Commander

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In some armies, a commander may refer to a non-commissioned officer.
Common Military Ranks
Naval Forces Land/Air Forces Commonwealth Air Forces
Admiral General Marshal
Commodore Brigadier Air Commodore
Captain Colonel Group Captain
Commander1 Major2 Wing Commander1
Lieutenant3 Captain3 Squadron Leader2
Ensign5 Lieutenant4 Pilot Officer5
Warrant Officer Warrant Officer Warrant Officer
Petty Officer Sergeant Sergeant
Leading Rate Corporal Corporal
Seaman Private Aircraftsman
This table shows the hierarchy of widely recognized military rank titles. Not all variants ranks in between are included. If "broadly" equivalent ranks do not appear alongside each other, they are indicated by matching numerical notation (1 being the highest).
Insignia of a United States Navy Commander
Insignia of a United States Navy Commander

Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. It is below Captain and above Lieutenant-Commander. The rank evolved in the 18th and early 19th centuries and was originally known as Master and Commander. The Royal Navy shortened Master and Commander to Commander in 1814.

A commander in the Royal Navy and the United States Navy is equivalent in rank to a lieutenant-colonel in the army. A commander may command a frigate, destroyer, submarine, aviation squadron or shore installation, or may serve on a staff. A commander who commands a unit may be referred to as "Captain" as a courtesy title. A unit commander may also be informally referred to as "skipper."

In the highest levels of U.S. military command structure, "commander" refers to what used to be called commander-in-chief, or CINC, until October 24, 2002 (CINC is still used in casual speech). This is usually referred to with the area of which the officer is commander. For instance, General Tommy Franks was CENTCOM commander until July 7, 2003.

In the British Army, the term "commander" is officially applied to the non-commissioned officer in charge of a section (section commander), vehicle (vehicle commander) or gun (gun commander), to the subaltern or captain commanding a platoon (platoon commander), or to the brigadier commanding a brigade (brigade commander). Other officers commanding units are usually referred to as the Officer Commanding (OC), Commanding Officer (CO), General Officer Commanding (GOC), or General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-C), depending on rank and position, although the term "commander" may be applied to them informally.

"Commander" may sometimes be used by laymen, usually applied to the person who is accountable for and holds authority over a group or the attempts of a group to achieve a common goal.

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[edit] Royal Air Force rank

Since the Royal Air Force's middle-ranking officers' designations are modelled after the Royal Navy's, the rank equivalent to Lieutenant-Colonel (Army) or Commander (Navy) is called Wing Commander (ranking between Squadron Leader and Group Captain).

[edit] Royal Naval Air Service

In the Royal Naval Air Service, which amalgamated with the Royal Flying Corps to form the RAF in 1918, pilots held appointments as well as their normal Royal Navy ranks, and wore insignia appropriate to the appointment instead of the rank. Flight Commander wore a star above a Lieutenant's two rank stripes, Squadron Commander wore two stars above two rank stripes (less than eight years' seniority) or two-and-a-half rank stripes (over eight years seniority), and Wing Commander wore three rank stripes. The rank stripes had the usual Royal Navy curl, and were surmounted by an eagle.

[edit] US Air Force duty titles

Duty titles of many commanding officers in the United States Air Force are similar to ranks in the RAF. These duty titles are not ranks, but these titles convey relative power and importance nonetheless. The RAF ranks should not be confused with the titles of the following USAF duty positions: Squadron Commander, Group Commander, and Wing Commander - listed in ascending order. A Squadron Commander is typically a Major or Lieutenant Colonel, a Group Commander is typically a Colonel, and a Wing Commander is typically a senior Colonel or a Brigadier General.

[edit] British police rank

Commander is also a senior police rank in the two London police forces, the City of London Police, and the Metropolitan Police Service. It is senior to Chief Superintendent in both forces and junior to Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police and Assistant Commissioner in the City of London Police. It equates to Assistant Chief Constable in other forces. The Metropolitan Police introduced the rank in 1946, when they split the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner (with senior DACs keeping that rank title and junior DACs being regraded as Commanders). The Metropolitan Police also had a rank of Deputy Commander, ranking just below Commander, between 1946 and 1968. In addition, officers in charge of policing each of London's boroughs are given the title of "Borough Commander", although they hold the rank of Chief Superintendent, not Commander.

[edit] American police rank

The San Francisco police department is one of the few American police departments which use this rank. A Commander in the SFPD is equivalent to an Inspector in other US departments (such as the NYPD); the SFPD rank was originally called Inspector as well, but was changed to Commander after senior officers voiced a preference for the more military-sounding rank.

The Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) also uses the rank of Commander. The rank falls between those of Inspector and Assistant Chief.

Commander is also used as a title in certain circumstances, such as the Commander of a squad of Detectives, who would usually be of the rank of Lieutenant.

[edit] Military and Chivalric Orders

The title of Commander is used in the Military Orders, such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, for a member senior to a Knight. The title of Knight Commander is often used to denote an even higher rank. These conventions are also used by most of the continental orders of chivalry. The United Kingdom uses different classifications.

In most of the British Orders of Knighthood, the grade of Knight (or Dame) Commander is the lowest grade of knighthood, but is above the grade of Companion (which does not carry a knighthood). In the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of the British Empire, the grade of Commander is senior to the grade of Lieutenant or Officer respectively, but junior to that of Knight or Dame Commander. In the British Order of St. John, a Commander ranks below a Knight. (However, Knights of the Order of St. John are not called "Sir.")

[edit] In fiction

[edit] See also

Flag of the United Kingdom

British officer ranks
  Student Officer OF(D) OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6 OF-7 OF-8 OF-9 OF-10
Royal Navy: O/C Mid SLt Lt Lt Cdr Cdr Capt Cdre RAdm VAdm Adm Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines: OCdt 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen
Army: OCdt 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen FM
Royal Air Force: OC / SO APO / PO Fg Off Flt Lt Sqn Ldr Wg Cdr Gp Capt ACdre AVM AM ACM MRAF
Flag of the United States
U.S. commissioned officer ranks
  Student Officer O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 O-11 (wartime only) Special Grade
United States Navy: MIDN/OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM Admiral of
the Navy
United States Marine Corps: Midn 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
United States Army: CDT/OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN General of
the Army		 General of the Armies
United States Air Force: Cadet 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen General of
the Air Force		 (no equivalent)
United States Coast Guard: CDT ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
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