First lieutenant

See also: Lieutenant

First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces and, in some forces, an appointment.

The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see comparative military ranks), but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior (first lieutenant) and junior (second lieutenant) rank. In navies it may relate to a particular post rather than a rank.

United Kingdom

British Army

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 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".

Royal Navy

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 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 and frigates the first lieutenant is second in command, executive officer (XO) and head of the executive branch; in larger ships where a commander of the warfare specialisation is appointed as the executive officer, a first lieutenant is appointed as his 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 the First" (a back-formation referring to James I of England).[1]

United States

U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force insignia of the rank of first lieutenant. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.

U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force

In the United States Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air 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 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 the Army or 24 months in the Marine Corps and Air Force. The difference between the two ranks is slight, primarily being experienced and having higher pay. 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 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.

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard

In the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, first lieutenant is the name of a billet and position title, rather than that of a rank. It is held by the officer in command of the deck department. On smaller ships, the first lieutenant holds the rank of lieutenant, junior grade or ensign. On larger vessels, the position is held by a lieutenant or, in the case of extremely large warships such as aircraft carriers, 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 may be an enlisted member, such as a first-class petty officer or chief petty officer. The 1st lieutenant division is usually composed of junior sailors (E-3 and below) who are completing their 90 days of temporary assigned duty, or TAD, that all enlisted personal are required to do when initially assigned to a command. The primary mission of the division is servicing, cleaning, organizing and inventorying items within a command.[2]

U.S. Revenue Cutter Service

The term first lieutenant had a dual meaning in the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service. The position title of first lieutenant was held by a junior officer that was in charge of deck operations and gunnery. The rank of first lieutenant was the equivalent to lieutenant in the current rank structure of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy. The next senior officer ranking above first lieutenant was captain and the next lower rank was that of second lieutenant. The rank of first lieutenant carried over to the formation of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915 and was used until 1918 when the rank structure of the U.S. Navy was adopted.[3]

Indonesia

The First lieutenant rank insignia of the Indonesian Army

In Indonesia, "First lieutenant" is known as Letnan Satu (Lettu). The Lieutenant rank has two levels, which are: Second lieutenant (Letda) and First lieutenant (Lettu).

Israel

IDF Rank:(קצין מקצועי אקדמאי (קמ"א - Katsín miktsoí akademai (Kama) - Professional Academic Officer

In the Israel Defense Forces, the rank above second lieutenant is simply lieutenant. The rank of (קצין מקצועי אקדמאי (קמ"א (katsín miktsoí akademai or "kama"), 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.

Other countries

For other countries, the equivalent rank to a US Army first lieutenant (O-2) is listed below.

Notes

Citations
  1. ↑ Partridge, p 612, p 621, p 884
  2. ↑ Barnebey, Matthew; "1st Lieutenant Division plays significant role in supporting base", Jax Air News
  3. ↑ Cipra, Dave; "A History of Sea Service Ranks & Titles", Commandant's Bulletin, (May, June, July 1985), U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
References used
Commissioned officer ranks of the British Armed Forces
NATO rank code Student officer OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6
*		 OF-7
**		 OF-8
***		 OF-9
****		 OF-10
*****
Royal Navy O Cdt Mid SLt Lt Lt Cdr Cdr Capt Cdre RAdm
(list)		 VAdm
(list)		 Adm
(list)		 Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen Lt-Gen Gen
(list)
Army O Cdt 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen
(list)		 Lt-Gen
(list)		 Gen
(list)		 FM
Royal Air Force Off Cdt / SO APO / Plt Off Fg Off Flt Lt Sqn Ldr Wg Cdr Gp Capt Air Cdre AVM Air Mshl Air Chf Mshl
(list)		 MRAF
United States uniformed services commissioned officer and officer candidate ranks
Pay grade / branch of service Officer
candidate		 O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 O-11
(Obs.)		 Special
grade
Insignia [1] [2]
Army CDT / OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA[3] GAS[3]
Marine Corps Midn / Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen [5] [5]
Navy MIDN / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM[3] AN[3]
Air Force Cadet / OT / OC 2d Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen GAF[3] [5]
Coast Guard CDT / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM [5] [5]
PHS Corps [OC] ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RADM RADM VADM ADM [5] [5]
NOAA Corps OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM [4] [5] [5]
[1] No universal insignia for officer candidate rank; Navy candidate insignia shown
[2]Unofficial 1945 proposal for General of the Armies insignia; John J. Pershing's GAS insignia: ; George Dewey's AN insignia:
[3] Rank used for specific officers in wartime only, not permanent addition to rank structure
[4] Grade is authorized by the U.S. Code for use but has not been created
[5] Grade has never been created or authorized
United States warrant officer ranks
W-1 W-2 W-3 W-4 W-5
Army
WO1
CW2
CW3
CW4
CW5
Marine Corps
WO1
CWO2
CWO3
CWO4
CWO5
Navy
WO1[1]
CWO2
CWO3
CWO4
CWO5
Air Force
WO1[1]
CWO2[1]
CWO3[1]
CWO4[1]
CWO5[1]
Coast Guard
WO1[1]
CWO2
CWO3
CWO4		 [2]
PHS Corps
 [2] [2] [2] [2] [3]
NOAA Corps
 [3] [3] [3] [3] [3]
[1] Grade inactive
[2] Grade is authorized for use by U.S. Code but has not been created
[3] Grade never created or authorized
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