US Marine Corps officers are college graduates who receive a commission from the President of the United States. There are three grades of officers: company, field, and general. Officers may serve in combat or support positions and can become officers through various programs, including Officer Candidate School and the Platoon Leaders Class. Officer training is conducted at the Corps’ training facility in Quantico, Virginia.
According to the United States Marines, a United States Marine Corps officer is a college graduate who has earned and accepted, from the President of the United States, a commission as an officer in the Corps. Commissioned officers of the Marine Corps, or any branch of the military service, are its leaders. There are three commissioned officer grades: company grade officers, field grade officers, and general grade officers.
The company’s ranking officers are second lieutenants, first lieutenants, and captains. A lieutenant generally commands a platoon of 40-45 Marines, and captains command companies of up to four platoons. Company-level officers rarely develop strategies or operate autonomously; instead, they train their units in small unit tactics and lead them as components of larger military units.
Field officers &emdash; majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels &emdash; command those larger units. Majors and lieutenant colonels usually command battalions, consisting of five or six companies, while colonels are assigned to command regiments, usually consisting of three battalions.
There are four types of general-rank officers &emdash; brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general and general. General officers are assigned to lead larger units, such as brigades and divisions. They also develop military operations strategy and doctrine and consult with the civilian leadership of the nation’s defense establishment in formulating national defense policy.
Not all Marine Corps officers command a combat unit, of course. Many serve in staff and support positions in combat units. A rifle company, for example, will have a first lieutenant or captain as commanding officer, but another officer, typically a first lieutenant, will serve as the executive officer (XO). A battalion has a larger cadre of officers, not subordinate unit commanders, who are specifically assigned to tasks such as personnel management, logistics, and intelligence. Additionally, the Marine Corps has a wide variety of combat support organizations that provide logistical and other support, requiring the leadership of commissioned officers. There are also duties other than leading ground combat or combat support units. A Marine Corps officer may serve as a Marine pilot or flight officer, and a lawyer must undergo Marine Corps officer training prior to training as a Marine Corps Judge Advocate (military lawyer).
There are several ways to become a Marine Corps officer, but in all cases, commissions are only offered to college graduates. The Corps derives over one-third of its officers from the platoon leaders class, a program that offers summer training to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, culminating in commissioning upon graduation. About a quarter of new Corps officers are trained in the Officer Candidate Course, a 10-week program for college seniors and recent graduates that also leads to a commission. The US Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and the US Naval Academy together contribute nearly one-third of all new Marine Corps officers each year.
About ten percent of new Marine Corps officers come from the enlisted ranks of the Corps. Enlisted Marines who have already earned a college degree attend Officer Candidate School. In other cases, the Marine Corps will allow an enlisted Marine to attend college and earn a bachelor’s degree. The Marine will undergo officer training during that time and will be offered a commission upon graduation.
Marine Corps officer training is a grueling regimen of physical and leadership training conducted at the Corps’ training facility in Quantico, Virginia. It includes the basic combat infantry training that new enlisted Marines undergo, as well as specialized leadership programs designed to enhance the trainees’ ability to build teams and solve problems.
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