US military officers are appointed by the president and come from various sources, including service academies, ROTC programs, and enlisted personnel who attend Officers Candidate School. They receive basic combat and leadership training and are assigned to various duties. There are three types of officers, and promotions are based on merit and experience.
A United States military officer is a member of the United States military who has earned an officer position in the hierarchical leadership system—enlisted personnel, non-commissioned officers, and commissioned officers—that characterizes most military organizations. The United States maintains five armed forces: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Each of these services has many thousands of members, organized into various combat and support units, each commanded by one or more officers, depending on the size of the unit. US military officers, while trained and qualified for the service they join, are technically appointed by the president of the United States.
All US Army officers are university graduates. The core of the United States military officer corps is drawn from the five service academies: the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY; the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT; the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co.; and the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. These are four-year colleges that offer rigorous military training, as well as a thorough college education, and award a bachelor’s degree and commission as a second lieutenant or midshipman, as the case may be.
Most U.S. military officers, however, graduate from the thousands of civilian colleges and universities nationwide that partner with the services to offer Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) programs. These students graduate with civilian degrees and military commissions.
The services also identify some enlisted members as potential officers. Graduates will be assigned to Officers Candidate School (OCS). Enlisted personnel without qualifications may be authorized by their service to attend college and earn a degree, after which they are posted to OCS.
Some US military officers are directly commissioned into professional branches of their service. Military attorneys, for example, are fully accredited civilian attorneys by application for commission as an officer in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) corps, and physicians generally complete all academic and licensure requirements before applying for commissions in one of the corps’ medical services. These officers are typically commissioned as captains in the Army, Air Force, or Marines, or as lieutenants in the Navy and Coast Guard.
Officers receive essentially the same basic combat training as enlisted personnel, as well as leadership training, to prepare them for their commands. After successful completion of their training and their college degrees, which may take place concurrently, they are commissioned as officers, usually at the lowest rank of their service: ensign in the Navy and Coast Guard and second lieutenant in the Army, Air Force and Marines. The new ensign or second lieutenant rates a salute from all enlisted officers and NCOs and outranks even the most senior NCOs. It is not recommended, however, that such officers actually take the place of the sergeants and non-commissioned officers responsible for the day-to-day operations of the armed forces.
A newly appointed US Army officer will be assigned one of a wide variety of duties, depending on the branch of service to which he is assigned. Rotating through a variety of service assignments, they will be exposed to the many responsibilities expected of a United States military officer, as well as enjoy associated benefits and military discounts. During each assignment, their superiors will have the opportunity to assess their leadership potential and suitability for greater responsibility and authority.
The US military recognizes three types of officers. The highest-ranking group are general or flag officers, generals, and admirals who command large military organizations such as divisions and fleets that can operate autonomously for long periods of time. The general and flag officers are recommended by the president and confirmed by the United States Senate. Senior or higher-ranking officers, who command smaller units such as regiments and brigades that can act autonomously for limited periods of time, are colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors in the Army, Air Force, and Marines; and Navy and Coast Guard captains, commanders, and lieutenant commanders. The three lowest ranks: second and first lieutenants and captains in the Marines, Army, and Air Force; and midshipmen, junior-ranking lieutenants, and lieutenants in the Navy and Coast Guard, are referred to as company-grade or junior-ranking officers, respectively.
Upon achieving certain service milestones, a U.S. Army officer may be promoted to the next higher rank. Promotion in the United States Army is highly competitive and is based on seniority only to the extent that a minimum amount of time must be served in each grade before one can be promoted to the next grade. Promotions are based on merit and experience, and under the US Army’s “on or off” policy, officers who have gone through twice for promotion are expected to leave the service or retire.
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