Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.

In British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ (lef-tenent), while in American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ (loo-tenent).

Contents

United Kingdom and Commonwealth

Insignia of a British Second Lieutenant

The rank Second Lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of Ensign (Cornet in the cavalry), although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and Fusilier regiments. At first the rank bore no distinct insignia. In 1902 a single bath star (now commonly referred to as a pip) was introduced; the ranks of Lieutenant and Captain had their number of stars increased by one to (respectively) two and three. The rank is also used by the Royal Marines.

In the Royal Air Force the comparable rank is Pilot Officer. The Royal Navy has no exactly equivalent rank, and a Second Lieutenant is senior to a Royal Navy Midshipman but junior to a Sub-Lieutenant. The Royal New Zealand Navy - breaking with Royal Navy tradition - uses the Ensign grade for this rank equivalent. The Royal Australian Navy also breaks tradition in the sense that it has the equivalent rank of Ensign, but it is titled "Acting Sub Lieutenant."

The Canadian Forces adopted the rank with insignia of a single gold ring around the service dress uniform cuff for both army and air personnel upon unification in 1968. For a time, naval personnel used this rank but reverted to the Royal Canadian Navy rank of Acting Sub-Lieutenant, though the CF Green uniform was retained until the mid-1980s.

Commissioned Officer ranks of the Flag of the United Kingdom British Armed Forces
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 OC Mid SLt Lt Lt Cdr Cdr Capt Cdre RAdm VAdm Adm Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen Lt Gen Gen
Army O Cdt 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen Lt Gen Gen FM
Royal Air Force OC APO / Plt Off Fg Off Flt Lt Sqn Ldr Wg Cdr Gp Capt Air Cdre AVM Air Mshl Air Chf Mshl MRAF

United States

Insignia of a United States Air Force Second Lieutenant

In the United States, second lieutenant is typically the entry-level rank for most commissioned officers.

In the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, a second lieutenant typically leads a platoon-size element (16 to 44 soldiers or Marines). In the Army, the rank bore no insignia until December 1917, when a gold bar was introduced to contrast with the silver bar of a first lieutenant.

In the U.S. Air Force, a second lieutenant may supervise flights of varying sizes, depending upon the career field, as a flight commander or assistant flight commander or may work in a variety of administrative positions at the squadron, group, or wing level.

As a result of the gold color of the bars, second lieutenants are often colloquially referred to as Butterbars, Nuggets, Commissioned Privates, or 2nd Luey.

The corresponding United States Coast Guard and United States Navy rank is ensign.

In the Army Medical Corps, this is the entry-level rank for nurses.

U.S. officer and officer candidate ranks Flag of the United States
Officer
Candidate		 O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 Special Special
Approximate Insignia: (no universal insignia) Second Lieutenant / Ensign First Lieutenant / Lieutenant, Junior Grade Captain / Lieutenant Major / Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Colonel / Commander Colonel / Captain Brigadier General / Rear Admiral (lower half) Major General / Rear Admiral (upper half) Lieutenant General / Vice Admiral General / Admiral General of the Army / General of the Air Force / Fleet Admiral (no authorized insignia)
USAF: CDT / OT 2d Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen GOAF[1][4]
 [2]
USA: CDT / OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA[1][4]
 General of the
Armies[1][4]
USMC: Midn / Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen [2] [2]
USN: MIDN / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT CDRE[1] / RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM[1][4]
 Admiral of the
Navy[1][4]
USCG: CDT ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT CDRE[1] / RDML RADM VADM ADM [2] [2]
USPHS: [2] ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM [2] [2]
NOAA: [2] ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM[1][4]
 [3] [2] [2]
Grade inactive [1] Grade never created [2]
Grade is authorized for use by U.S. Code but has not been created [3] Grade requires Congressional approval for re-activation [4]
U.S. warrant officer ranks Flag of the United States
W-1 W-2 W-3 W-4 W-5
Approximate Insignia: (no universal insignia) (no universal insignia) (no universal insignia) (no universal insignia) (no universal insignia)
USAF: WO-1[1] CWO-2[1] CWO-3[1] CWO-4[1] CWO-5[1]
USA: WO1 CW2 CW3 CW4 CW5
USMC: WO-1 CWO-2 CWO-3 CWO-4 CWO-5
USN: WO-1[1] CWO-2 CWO-3 CWO-4 CWO-5
USCG: [3] CWO-2 CWO-3 CWO-4 [3]
USPHS: [3] [3] [3] [3] [2]
NOAA: [2] [2] [2] [2] [2]
Grade inactive [1] Grade never created [2]
Grade is authorized for use by U.S. Code but has not been created [3]

Norway

The equivalent rank in Norway(O-1) is "Fenrik", but the function of the rank differs drastically from other armies. Although it is an officer rank, it strongly resembles an NCO-rank in practice. Fenriks are usually former experienced sergeants without officer education, and usually fill such roles as squad leaders and platoon sergeants. This is due to the lack of an NCO-corps in the Norwegian army.

NATO Code OF-10 OF-9 OF-8 OF-7 OF-6 OF-5 OF-4 OF-3 OF-2 OF-1 OF(D) Student Officer
Flag of Norway.svg Norway edit No Equiv NOR-Army-OF9.gif
General		 NOR-Army-OF8.gif
Generalløytnant		 NOR-Army-OF7.gif
Generalmajor		 NOR-Army-OF6.gif
Brigader		 NOR-Army-OF5.gif
Oberst		 NOR-Army-OF4.gif
Oberstløytnant		 NOR-Army-OF3.gif
Major		 NOR-Army-OF2.gif
Kaptein / Rittmester		 NOR-Army-OF1a.gif
Løytnant		 NOR-Army-OF1b.gif
Fenrik		 No Equiv

Non-English speaking countries

See also