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37-539: Sealed orders refer to directives presented to the commanding officer of a ship or squadron that are sealed at time of receipt. Officers are required to keep the orders sealed until at sea so as to maintain operational secrecy, especially in time of war. This naval article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Commanding officer 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

74-419: 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 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

111-411: A company , usually a captain , 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

148-596: 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

185-514: 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

222-523: A squadron . Numbered flights are uncommon, and are usually only found in basic training facilities. An alphabetic flight is an operational component of a flying or ground squadron, not an independent unit; alphabetic flights within a squadron normally have identical or similar functions, and are normally designated A, B, C, and so, on within the squadron. Flights in the USAF are generally authorised to have between 20 and 100 personnel, and are normally commanded by

259-521: A German Staffel , Italian gruppo or Polish eskadra (10 aircraft in 1939). This was in contrast to air squadrons of the British Commonwealth or United States , which usually had 12–18 aircraft, divided into two to four flights. Until 1949, between one and four French escadrilles formed a groupe . Since then, however, escadrilles have been subordinate to escadrons . As such, groupes and escadrons are

296-680: 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 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

333-452: 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 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

370-417: 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

407-460: A company-grade officer ( lieutenant or captain ), and/or a flight chief, usually a senior non-commissioned officer with the rank of master sergeant or senior master sergeant . In USAF flying squadrons, the term flight also designates a tactical sub-unit of a squadron consisting of two or three elements (designated "sections" in U.S. Army and U.S. Naval Aviation ), with each element consisting of two or three aircraft. The flight operates under

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444-601: A flight may contain as many as twelve aircraft, as is the case with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). In most usages, two or more flights make up a squadron . Foreign languages equivalents include escadrille ( French ), escuadrilla ( Spanish ), esquadrilha ( Portuguese ), patrulă ( Romanian ), zveno ( Russian ), and Schwarm ( German ). In

481-536: A flight may further be sub-divided into two sections, each containing two to three aircraft, which share ground staff with the other section, and are usually commanded by a flight lieutenant. The Royal Navy's (RN) Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the Army Air Corps (AAC), and other Commonwealth naval and army aviation arms also have flights. In the Fleet Air Arm, a flight could be as few as a single helicopter operating from

518-466: A loosely defined group of aircraft capable of similar tasks, in most cases not more than six aeroplanes in each. During the war, the escadrille became the basic independent unit of aviation within the French armed forces. An escadrille was a homogeneous unit, armed with a single type of aeroplane, with permanent flying and ground personnel attached, motorised transport and tent hangars . By mid-1915,

555-408: 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

592-703: A smaller ship. A ground flight within an air force is roughly equivalent to a platoon in an army, and may be commanded by a flight lieutenant, flying officer , pilot officer , or warrant officer . These ground flights may carry out operational roles (such as air traffic control , airfield defence , or firefighting ), engineering roles (such as aircraft maintenance , ground-based mechanical engineering , or other ground systems maintenance), support roles (including medical , dental, physical training , supply and logistics , training and education, and legal units), or purely administrative roles (such as finance , infrastructure, or human resource management). A flight

629-432: A total of 45 ICBM missile flights. Under U.S. military and FAA common usage, for air traffic control and separation purposes, a "flight" of aircraft is simply two or more aircraft intentionally operating in close proximity to each other (typically in formation) under a designated "flight leader", without regard to military organisational hierarchy. An escadrille (literal translations: "squad" or "small squadron")

666-411: Is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force , naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subordinate to a larger squadron . A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though two to six aircraft may also form an aircraft flight; along with their aircrews and ground staff. In some very specific examples, typically involving historic aircraft,

703-416: Is also a basic unit of guided missiles, such as surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The United States Air Force (USAF) has three types of flights: numbered, alphabetic, and aircraft (which may be designated by alpha-numerics or name). A numbered flight is a unit with a unique base, wing , group , or Numbered Air Force mission; such as training or finance, though not large enough to warrant designation as

740-528: 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 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,

777-407: Is referred to as the commanding general , as these officers hold general officer rank. Although holding 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

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814-525: Is the label given to flights in the air forces and navies of some French-speaking countries. While the term is frequently translated into English as "squadron", an escadrille was originally a smaller unit (whereas the French escadron , also translated as "squadron", in the context of aviation is a much larger unit, comparable in status to a naval squadron). The first air escadrilles were formed in France before World War I , in 1912. They were initially

851-476: 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

888-547: The Armée de l'air had grown to 119 escadrilles of 10 aircraft each: 14 of fighters, 50 of bombers and the rest reconnaissance, spotter and communications units. While escadrilles initially operated independently, during the Battle of Verdun (1916), chasseur (fighter) escadrilles were formed into larger formations, for easier coordination. During World War II , French escadrilles usually fielded between 10 and 12 aircraft. Hence they were roughly equivalent to

925-560: The Royal Navy and many others, commanding officer is the official title of 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

962-636: 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). Flight (military unit) A flight

999-479: The case of a non-flying, or "ground flight", such as Mechanical Transport Flight (MTF), Supply Flight, Accounts Flight, etc; no aircraft, and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel may be utilised. The term "flight" is also a basic unit for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The use of the term "flight" originated in the United Kingdom to describe a collection of aircraft (typically four in

1036-642: 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

1073-526: 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

1110-496: The command of a designated flight leader. In U.S. Army Aviation , the equivalent organisational level of a flight is called a "platoon", while in U.S. Naval Aviation the flight is known as a "division". In Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile units of the U.S. Air Force, a flight is composed of ten unstaffed launch facilities, remotely controlled by a staffed launch control center , containing two personnel. Five of these flights make up one missile squadron. The Air Force has

1147-542: The commander or leader (e.g. platoon commander, troop leader, section commander/leader, etc.). In 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

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1184-464: 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 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

1221-596: The early days of aviation), and dates back to around 1912. It has been suggested that the term was coined by technical sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence , which was examining the British air arrangements around the same time. In the United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF), and the other air forces of the British Commonwealth , from where much air force terminology emanated, an aircraft flight, in

1258-519: The equivalent of the German language terms Gruppe and Geschwader ; and the English language terms " wing " and " group " (the definitions of which also vary from one nation to another). A Schwarm (meaning swarm) as part of a Staffel (squadron) comprises four aircraft and can be further subdivided into twoships called Rotte (meaning rout, two aircraft). The tactical formation, however,

1295-404: The first decades of air forces, was commanded by a flight lieutenant (FltLt), a rank equivalent to captain in armies and other air forces, or a naval lieutenant . More recently, however, it has become common for a flight to be led by a squadron leader (SqnLdr); a formal rank distinct from a squadron commander; equivalent to an army major or naval lieutenant commander . On rare occasions,

1332-477: 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 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

1369-816: The soldiers under him but does not have many of the command responsibilities inherent to higher echelons. For example, 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

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