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103-431: First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces ; in some forces, it is an appointment . The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a senior (first lieutenant) and junior ( second lieutenant ) rank. In navies, while certain rank insignia may carry the name lieutenant, the term may also be used to relate to

206-463: A Kompanie ("company"). The first platoon, until 2013, used to be commanded by an Oberleutnant ("first lieutenant") or a Leutnant ("second lieutenant"), nowadays it is usually a Hauptmann ("captain"), who is also the Kompanie' s second-in-command. The second Zug is led by an Oberleutnant or a Leutnant , the third Zug is led by experienced NCOs, usually a Hauptfeldwebel ("master sergeant"). In

309-473: A Sergeant (တပ်ကြပ်ကြီး) as of the structure. A Platoon has 3 Sections all of which are commanded by a Corporal (တပ်ကြပ်) with a Lance Corporal (ဒုတပ်ကြပ်) as 2IC . A Section is called တပ်စိတ် (Tat Sate). A Platoon HQ consist of Platoon Commander (Lieutenant/Captain), Platoon Second in Command (Sergeant), Mortar Crew 1 (Private), Mortar Crew 2 (Private) and a Signaller (Private). As of the authorised structure,

412-498: A company -sized unit (70–250 soldiers or marines). In the Air Force, a first lieutenant may be a flight commander or section's officer in charge with varied supervisory responsibilities, including supervision of as many as 100+ personnel, although in a flying unit, a first lieutenant is a rated officer (pilot, navigator, or air battle manager) who has just finished training for his career field and has few supervisory responsibilities. In

515-456: A fusillade . This system was also used in the British, Austrian, Russian and Dutch armies. NATO defines a platoon, or detachment, as an organization larger than a section but smaller than a company. The standard NATO symbol for a platoon consists of three dots (●●●) placed above a framed unit icon. Member nations have stipulated the different names they use for organizations of this size. In

618-642: A 24-week Modular Initial Officer Training Course (MIOTC) at RAF College Cranwell . This course is split into four 6-week modules covering: militarisation, leadership, management and assessment respectively. Royal Marines officers receive their training in the Command Wing of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines during a 15-month course. The courses consist not only of tactical and combat training, but also of leadership, management, etiquette, and international-affairs training. Until

721-510: A bachelor's degree and are exclusively selected from experienced mid- to senior-level enlisted ranks (e.g., E-5 with eight years' time in service for the Marine Corps, E-7 and above for Navy and Coast Guard). The rank of warrant officer (WO1, also known as W-1) is an appointed rank by warrant from the respective branch secretary until promotion to chief warrant officer (CWO2, also known as W-2) by presidential commission, and holders are entitled to

824-451: A bachelor's degree prior to commissioning. The U.S Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps have no warrant officers or enlisted personnel, and all personnel must enter those services via commissioning. Direct commission is another route to becoming a commissioned officer. Credentialed civilian professionals such as scientists, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, clergy, and attorneys are directly commissioned upon entry into

927-400: A battalion may be led by a captain and assisted by a warrant officer. Some large specialist platoons may have a lieutenant as the second-in-command. In many corps , platoon-sized units are called troops instead. Prior to 1940, a platoon might be commanded by either a warrant officer or a lieutenant. An officer was referred to as "platoon commander", while a warrant officer in the same position

1030-569: A command. The primary mission of the division is servicing, cleaning, organizing and inventorying items within a command. The term "first lieutenant" had a dual meaning in the United States Revenue Cutter Service (known until 1894 as the United States Revenue-Marine). The position title of first lieutenant was held by a junior officer who was in charge of deck operations and gunnery. The rank of first lieutenant

1133-454: A commander of the warfare specialization is appointed as the executive officer, a first lieutenant is appointed as their deputy. The post of first lieutenant in a shore establishment carries a similar responsibility to the first lieutenant of a capital ship . Colloquial terms in the Royal Navy for the first lieutenant include " number one ", "the jimmy" (or "jimmy the one") and "James

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1236-463: A commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer . However, absent contextual qualification, the term typically refers only to a force's commissioned officers , the more senior members who derive their authority from a commission from the head of state . The proportion of officers varies greatly. Commissioned officers typically make up between an eighth and a fifth of modern armed forces personnel. In 2013, officers were

1339-495: A commissioned officer—and all officers graduating from the IDF's Officer's Academy receive a "platoon commander" pin, even if they are not intended to command a platoon. The platoon commander is usually the equivalent of first or second lieutenant and is assisted and advised by a platoon sergeant, acting as his replacement. In some elite units, such as Maglan , Egoz or Duvdevan , the teams are usually smaller and commanded by officers, with

1442-509: A corporal or sergeant would be the most likely commander. Under the 1971 regulations a peloton in the French Army was used in the equivalent manner to a company, with the first section led by the sous-lieutenant and the second section led by the lieutenant, a captain commanding the entire group. In the French military , a peloton is a mainly a term designating a mobile infantry unit. An escadron

1545-525: A four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution within a defined time. College-graduate candidates (initial or prior-service) may also be commissioned in the U.S. uniformed services via an officer candidate school, officer training school, or other programs: A smaller number of Marine Corps officers may be commissioned via the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) program during summers while attending college. PLC

1648-524: A higher active duty or reserve enlisted grade in any of the U.S. armed forces) for the duration of their 14-week program. Upon graduation, they were commissioned as ensigns in the then- U.S. Naval Reserve on active duty, with the option to augment their commissions to the Regular Navy after four to six years of commissioned service. The AOCS also included the embedded Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC) and Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) programs. AVROC

1751-435: A junior captain assisted by a platoon warrant (who holds the rank of warrant officer , but can be a sergeant). It is usually divided into three eight to ten person sections and a heavy weapons detachment that deploys a GPMG , and a Carl Gustav rifle, depending on mission requirements. Sections are commanded by a sergeant or master corporal with a master corporal or corporal in the second in command position; two members of

1854-589: A machine gun team, both commanded by third sergeants , a platoon sergeant, a signaler/runner and a platoon medic for a total of 28 soldiers. Beginning in 1992, the Singapore Armed Forces has allowed warrant officers to be appointed as platoon commanders. In the South African Army , a platoon usually consists of 27 soldiers and 1 officer organized into three sections 10 soldiers each plus an HQ which contains 8 men. A lieutenant as platoon commander and

1957-530: A particular post or duty, rather than a rank. In Indonesia , "first lieutenant" is known as Letnan Satu ( Lettu ), Indonesian National Armed Forces uses this rank across all three of its services. It is just above the rank of second lieutenant and just below the rank of captain . In the Israel Defense Forces , the rank above second lieutenant is simply lieutenant (Segen). The rank of (קצין מקצועי אקדמאי (קמ"א ( katsín miktsoí akademai or "kama"),

2060-564: A platoon is specifically a cavalry unit, and the infantry use "section" as the equivalent unit. A unit consisting of several platoons is called a company or a battery . According to Merriam-Webster , the word came into the English language via the French peloton ("small detachment"), from the Middle French pelote ("little ball") and derived from the Low Latin "pilotta", itself derived from

2163-481: A post- Vietnam reduction in force (RIF) that reduced the number of flight training slots for AFROTC graduates by approximately 75% in order to retain flight-training slots for USAFA cadets and graduates during the same time period. Many of these individuals, at the time all male, declined or resigned their inactive USAF commissions and also attended AOCS for follow-on naval flight-training. AOCs were active-duty personnel in pay grade E-5 (unless having previously held

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2266-620: 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. In certain Commonwealth nations, commissioned officers are made commissioners of oaths by virtue of their office and can thus administer oaths or take affidavits or declarations , limited in certain cases by rank or by appointment, and generally limited to activities or personnel related to their employment. In some branches of many armed forces, there exists

2369-466: A professional academic officer (that is, a medical, dental or veterinary officer, a justice officer or a religious officer), is equivalent to a professional officer of the second class in the reserve and equivalent to first lieutenant. In the British Army and Royal Marines , the rank above second lieutenant is simply lieutenant (pronounced lef-tenant ), with no ordinal attached. Before 1871, when

2472-503: A replacement air group (RAG)/fleet replacement squadron (FRS) and then to operational Fleet Marine Force (FMF) squadrons. Like their NAVCAD graduate counterparts, officers commissioned via MarCad had the option to augment to the Regular Marine Corps following four to six years of commissioned service. The MarCad program closed to new applicants in 1967 and the last trainee graduated in 1968. Another discontinued commissioning program

2575-433: A section carry C9 LMGs and the remainder carry C7 or C8 assault rifles fitted with either optics or a grenade launcher. A section is broken into two assault groups, similar to the British and Australian organization. Three infantry platoons make up a typical infantry company, sometimes with a heavy weapons or support platoon in addition. Specialist platoons, like reconnaissance, or "recce" platoons, that may be attached to

2678-515: A sergeant as platoon sergeant, accompanied by a signaller and a patmor group of two men. A section comprises 10 soldiers led by a corporal who's assisted by a lance corporal as second in command. The corporal is in charge of all the soldiers except the light machine gun (LMG) group which is led by the lance corporal. The LMG group is armed with the SS77 while rest of the platoon is armed with R4 assault rifles , with rifle grenades if available. There's also

2781-558: A squad are grouped into two smaller "fire teams", each comprising four troops: a team leader (corporal armed with a R4 assault rifle and a M203 grenade launcher), an automatic rifleman (armed with a K3 squad automatic weapon), a rifleman (armed with a R4; also brings extra ammunition for the K3), and a designated marksman who used to be armed by a M-14 before the Army shifted to the R4 for this role. The squad leader

2884-600: A third grade of officer known as a warrant officer. In the armed forces of the United States, warrant officers are initially appointed by the Secretary of the service and then commissioned by the President of the United States upon promotion to chief warrant officer. In many other countries (as in the armed forces of the Commonwealth nations), warrant officers often fill the role of very senior non-commissioned officers. Their position

2987-527: A third of the company is firing at once. The platoon was originally a firing unit rather than an organization. While the system is claimed in the 1829 London Encyclopaedia to have been introduced by Gustavus Adolphus the Great of Sweden in 1618, the "peloton" appears to predate his birth. In the French Army in the 1670s, a battalion was divided into 18 platoons who were grouped into three "firings" with each platoon either firing or reloading at any given time during

3090-516: A total of 16. However, tank units operating in Eastern Europe began to standardize their platoons to just two tank squads, for a total of 3 tanks and 9 personnel. In the Singapore Army , a platoon is a lieutenant's billet . However, in practice, a second lieutenant is usually appointed and then eventually promoted. A typical infantry platoon consists of three seven-man sections of riflemen and

3193-444: A year for each module at an Officers' Training Corps ; the last two must be undertaken at Sandhurst. Royal Navy officer candidates must complete a 30-week Initial Navy Training (Officer) (INT(O))course at Britannia Royal Naval College . This comprises 15 weeks militarisation training, followed by 15 weeks professional training, before the candidate commences marinisation. Royal Air Force (RAF) DE officer candidates must complete

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3296-617: Is a sub-element of Marine Corps OCS and college and university students enrolled in PLC undergo military training at Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in two segments: the first of six weeks between their sophomore and junior year and the second of seven weeks between their junior and senior year. There is no routine military training during the academic year for PLC students as is the case for ROTC cadets and midshipmen, but PLC students are routinely visited and their physical fitness periodically tested by Marine Corps officer-selection officers (OSOs) from

3399-533: Is a unit of battle tank in cavalry or armor , but in some mechanized infantry regiments ( groupe de chasseurs mécanisés ), the tank platoon is also called peloton de char de combat. The peloton or escadron corresponds to the platoon, equivalent in size to an infantry section and commanded by a lieutenant or sergeant. It may also mean a body of officers in training to become noncommissioned officers, sous-officiers or officers ( peloton de caporal, peloton des sous-officiers ). The Georgian Armed Forces equivalent of

3502-526: Is 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 warrant officer appointed by the British government . In the U.S. military, a warrant officer is a technically-focused subject matter expert, such as helicopter pilot or information technology specialist. Until 2024, there were no warrant officers in

3605-550: Is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior. NCOs, including U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard petty officers and chief petty officers, in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se (although the word "command" is often used unofficially to describe any use of authority). These enlisted naval personnel with authority are officially referred to as 'officers-in-charge" rather than as "commanding officers". Commissioned officers in

3708-481: Is referred to as a "field platoon". The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uses platoons (Hebrew: mahlakot , literally "divisions") as the basic unit composing the company and usually consists of 20 to 40 soldiers (or 3–4 tanks in the Armored Corps ). Those soldiers are divided into 2–4 "classes" ( kitot ) or teams ( tzvatim ), each composing of 6–21 soldiers. The platoon is the smallest military unit commanded by

3811-709: Is structured with: Section HQ and MG Team: 4 Other Ranks Section Commander: Corporal: MA 3 Carbine Section Second in Command/MG Team Commander: Lance Corporal: MA 3 Carbine Gunner: Private: MA 2 Light Machine Gun Gunner; Private: MA 2 Light Machine Gun Team 1: 3 Other Ranks Team Commander: Lance Corporal: MA 1 Assault Rifle Grenadier: Private: MA 4 Assault Rifle (MA 1 with UBGL) Rifleman: Private: MA 1 Assault Rifle Team 2: 3 Other Ranks Team Commander: Lance Corporal: MA 1 Assault Rifle Grenadier: Private: MA 4 Assault Rifle (MA 1 with UBGL) Rifleman: Private: MA 1 Assault Rifle In

3914-447: Is sub-divided into three squads, each with eight soldiers. Each squad is commanded by a sergeant. His/her deputy has an RPG , there are also two soldiers with PKM machine guns, two with AK-63 assault rifles—one is an RPG grenadier, the other is the medic—the APC driver and the APC gunner. Each squad and the platoon headquarters is equipped with an BTR-80 armored personnel carrier. In total,

4017-412: Is to serve as supervisors within their area of trade specialty. Senior NCOs serve as advisers and leaders from the duty section level to the highest levels of the armed forces establishment, while lower NCO grades are not yet considered management specialists. 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

4120-478: Is typically 32 soldiers. The platoon headquarter consists of 5 men; the platoon commander, sergeant, a radio operator and 2 soldiers carrying a rocket launcher. The platoon HQ commands 3 rifle section of 9 men each. A section led by a corporal, who's assisted by a lance corporal. Each section also has 2 light machine gunners. In the Canadian Army , the infantry platoon commander is a second lieutenant, lieutenant or

4223-548: Is typically a sergeant while the platoon leader is typically a 2nd lieutenant on his first assignment. The lieutenant is supported by a platoon sergeant. A radioman and a medic is usually supplied by the battalion. Philippine Marine Corps rifle platoons are similar in organization and concept to Philippine Army rifle platoons. A motorized rifle platoon in the Soviet Armed Forces was mounted in either BTR armored personnel carriers or BMP infantry fighting vehicles , with

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4326-556: The Australian Army , an infantry platoon has thirty-six soldiers organized into three eight-man sections and a twelve-man maneuver support section, with a lieutenant as platoon commander and a sergeant as platoon sergeant, accompanied by a platoon signaller and sometimes a platoon medic (full strength of forty men). A section comprises eight soldiers led by a corporal with a lance corporal as second in command. Each section has two fireteams (sometimes three) of four men, one led by

4429-475: The Cardwell Reforms of 1871, commissions in the British Army were purchased by officers. The Royal Navy, however, operated on a more meritocratic, or at least socially mobile, basis. Commissioned officers exist in all eight uniformed services of the United States . All six armed forces of the United States have both commissioned officer and non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranks, and all of them (except

4532-552: The Classical Latin "pila". The use of the word is first attested in c. 1547, referring to "a subdivision of a company-sized military unit normally consisting of two or more squads or sections"." The meaning was a group of soldiers firing a volley together, while a different platoon reloaded. This suggests an augmentative intention. Since soldiers were often organized in two or three lines, each firing its volley together, this would have normally meant platoons organized so that half or

4635-517: The Hungarian Armed Forces , a rifle platoon is commanded by either a second lieutenant or a first lieutenant, with a platoon sergeant (with the rank of sergeant major), a platoon signaller, an armored personnel carrier (APC) driver and an APC gunner composing the platoon headquarters. There is also in the HQ's TO&E a designated marksman rifle —either an SVD or a Szép sniper rifle . The platoon

4738-484: The New Zealand Army , an infantry platoon is commanded by a 2nd lieutenant or a lieutenant, with a platoon sergeant, a platoon signaller and a medic (where relevant) composing the platoon headquarters. The platoon is sub-divided into three section of between 7-10 soldiers, each commanded by a corporal with a lance-corporal as the section second in command. Each section can be sub-divided into two fire-teams, commanded by

4841-550: The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force continues to have no warrant officers; the last of the previous cohort of USAF warrant officers retired in the 1980s and the ranks became dormant until the program was resurrected in 2024. The USSF has not established any warrant officer ranks. All other U.S. Armed Forces have warrant officers, with warrant accession programs unique to each individual service's needs. Although Warrant Officers normally have more years in service than commissioned officers, they are below commissioned officers in

4944-469: The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard , "first lieutenant" is the name of a billet and position title, rather than rank. Officers aboard early sailing ships were the captain and a number of lieutenants. The senior among those lieutenants was known as the first lieutenant, and would have assumed command if the captain were absent or incapacitated. As modern ships have become more complex, requiring specialized knowledge of engineering, communications, and weapons,

5047-708: The United States Air Force and United States Space Force ) have warrant-officer ranks. The two noncombatant uniformed services, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), have only commissioned officers, with no warrant-officer or enlisted personnel. Commissioned officers are considered commanding officers under presidential authority. A superior officer

5150-633: The United States Armed Forces , enlisted military personnel without a four-year university degree at the bachelor's level can, under certain circumstances, also be commissioned in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard limited duty officer (LDO) program. Officers in this category constitute less than 2% of all officers in those services. Another category in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are warrant officers / chief warrant officers (WO/CWO). These are specialist officers who do not require

5253-549: The United States Life-Saving Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the rank of first lieutenant carried over into Coast Guard and remained in use until 1918, when the Coast Guard adopted the rank structure of the U.S. Navy. Officer (armed forces) An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service . Broadly speaking, "officer" means

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5356-493: The Virginia Military Institute . The Coast Guard has no ROTC program, but does have a Direct Commission Selected School Program for military colleges such as The Citadel and VMI . Army ROTC graduates of the United States' four junior military colleges can also be commissioned in the U.S. Army with only a two-year associate degree through its Early Commissioning Program , conditioned on subsequently completing

5459-584: 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 specialized military and highly-technical trades; such as aircraft, weapons or electronics engineers). Enlisted members only receive leadership training after promotion to positions of responsibility, or as

5562-436: The "first lieutenant" is the officer in command of the deck department responsible for line handling during mooring and underway replenishment . On smaller ships, the officer of the "first lieutenant" billet holds the rank of lieutenant, junior grade or ensign . On larger vessels, the position of "first lieutenant" is held by a lieutenant or, in the case of extremely large warships such as cruisers or aircraft carriers ,

5665-528: The AOCS program were primarily non-prior military service college graduates, augmented by a smaller cohort of college-educated active duty, reserve or former enlisted personnel. In the late 1970s, a number of Air Force ROTC cadets and graduates originally slated for undergraduate pilot training (UPT) or undergraduate navigator training (UNT) lost their flight training slots either immediately prior to or subsequent to graduation, but prior to going on active duty, due to

5768-418: The Army or 24 months in the Marine Corps and Air Force. The difference between the two ranks is slight, primarily being experience and a higher pay grade. It is not uncommon to see officers moved to positions requiring more experience after promotion to first lieutenant. For example, in the Army and Marine Corps these positions can include leading a specialty platoon , or assignment as the executive officer for

5871-457: The First" (a back-formation referring to James I of England ). The first lieutenant may hold the rank of sub-lieutenant , lieutenant or lieutenant-commander . In the U.S. Army , U.S. Marine Corps , U.S. Air Force , and U.S. Space Force , a first lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer . It is just above the rank of second lieutenant and just below the rank of captain . It is equivalent to

5974-612: The Israel Defense Forces, a university degree is a requirement for an officer to advance to the rank of lieutenant colonel and beyond. The IDF often sponsors the studies for its officers in the rank major , while aircrew and naval officers obtain academic degrees as a part of their training programmes. In the United Kingdom, there are three routes of entry for British Armed Forces officers. The first, and primary route are those who receive their commission directly into

6077-494: The RAF personnel were officers in 2013, but the British Army had a larger total number of officers. Commissioned officers generally receive training as generalists in leadership and in management , in addition to training relating to their specific military occupational specialty or function in the military. Many militaries typically require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even when accessing candidates from

6180-671: The Royal Navy's Warrant Officers Commissioning Programme. In the British Army , commissioning for DE officers occurs after a 44-week course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst . The course comprises three 14 weeks terms, focussing on militarisation, leadership and exercises respectively. Army Reserve officers will attend the Army Reserve Commissioning Course, which consists of four two-week modules (A-D). The first two modules may be undertaken over

6283-515: The School of Infantry, before entering naval flight-training. MarCads would then complete their entire flight-training syllabus as cadets. Graduates were designated Naval Aviators and commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants on active duty in the Marine Corps Reserve. They would then report to The Basic School (TBS) for newly commissioned USMC officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico prior to reporting to

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6386-509: The U.S. Air Force Reserve on the same day. Aviation cadets were later offered the opportunity to apply for a commission in the regular Air Force and to attend a college or university to complete a four-year degree. As the Air Force's AFROTC and OTS programs began to grow, and with the Air Force's desire for a 100% college-graduate officer corps, the aviation cadet program was slowly phased out. The last aviation cadet pilot graduated in October 1961 and

6489-556: The U.S. Armed Forces may also be commissioned through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). The ROTC is composed of small training programs at several hundred American colleges and universities. There is no Marine Corps ROTC program per se , but there exists a Marine Corps option for selected midshipmen in the Naval ROTC programs at civilian colleges and universities or at non-Federal military colleges such as The Citadel and

6592-689: The U.S. Marine Corps. In addition to the ROTC, Army National Guard (ARNG) officers may also be commissioned through state-based officer-candidate schools. These schools train and commission college graduates, prior-servicemembers, and enlisted guard soldiers specifically for the National Guard. Air National Guard officers without prior active duty commissioned service attend the same active-duty OTS at Maxwell AFB , Alabama, as do prospective active duty USAF officers and prospective direct entry Air Force Reserve officers not commissioned via USAFA or AFROTC . In

6695-513: The U.S. Navy, primarily Naval Aviators, via interservice transfer. During the U.S. participation in World War II (1941–1945), civilians with expertise in industrial management also received direct commissions to stand up materiel production for the U.S. armed forces. Although significantly represented in the retired senior commissioned officer ranks of the U.S. Navy, a much smaller cohort of current active-duty and active-reserve officers (all of

6798-464: The United Kingdom consider their NCOs to be "the backbone of the military" due to carrying out the orders of those officers appointed over them. Platoon Rifle platoons normally consist of a small platoon headquarters and three or four sections (Commonwealth) or squads (United States). In some armies, platoon is used throughout the branches of the army. In a few armies, such as the French Army ,

6901-448: The age of 30 are known as Late Entry (LE) officers. The third route is similar to the second, in that candidates convert from an enlisted rank to a commission; but these are only taken from the highest ranks of SNCOs ( warrant officers and equivalents). This route typically involves reduced training requirements in recognition of existing experience. Some examples of this scheme are the RAF's Commissioned Warrant Officer (CWO) course or

7004-504: The armed forces of the United States come from a variety of accessions sources: Graduates of the United States service academies attend their institutions for no less than four years and, with the exception of the USMMA, are granted active-duty regular commissions immediately upon completion of their training. They make up approximately 20% of the U.S. armed forces officer corps. Officers in

7107-414: The corporal and the other by the lance corporal. Each fireteam (also called a "brick" by Australian soldiers) has one soldier with an F89 Minimi LSW and the other three armed with F88 Steyr assault rifles . One rifle per fireteam has an attached 40 mm grenade launcher; one of the grenadiers is the lance corporal. Fireteam bravo has a HK417 7.62mm for the designated marksman role. More recently,

7210-570: The designated marksman of each Australian fireteam has been issued the HK417 in Afghanistan and possibly afterwards. The platoon may also have three MAG 58 general-purpose machine guns, one M2 Browning heavy machine gun or a Mk 19 grenade launcher at its disposal. In the Bangladesh Army, infantry regiments have platoons commanded by a warrant officer, assisted by a sergeant. The platoon strength

7313-648: The early 20th century, the Spanish army had the highest proportion of officers of any European army, at 12.5%, which was at that time considered unreasonably high by many Spanish and foreign observers. Within a nation's armed forces, armies (which are usually larger) tend to have a lower proportion of officers, but a higher total number of officers, while navies and air forces have higher proportions of officers, especially since military aircraft are flown by officers and naval ships and submarines are commanded by officers. For example, 13.9% of British Army personnel and 22.2% of

7416-959: The enlisted ranks. Others, including the Australian Defence Force , the British Armed Forces , the Nepali Army , the Pakistan Armed Forces (PAF), the Swiss Armed Forces , the Singapore Armed Forces , the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Swedish Armed Forces , and the New Zealand Defence Force , are different in not requiring a university degree for commissioning, although a significant number of officers in these countries are graduates. In

7519-804: The entire AOCS program but would not be commissioned until completion of flight training and receiving their wings. After their initial operational tour, they could be assigned to a college or university full-time for no more than two years in order to complete their bachelor's degree. AVROC and NAVCAD were discontinued when AOCS was merged into OCS in the mid-1990s. Similar to NAVCAD was the Marine Aviation Cadet (MarCad) program, created in July 1959 to access enlisted Marines and civilians with at least two years of college. Many, but not all, MarCads attended enlisted "boot camp" at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego , as well as

7622-642: The establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service in September 1947, it then became a source for USAF pilots and navigators. Cadets had to be between the ages of 19 and 25 and to possess either at least two years of college/university-level education or three years of a scientific or technical education. In its final iteration, cadets received the pay of enlisted pay grade E-5 and were required to complete all pre-commissioning training and flight training before receiving their wings as pilots or navigators and their commissions as 2nd lieutenants on active duty in

7725-458: The first platoon, the platoon leader's assistant is a Hauptfeldwebel ; in the second and third platoons, the assistant is an Oberfeldwebel . Each squad is led by an Oberfeldwebel , and its size corresponds to the typical passenger capacity of its squad vehicle (either wheeled or armored). Another of these vehicles is used for the Zugtrupp . Sergeants of inferior rank act as assistant squad leaders in

7828-406: The former being more numerous into the late 1980s. Both were led by a platoon leader and assistant platoon leader and consisted of three 9-man rifle squads mounted in three vehicles. In both BMP and BTR squads, the driver and vehicle gunner stayed with the vehicle when the rest of the squad dismounted, and one squad in the platoon would have one of their rifleman armed with an SVD sniper rifle . There

7931-682: The grenade launcher within each section. In the Swedish Army , a platoon is organized in the following way, according to Markstridsreglemente 4 Pluton (Ground combat regulation 4 Platoon): In the Royal Thai Army , a platoon is commanded by either a lieutenant or second lieutenant, assisted by a platoon sergeant, usually of the rank of sergeant major. In infantry units, rifle platoons are generally made up of five squads. These are three 11-man rifle squads, one 8-man command squad (consisting of platoon commander, sergeant, radio operator, 2 assistants and

8034-521: The last aviation cadet navigators in 1965. By the 1990s, the last of these officers had retired from the active duty Regular Air Force, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard . In countries whose ranking systems are based upon the models of the British Armed Forces (BAF), officers from the rank of second lieutenant (army), sub-lieutenant (navy) or pilot officer (air force) to

8137-529: The latter being captains or flag officers as of 2017) were commissioned via the Navy's since discontinued Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) program for college graduates. The AOCS focused on producing line officers for naval aviation who would become Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers upon completion of flight training, followed by a smaller cohort who would become Naval Air Intelligence officers and Aviation Maintenance Duty Officers. Designated as "aviation officer candidates" (AOCs), individuals in

8240-592: The military or another federal uniformed service . However, these officers generally do not exercise command authority outside of their job-specific support corps (e.g., U.S. Army Medical Corps ; U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps , etc.). The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps almost exclusively use direct commission to commission their officers, although NOAA will occasionally accept commissioned officers from

8343-615: The mortar is a MA 9 60mm Commando Mortar. The Platoon is structured as below: Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 4 Other Ranks): Platoon Officer Commanding (Platoon Commander): Lieutenant/Captain: MA 3 Carbine, MA 5 Pistol Platoon Second in Command (Platoon Sergeant): Sergeant: MA 3 Carbine Mortar Crew 1: Private: MA 9 60mm Commando Mortar Mortar Crew 2: Private: MA 3 Carbine Signaller: Private: MA 3 Carbine No. (1) Rifle Section (10 Other Ranks): Corporal No. (2) Rifle Section (10 Other Ranks): Corporal No. (3) Rifle Section (10 Other Ranks): Corporal Each Section, consisting of 10 Other Ranks,

8446-430: The most senior being termed the first lieutenant and acting as the second-in-command , unless the ship was complemented with a commander . Although lieutenants are no longer ranked by seniority, the post of "first lieutenant" remains. In minor war vessels, destroyers , frigates , and submarines , the first lieutenant is second in command, executive officer (XO) and head of the executive branch; in larger ships where

8549-452: The nearest Marine Corps officer-recruiting activity. PLC students are placed in one of three general tracks: PLC-Air for prospective marine naval aviators and marine naval flight officers ; PLC-Ground for prospective marine infantry, armor, artillery and combat-support officers; and PLC-Law, for prospective Marine Corps judge advocate general officers. Upon graduation from college, PLC students are commissioned as active-duty 2nd lieutenants in

8652-521: The officer grades following completion at their relevant military academy. This is known as a Direct Entry (DE) officer scheme. In the second method, individuals may gain a commission after first enlisting and serving in the junior ranks, and typically reaching one of the senior non-commissioned officer ranks (which start at sergeant (Sgt), and above), as what are known as Service Entry (SE) officers (and are typically and informally known as "ex-rankers"). Service personnel who complete this process at or above

8755-444: The other squads. A Fallschirmjägerzug ("airborne infantry platoon") has special operations responsibilities and has command positions one rank higher than corresponding positions in a standard infantry platoon. A captain ( Hauptmann ) is the platoon leader, assisted by a first lieutenant and each squad has a second lieutenant or a master sergeant in charge, often supported by a long-service sergeant or skilled senior corporal. In

8858-403: The platoon commanded by a higher-ranking officer, while in special forces units like Shayetet 13 and Sayeret Matkal all combatants are officers. In Myanmar, a Platoon is called တပ်စု (Tat Su). A Rifle Platoon has an authorised strength of 1 Officer and 34 Other Ranks. A total of 35 soldiers. The platoon is commanded by either a Lieutenant (ဗိုလ်) or a Captain (ဗိုလ်ကြီး) who is assisted by

8961-612: The platoon comprises 29 soldiers, of whom eight are vehicle crew. In the Indian army, a platoon consists of three sections. Platoons are commanded by junior commissioned officers (JCOs). Sections are the smallest components in the Indian army consisting of ten men and commanded by a havildar . In the Corps of Engineers , a platoon in an engineer company (referred to as a "field company") differs from an infantry platoon, in that it has four sections of ten man, comprising nine sappers and an NCO , and

9064-527: The platoon is the Zug (same word as for train , draught , move or streak ), consisting of a Zugtrupp ("platoon troop" or platoon headquarters squad), of four to six men, and three squads ( Gruppen ) of eight to eleven men each. An Oberfeldwebel ("sergeant first class") is in charge of the Zugtrupp . The Zugtrupp provides support for the platoon leader and acts as a reserve force (such as two additional snipers or an anti-tank weapon crew). Three Züge make up

9167-569: The platoon is the ozeuli . Translated, it means "Group of 20" but has no connection with the number. It has been transferred into modern usage from medieval army reforms of the Georgian King David the Builder . Originally, it was meant to be a small detachment of 20 men to be led by a leader of corresponding rank. Almost all smaller formations are based on the designations of those reforms, which originally suggested tactical flexibility by keeping

9270-584: The position of "first lieutenant" may be held by a lieutenant commander or even commander . However, on submarines and in aircraft squadrons, where the deck department may only have a few junior sailors, the "first lieutenant" billet may be filled by a first-class petty officer or chief petty officer . What is known in the U.S. Navy as the "first lieutenant division" is usually composed of junior sailors (E-3 and below) who are completing their ninety days of temporary assigned duty, or TAD, that all enlisted personnel are required to perform when initially assigned to

9373-414: The rank hierarchy. In certain instances, commissioned chief warrant officers can command units. A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted member of the armed forces holding a position of some degree of authority who has (usually) obtained it by advancement from within the non-commissioned ranks. Officers who are non-commissioned usually receive management and leadership training, but their function

9476-557: The rank of general , admiral or air chief marshal respectively, are holders of a commission granted to them by the appropriate awarding authority. In United Kingdom (UK) and other Commonwealth realms , the awarding authority is the monarch (or a governor general representing the monarch) as head of state . The head of state often has the power to award commissions, or has commissions awarded in his or her name. In Commonwealth nations, commissioned officers are given commissioning scrolls (also known as commissioning scripts) signed by

9579-504: The rank of lieutenant (junior grade) in the other uniformed services . Promotion to first lieutenant is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest all "fully qualified" officers should be promoted to first lieutenant. A second lieutenant ( grade O-1) is usually promoted to first lieutenant (grade O-2) after 18 months in

9682-542: The same customs and courtesies as commissioned officers. Their difference from line and staff corps officers is their focus as single specialty/military occupational field subject-matter experts, though under certain circumstances they can fill command positions. The Air Force has discontinued its warrant-officer program and has no LDO program. Similarly, the Space Force was created with no warrant-officer or LDO programs; both services require all commissioned officers to possess

9785-516: The section commander and second in command respectively, as well as normal two man scout, rifle and gun teams. There are three platoons in a rifle company, which is commanded by a major, and three rifle companies in an infantry battalion, which is commanded by a lieutenant-colonel. An infantry battalion contains an organic support company (mortars, machine guns, etc.) and a logistics company (transport and stores). Philippine Army rifle platoons consists of three squads, each with nine men. The nine men of

9888-606: The senior 17% of the British armed forces, and the senior 13.7% of the French armed forces. In 2012, officers made up about 18% of the German armed forces, and about 17.2% of the United States armed forces. Historically armed forces have generally had much lower proportions of officers. During the First World War, fewer than 5% of British soldiers were officers (partly because World War One junior officers suffered high casualty rates). In

9991-409: The size of small units in round numbers (10, 20, 100). Battalions and brigades were not affected by that system. It is unknown whether that usage was abandoned in the 1820s or earlier, but in present days a Georgian platoon still called "Ozeuili" has a similar size to that of other armies. Normally for infantry it has 32 men but can vary depending on the type of unit. The German Army equivalent of

10094-459: The whole British Army switched to using the current rank of "lieutenant", the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers and fusilier regiments used "first lieutenant" and "second lieutenant". The first lieutenant (often abbreviated "1st Lt") in a Royal Navy ship is a post or appointment, rather than a rank. Historically the lieutenants in a ship were ranked in accordance with seniority, with

10197-498: Was called a platoon sergeant major. Within the Colombian Army , a training platoon (in Spanish pelotón ) is often commanded by a higher-ranking soldier known as a dragoneante , who is selected for his excellence in discipline and soldiering skills. However, a dragoneante is still a soldier and can be removed from his position if his commander sees fit. For combatant platoons (platoons engaged in combat with guerrilla rebels ),

10300-500: Was composed of college students who would attend AOCS training in two segments similar to Marine Corps PLC but would do so between their junior and senior years of college and again following college graduation, receiving their commission upon completion of the second segment. The NAVCAD program operated from 1935 through 1968 and again from 1986 through 1993. NAVCADs were enlisted or civilian personnel who had completed two years of college but lacked bachelor's degrees. NAVCADs would complete

10403-409: Was either one empty seat in each BTR or two empty seats in each BMP to accommodate the platoon leader and assistant platoon leader. Tank platoons prior to the late 1980s consisted of a platoon headquarters squad and three tank squads, each consisting of one T-64 , T-72 or T-80 tank for 12 personnel and 4 tanks total; platoons that used the older T-54 , T-55 or T-62s added another crewmember for

10506-462: Was the Air Force's aviation cadet program. Originally created by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1907 to train pilots for its then-fledgling aviation program, it was later used by the subsequent U.S. Army Air Service , U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Army Air Forces to train pilots, navigators, bombardiers and observers through World War I, the interwar period, World War II, and the immediate postwar period between September 1945 and September 1947. With

10609-501: Was the equivalent of lieutenant in the current rank structure of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps . The next senior officer ranking above first lieutenant was captain and the next two lower officer ranks were second and third lieutenant , respectively. When the Revenue Cutter Service merged with

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