander, troop leader, section commander/leader, etc.). In

1026-485: Is a managing partner, senior partner, or administrative partner. In the case of a limited liability company , an executive officer is any member, manager, or officer. In charities , voluntary sectors and Nonprofit organizations , the executive officers are those appointed to drive the day-to-day decisions of the organization. This is normally a formal appointment made by the executive board of trustees. Specific responsibilities and scope vary and are usually called out in

1083-439: Is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization , although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, or " XO ", is the second-in-command, reporting to the commanding officer . The XO is typically responsible for the management of day-to-day activities, freeing the commander to concentrate on strategy and planning

1140-456: Is becoming more common to hear the term XO. On larger ships of the Royal Navy, in which the XO holds the rank of commander , the XO is usually referred to simply as "the commander". The XO also heads the executive department. There are executive officer slots in each company , battalion , regiment , and brigade , though generally not at higher levels of command until the army level. The XO

1197-539: Is customary for a commanding officer to hold the rank of lieutenant colonel , and they are usually referred to within the unit simply as "the colonel" or the CO. "The colonel" may also refer to the holder of an honorary appointment of a senior officer who oversees the non-operational affairs of a regiment. However, the rank of the appointment holder and the holder's appointment are separate. That is, not all lieutenant colonels are COs, and although most COs are lieutenant colonels, that

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1254-479: Is derived from the military terminology, where an executive officer or first officer , is the second in command of the aircraft. In a fixed wing aircraft, the first officer sits in the right-hand seat, but on a rotary wing aircraft, they sit on the left. Management of the airline as a whole is more in-line with the corporate example above. The term 'Executive officer' is used in the Indian Navy . Abbreviated as EXO ,

1311-410: Is not a requirement of the appointment. Sub-units and minor units ( companies , squadrons and batteries ) and formations (brigades, divisions, corps and armies) do not have a commanding officer. The officer in command of a minor unit holds the appointment of " officer commanding " (OC). Higher formations have a commander (usual for a brigade) or a general officer commanding (GOC). Area commands have

1368-427: Is not necessarily a prerequisite for a command position. However, it is often the norm that nearly all Air Force commanders will have been an XO at some point earlier in their careers. For officers holding second-in-command positions, the U.S. Air Force uses the titles of "vice commander" (CV), or "deputy commander" (CD) for an officer who serves as the second-in-command for an organization above squadron level. For

1425-487: Is referred to as the company commander (or the battery /troop commander for artillery / cavalry ) units. The commanding officer of a battalion (or squadron of cavalry/armored cavalry ) is usually a lieutenant colonel . The commanding officer of a brigade , a colonel , is the brigade commander . At the division level and higher, however, the commanding officer is referred to as the commanding general , as these officers hold general officer rank. Although holding

1482-498: Is the billet of the officer who is second-in-command at the company/ battery , battalion / squadron , and Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU)/ regiment /aviation group (i.e., Marine Aircraft Group, Marine Air Control Group, and Marine Wing Support Group) level. Per the Marine Corps Manual , paragraph 1007.5: "The executive officer shall be an officer of the organization who is eligible to succeed to command, and normally will be

1539-501: Is typically held by a brigadier general or rear admiral (lower half) and is drawn from all of the armed services. The duties involve serving as both an "executive assistant" to the SACEUR and also includes command responsibilities for the U.S. military community at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium. Captain (armed forces) The army rank of captain (from

1596-452: Is typically the second-in-command, and serves as the day-to-day manager of the command staff. The XO is typically responsible for the management of day-to-day activities, such as administration, maintenance, and logistics, freeing a commander to concentrate on tactical/operational planning and execution and a general officer commander to concentrate on similar planning and execution at the operational-strategic level. The XO may take charge in

1653-476: Is used in correspondence or in reference to the officer before they assume command of the unit (ship, squadron, unit, etc.). If the sailor in command of a unit is an enlisted member, rather than a commissioned or warrant officer , he or she is referred to as the "officer in charge" rather than "commanding officer". In the Coast Guard it is common for smaller cutters to be commanded by a chief petty officer . In

1710-476: Is whether restriction "impedes the president's ability to perform his constitutional duty" ( Morrison v. Olson , 487 U.S. 654 (1988)). In business , executive officers are usually the top staff members of a corporation, the chief executive officer (CEO) being the best-known type. The definition varies; for instance, the California Corporate Disclosure Act defines "executive officers" as

1767-631: The Chinese People's Liberation Army , a captain may also command a company , or be the second-in-command of a battalion . In some militaries, such as United States Army and Air Force and the British Army, captain is the entry-level rank for officer candidates possessing a professional degree, namely, most medical professionals (doctors, pharmacists, dentists) and lawyers. In the U.S. Army, lawyers who are not already officers at captain rank or above enter as lieutenants during training, and are promoted to

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1824-470: The French Revolution , during the early modern period , was a nobleman who purchased the right to head a company from the previous holder of that right. He would in turn receive money from another nobleman to serve as his lieutenant . The funding to provide for the troops did not come from the monarch or their government; the captain responsible for feeding, housing, and provisioning their company. If he

1881-535: The Royal Air Force , the term XO is informally used between officers and airmen, referring to the officer who is second-in-command. It is, however, formally used in the Royal Navy . In smaller vessels, such as submarines and frigates , the executive officer also holds the position of first lieutenant . Originally, the second-in-command was usually referred to as the first lieutenant (or as "number one"), although it

1938-407: The Royal Air Force , the title of commanding officer is reserved for station commanders or commanders of independent units, including flying squadrons. As with the British Army, the post of a commander of a lesser unit such as an administrative wing , squadron or flight is referred to as the officer commanding (OC). In the Royal Navy and many others, commanding officer is the official title of

1995-641: The United States Air Force , the commanding officer of a unit is similarly referred to as the unit commander, such as squadron commander, group commander, wing commander, and so forth. Squadron commanders (the base unit of the United States Air Force) are usually majors or lieutenant colonels. Group commanders (made up of two or more squadrons) are usually colonels, while wing commanders may be colonels (typical wings) or generals (larger wings). Executive officer An executive officer

2052-438: The 14th century, from Old French capitaine . The military rank of captain was in use from the 1560s, referring to an officer who commands a company. The naval sense, an officer who commands a man-of-war , is somewhat earlier, from the 1550s, later extended in meaning to "master or commander of any kind of vessel". A captain in the period prior to the professionalization of the armed services of European nations subsequent to

2109-474: The French capitaine ) is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to the command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces , but usually refers to a more senior officer. Today, a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery (or United States Army cavalry troop or Commonwealth squadron ). In

2166-491: The Navy and Coast Guard should not be confused with the term executive assistant ( EA ) in those services, the latter being an officer in the rank of captain (O-6) who serves either dual-hatted as, or in addition to, the chief of staff to a flag officer . In the U.S. Air Force, XO is not a command or second-in-command position. Instead, it is used to designate a company grade officer or junior field grade officer who serves as

2223-486: The absence of the commander, the exception being commands with a deputy commander, although recent army command reductions have either merged the two, or eliminated the deputy. A few organizations within the army maintain authorizations for a chief warrant officer to serve as an XO/2IC. One example of this is the Modular Ammunition Platoon , where the ammunition technician acts as the second-in-command during

2280-512: The absence of the platoon leader. While the experience gained as an XO is highly beneficial for an army officer's professional development, it is not necessarily a prerequisite for a command position. At the army level of command, a commanding general will have a deputy commanding general as second in command and an "executive officer" on their personal staff who works as their liaison to the general staff and an aide-de-camp who takes care of their calendar and personal needs. The executive officer

2337-524: The army. However, the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force , many other Commonwealth air forces and a few non-Commonwealth air forces use an air force-specific rank structure in which flight lieutenant is OF-2. A group captain is derived from the naval rank of captain. Canada is a unique exception. Due to the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the air force rank titles are

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2394-642: The case of aircraft commanders) of the Marines and equipment in their charge, they are not accorded the legal authority of a "commanding officer" under the UCMJ or military regulations. In the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard , commanding officer is the official title of the commander of a ship, but they are usually referred to as " the Captain " regardless of their actual rank: "Any naval officer who commands

2451-526: The case of aircraft commanders) of the soldiers and equipment in their charge, they are not accorded the legal authority of a "commanding officer" under the UCMJ or military regulations. Warrant officers in the United States Armed Forces are single career-track officers that can, and occasionally do, hold command positions within certain specialty units, i.e. Special Forces and Army Aviation . However, warrant officers usually do not command if

2508-464: The commander of any ship, unit or installation. However, they are referred to as "the captain" no matter what their actual rank, or informally as "skipper" or even "boss". In the United States , the status of commanding officer is duly applied to all commissioned officers who hold lawful command over a military unit, ship, or installation. The commanding officer of a company , usually a captain ,

2565-412: The executive officer may also be responsible for the duties of those officers. Carrier air wings in the U.S. Navy do not have an XO, but have a deputy commander (DCAG) instead; for shore-based or functional naval air wings headed by a commodore, the equivalent position is the deputy commodore. In the U.S. Coast Guard, on board small cutters and patrol boats that are commanded by either a junior officer or

2622-428: The five most highly compensated officers not also sitting on the board of directors . In many insurance policies, executive officer means, in the case of a corporation, any chairman, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, president, or general counsel. In the case of a sole proprietorship , an executive officer is the sole proprietor. In the case of a partnership , an executive officer

2679-826: The former serve at the pleasure of the president and may be removed at their discretion. The latter are removed only with procedures consistent with statutory conditions enacted by Congress. The decision by the Court was that the Federal Trade Commission was a quasi-legislative body because of other powers it had, and therefore, the president could not fire an FTC member for political reasons. Congress can't retain removal power over officials with executive function ( Bowsher v. Synar ). However, statutes can restrict removal if not purely executive ( Humphrey ' s executor), but can't restrict removal of purely executive officer ( Myers v. United States , 272 U.S. 52 (1926)). The standard

2736-528: The officer is the second-in-command of a ship or shore establishment. In the Indian Army , second-in-command (2IC) is the designation used. The term XO is not used in most British Army or Royal Marines units, where the designation second-in-command (2i/c) is used as a formal appointment. However, the position does exist in some specialist regiments within the Royal Artillery where the exact duties vary. In

2793-404: The officer next in rank to the commander. As the direct representative of the commander, all orders issued by the executive officer shall have the same force and effect as though issued by the commander. The executive officer shall conform to and effectuate the policies and orders of the commander and shall be prepared to assume command at any time the need should arise." At higher levels of command,

2850-403: The policing and inspection of the ship. When the ship goes to action stations, the XO confirms that the ship actually is ready for combat and reports this to the captain. The XO's own action station is in a separate part of the ship from that of the captain, so that a single hit will not likely incapacitate both officers. On small ships with no first lieutenant , gunnery officer , or navigator ,

2907-675: The rank of captain after completion of their training if they are in the active component, or after a certain amount of time, usually one year from their date of commission as a lieutenant, for the reserve components. The rank of captain should not be confused with the naval rank of captain , or with the UK-influenced air force rank of group captain , both of which are equivalent to the army rank of colonel . The term ultimately goes back to Late Latin capitaneus meaning "head of [something]"; in Middle English adopted as capitayn in

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2964-400: The second-in-command is the assistant division/wing commander or, in the case of a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), deputy commander. For those commands having a general officer (usually a brigadier general) in command without a designated assistant commander or deputy commander, such as a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) or Marine Logistics Group (MLG), the chief of staff (a colonel) is

3021-419: The second-in-command. Unlike their U.S. Navy counterparts, XOs of U.S. Marine Corps squadrons in U.S. Naval Aviation do not "fleet up" to become CO. The executive officer is the billet of the officer who is second-in-command. An XO is assigned to all ships, aviation squadrons, and shore units and installations, and is responsible to the captain for all ship's work, drills, exercises, personnel organization, and

3078-607: The two senior positions (CO or XO) occupied by a surface warfare officer and the other by a naval aviator or naval flight officer, alternating at each change of command. In naval aviation , in U.S. Navy squadrons (other than the Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS) and the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron {viz., Blue Angels}), the XO will eventually "fleet up" to become the CO of that squadron after twelve to fifteen months as XO. This fleet up model

3135-443: The unit's next move. While there is no clear line between principal executive officers and inferior executive officers, principal officers are high-level officials in the executive branch of U.S. government such as department heads of independent agencies. In Humphrey's Executor v. United States , 295 U.S. 602 (1935), the Court distinguished between executive officers and quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial officers by stating that

3192-423: Was also adopted in the late 2000s for XO and CO positions of both large amphibious assault ships (but not aircraft carriers) and Arleigh Burke -class guided missile destroyers. In addition to operational and tactical responsibilities, XOs also shoulder most of the CO's administrative burden, to include oversight of the command's administrative officer (if assigned) and administrative department. The term of XO in

3249-420: Was unable to support the company, or was otherwise court-martialed, he would be dismissed (" cashiered "), and the monarch would sell his commission to another nobleman to command the company. Otherwise, the only pension for the captain was selling the right to another nobleman when he was ready to retire. Many air forces, such as the United States Air Force , use a rank structure and insignia similar to those of

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