Change of command (military)
For the M*A*S*H episode, see Change of Command (M*A*S*H episode). For the science fiction novel, see Change of Command.
Col. Jim Jones (right) accepts the 55th Wing’s guidon from Eighth Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Robert J. Elder, Jr. (left) during a wing change of command ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USA.
A change of command is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another. The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to an incoming one ensures that the unit and its soldiers is never without official leadership, a continuation of trust, and also signifies an allegiance of soldiers to their unit's commander.
Great symbolism is attached to the ceremonial aspects of a change of command.[1] An inspection and review of soldiers, gun salutes, as well as a military band will often be incorporated into the ceremony.[2]
From: The President of the United States. To: General <outgoing>, Commandant of the Marine Corps. Subject: Change of Command. Effective <date>, you will stand detached from your present station and duties. For the President, (Signed) <Secretary of Defense> (for the President of the United States).
From: The President of the United States. To: General <incoming>, United States Marine Corps. Subject: Assumption of Command. Effective <date>, you will stand detached from your present station and duties. You will proceed and report to the headquarters of the Marine Corps, the Pentagon, for duty as Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. For the President, (Signed) <Secretary of Defense> (for the President of the United States).
See also
- 3-volley salute
- 21-gun salute
- Burial at sea
- Color guard
- Half-staff
- Honor guard
- Military funeral
- Military rites
- Missing man formation
- Riderless horse
- State funeral
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Footnotes
- ↑ The Passage of the Commandants - Gen. Amos takes command of the Marine Corps minute 2:41 and following/13:16. This is also the citation for the coupled sets of orders below, the first for the outgoing commander minute 2:46/13:16, the second for the incoming commander minute 3:13/1316
- ↑ "Sequence of Events for Change of Command Ceremony". United States Army.