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70-560: Under Army regulations, an SMC must meet certain criteria: Federal law currently prohibits the Department of Defense from requiring a policy in SMCs that mandates female students' participation in the ROTC programs. Cadets at an SMC are authorized to take the ROTC program all four years, but taking a commission upon graduation remains optional, unlike other colleges where ROTC cadets are required to sign

140-642: 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

210-510: 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

280-451: 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

350-463: 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

420-471: A confusing system of program applications, deadlines, and options for fleet applicants which was complex for the Navy to manage and administer. As a result, the Navy combined most of these commissioning paths into one consolidated program preserving the "Seaman to Admiral" name, possibly during the 1994 STA program rebirth. In 2020 former enlisted SEAL Matthew J. Burns was promoted to rear admiral , making him

490-463: A contract to take commission before entering their final two years. Under both Army Regulation (AR) 145-1 and federal law, the ROTC programs at the senior military colleges are treated differently. Unlike ROTC at other schools, the Department of Defense is prohibited from closing or reducing the ROTC programs at an SMC, even during time of war (full or total mobilization). The Secretary of Defense and

560-525: 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

630-524: 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

700-481: 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

770-620: 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

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840-503: 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

910-600: 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

980-444: 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

1050-617: 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

1120-526: 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

1190-550: 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

1260-428: Is highly competitive for sailors selected from the fleet; the average selection rate has ranged from 10% to 24% from 2001 to 2010. In 2011, the program became much more selective for non-nuclear applicants. In 2013, 19 non-nuclear officer candidates were selected out of 542 applicants (3.5%). For nuclear applicants, the average selection rate has ranged from 20% to 25% since 2010. All STA-21 Officer Candidates report to

1330-403: Is one of only two major public universities to host a senior military college as part of a larger civilian university. The Corps of Cadets has existed since Virginia Tech's 1872 founding; membership was mandatory for all male students during their entire term at the school until 1924 when the requirement was reduced to two years. After World War II, prior-service students were not required to enter

1400-728: Is the only military college in the United States to graduate the highest ranking four-star generals across three services: Two Marine Corps Commandants, Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. and Randolph M. Pate , and Chiefs of Staff of the Army, George C. Marshall and the Air Force, John P. Jumper . VMI is also the only SMC in the United States to graduate a five-star general: General of the Army George C. Marshall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), located in Blacksburg, Virginia ,

1470-412: 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

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1540-529: 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

1610-550: 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

1680-708: 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

1750-586: 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

1820-493: 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

1890-584: 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

1960-572: The 20th century and is now one of the largest universities by enrollment in the United States. With an enrollment of 64,961 students, of which approximately 2,560 are cadets . In 2018, more than 220 cadets were commissioned as officers. The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, is a state-supported , comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina , which was established in 1842. The Citadel enrolls approximately 2,250 cadets in

2030-528: 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

2100-561: The American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy, it is the oldest of the non-federal Military Academies and currently only private military college in the United States. It is home to both a corps of cadets and a traditional civilian student population. The University of North Georgia (UNG), also known as The Military College of Georgia, is located in Dahlonega , Georgia. Since its creation in 1873 as North Georgia Agricultural College,

2170-461: The Army and Navy services. In 1949, Arnold was honored by being made the first, and to date only, General of the Air Force. He is the only American to serve in a five-star rank in two of its military services. Of these generals, only Marshall and Washington did not graduate from one of the service academies. Washington never graduated from college and Marshall graduated from VMI . By a Congressional Act of 24 March 1903, Admiral George Dewey 's rank

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2240-474: The Army may withdraw the ROTC detachments without giving prior notice to the academic institution. The establishment of new SROTC detachments will not be authorized after full mobilization has been declared." All Military Science IV cadets at the SMCs will be commissioned and directed to attend the proper Officers Basic Course (OBC). At other colleges, ROTC programs will be suspended and the cadet will immediately be available for reassignment. Another distinction of

2310-617: The Citizen-Leader Track to serve in the public or private sectors after graduation. Graduates of the six SMCs, as well as Mary Baldwin University and Prairie View A&M University , are allowed to commission into the U.S. Coast Guard under the Direct Commission Selective School (DCSS) program. The timing of the first seven appointments established both a clear order of seniority and a near-equivalence between

2380-523: The Corps, and in 1964 Corps membership was made voluntary for all non-ROTC students. Women had attended as civilian students since 1921, and they were admitted into the Corps of Cadets in 1973, before the service academies. Members of the Corps may participate in one of two tracks: the Military-Leader Track in one of the three nationally distinguished ROTC programs leading to an officer's commission or

2450-612: 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

2520-494: 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

2590-671: 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

2660-500: The SMC system is that all cadets at the SMCs are guaranteed active duty commissions when they graduate: The Secretary of the Army shall ensure that a graduate of a SMC who desires to serve as a commissioned officer on active duty upon graduation from the college, who is medically and physically qualified for active duty, and who is recommended for such duty by the Professor of Military Science at

2730-515: 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

2800-508: The Secretaries of the military departments may not take or authorize any action to terminate or reduce a unit of the Senior ROTC at a SMC unless the termination or reduction is specifically requested by the college and Army "[SMC] ROTC programs will continue at an accelerated rate as directed." In contrast with other colleges and universities: "Under full or total mobilization, the Secretary of

2870-718: The South Carolina Corps of Cadets and approximately 1,300 civilian graduate and undergraduate students in The Citadel Graduate College. In 2017, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Citadel as the No. 1 regional public college in the South (among those that offer master's degrees). Members of the Cadet Corps are required to be enrolled in ROTC and approximately one third are commissioned into

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2940-509: 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

3010-556: 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

3080-642: 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

3150-513: 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

3220-618: 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. STA-21 STA-21 or Seaman to Admiral - 21 is a United States Navy commissioning program, designed to enable active-duty sailors to get a college degree and become commissioned officers . Seaman to Admiral was previously one of several different paths for active-duty sailors to become commissioned officers. The diversity of programs lacked uniformity in benefits, selection procedures, educational opportunities, and program requirements, and created

3290-513: The United States. VMI has been called the " West Point of the South" because of its role during the Civil War and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls military cadets only and awards bachelor degrees exclusively. Next to West Point, VMI has graduated more Army generals than any other college or university in the United States of America. In addition to the accomplishments of its graduates in civilian endeavors, VMI

3360-448: 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

3430-504: 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

3500-459: The college required undergraduate resident males to participate in the Corps of Cadets (the corps was optional for resident undergraduate females and all commuting or graduate students). North Georgia was also the first SMC to admit women into the Corps of Cadets. The school has a large United States Army ROTC program and is the only senior military college without Navy/Marine Corps and Air Force programs. Students are no longer required to enroll in

3570-509: The college, shall be assigned to active duty. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Course requires all airmen to receive a bachelor's degree, pass the PT test and complete field training. The Military College of Vermont, the oldest senior military college and the "Birthplace of ROTC ", Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield , Vermont. Founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont , as

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3640-648: 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

3710-1022: 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

3780-804: 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

3850-642: 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

3920-534: The first sailor commissioned through the current Seaman to Admiral program to do so. The STA-21 commissioning program is designed to allow active-duty sailors with high ability to gain a college education and become commissioned officers in the unrestricted line (URL), special duty officer (intelligence), special duty officer (cryptologic warfare, formerly information warfare and cryptologist), nurse corps (NC), nuclear, supply corps (SC), civil engineer corps (CEC), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), or SEALs . The program

3990-521: 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

4060-529: 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

4130-592: 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

4200-597: The military program. Texas A&M University was established under the Morrill Act of 1862, and cadets began classes in 1876. During World War II, Texas A&M produced 20,229 Aggies who served in combat. Of those, 14,123 Aggies served as officers: more than the combined total of the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy . Texas A&M has grown rapidly since

4270-452: 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

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4340-521: 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

4410-414: 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

4480-557: 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

4550-542: 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

4620-656: 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

4690-515: The six military services. Active duty Marine and Navy personnel also attend cadet classes as part of the MECEP ( Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program ) and Seaman to Admiral (STA-21) programs which commission highly qualified NCOs; the MECEP program originated at The Citadel in 1973. Founded in 1839 in Lexington , Virginia, the Virginia Military Institute is the oldest state military college in

4760-500: 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

4830-548: Was established as Admiral of the Navy , a rank which was specified to be senior to the four-star rank of admiral and was equal to admiral of the fleet in the British Royal Navy . Admiral Dewey was the only individual ever appointed to this rank, which lapsed with his death on 16 January 1917. 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

4900-462: 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

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