First lieutenant

See also: Lieutenant
Navies Armies Air forces
Commissioned officers
Admiral of
the fleet		 Marshal or
Field marshal		 Marshal of
the air force
Admiral General Air chief marshal
Vice admiral Lieutenant general Air marshal
Rear admiral Major general Air vice-marshal
Commodore Brigadier or
Brigadier general		 Air commodore
Captain Colonel Group captain
Commander Lieutenant colonel Wing commander
Lieutenant
commander		 Major or
Commandant		 Squadron leader
Lieutenant Captain Flight lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant Lieutenant or
First lieutenant 		Flying officer
Ensign Second
lieutenant		 Pilot officer
Midshipman Officer cadet Officer cadet
Enlisted grades
Chief petty officer or
Warrant officer		 Sergeant major or
Warrant officer		 Warrant officer
Petty officer Sergeant Sergeant
Leading seaman Corporal Corporal
Seaman Private Aircraftman

First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces and, in some forces, an appointment.

The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see comparative military ranks), but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior (first lieutenant) and junior (second lieutenant) rank. In navies it may relate to a particular post rather than a rank.

Israel

Israel Defense Forces

IDF Rank:(קצין מקצועי אקדמאי (קמ"א - Katsín miktsoí akademai (Kama) - Professional Academic Officer

In the Israel Defense Forces, the rank above second lieutenant is simply lieutenant. The rank of (קצין מקצועי אקדמאי (קמ"א (katsín miktsoí akademai or "kama"), a professional academic officer (that is, a medical, dental or veterinary officer, a justice officer or a religious officer), is equivalent to a professional officer of the second class in the reserve and equivalent to first lieutenant.

United Kingdom

British Army

In the British Army and Royal Marines, the rank above second lieutenant is simply lieutenant (pronounced Lef-tenant), with no ordinal attached.

Before 1871, when the whole British Army switched to using the current rank of "lieutenant", the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and Fusilier regiments used "first lieutenant" and "second lieutenant".

Royal Navy

The first lieutenant (often abbreviated "1st Lt") in a Royal Navy ship is a post or appointment, rather than a rank.

Historically the lieutenants in a ship were ranked in accordance with seniority, with the most senior being termed the first lieutenant and acting as the second-in-command, unless the ship was complemented with a commander. Although lieutenants are no longer ranked by seniority, the post of "first lieutenant" remains. In minor war vessels, destroyers and frigates the first lieutenant is second in command, executive officer (XO) and head of the executive branch; in larger ships where a commander of the warfare specialisation is appointed as the executive officer, a first lieutenant is appointed as his deputy. The post of first lieutenant in a shore establishment carries a similar responsibility to the first lieutenant of a capital ship. Colloquial terms in the Royal Navy for the first lieutenant include "number one", "the jimmy" (or "jimmy the one") and "James the First" (a back-formation referring to James I of England).[1]

United States

U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps insignia of the rank of First Lieutenant. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.

U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force

In the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps, a first lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer. It is just above the rank of second lieutenant and just below the rank of captain. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) in the other uniformed services.

Promotion to first lieutenant is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest all "fully qualified" officers should be promoted to first lieutenant. A second lieutenant (grade O-1) is usually promoted to first lieutenant (grade O-2) after 18 months in the Army or 24 months in the Air Force and Marine Corps. The difference between the two ranks is slight, primarily being experienced and having higher pay. It is not uncommon to see officers moved to positions requiring more experience after promotion to first lieutenant. For example, in the Army and Marine Corps these positions can include leading a specialty platoon, or assignment as the executive officer for a company-sized unit (70–250 soldiers or marines). In the Air Force, a first lieutenant may be a flight commander or section's officer in charge with varied supervisory responsibilities, including supervision of as many as 100+ personnel, although in a flying unit, a first lieutenant is a rated officer (pilot, navigator, or air battle manager) who has just finished training for his career field and has few supervisory responsibilities.

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard

In the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, first lieutenant is the name of a billet and position title, rather than that of a rank. It is held by the officer in command of the deck department. On smaller ships, the first lieutenant holds the rank of lieutenant, junior grade or ensign. On larger vessels, the position is held by a lieutenant or, in the case of extremely large warships such as aircraft carriers, a lieutenant commander or even commander. However, on submarines and in aircraft squardrons, where the deck department may only have a few junior sailors, the first lieutenant may be an enlisted member, such as a first-class petty officer or chief petty officer. The 1st Lieutenant Division is usually composed of junior sailors(E-3 and below) who are completing their 90 days of Temporary Assigned Duty, or TAD, that all enlisted personal are required to do when initially assigned to a command. The primary mission of the division is servicing, cleaning, organizing and inventorying items within a command.[2]

U.S. Revenue Cutter Service

The term first lieutenant had a dual meaning in the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service. The position title of first lieutenant was held by a junior officer that was in charge of deck operations and gunnery. The rank of first lieutenant was the equivalent to lieutenant in the current rank structure of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy. The next senior officer ranking above first lieutenant was captain and the next lower rank was that of second lieutenant. The rank of first lieutenant carried over to the formation of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915 and was used until 1918 when the rank structure of the U.S. Navy was adopted.[3]

Other countries

For other countries, the equivalent rank to a US Army first lieutenant (O-2) is listed below.

Notes

Citations
  1. ↑ Partridge, p 612, p 621, p 884
  2. ↑ Barnebey, Matthew; "1st Lieutenant Division plays significant role in supporting base", Jax Air News
  3. ↑ Cipra, Dave; "A History of Sea Service Ranks & Titles", Commandant's Bulletin, (May, June, July 1985), U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
References used
Commissioned officer ranks of the British Armed Forces
NATO rank code Student officer OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6
*		 OF-7
**		 OF-8
***		 OF-9
****		 OF-10
*****
Royal Navy O Cdt Mid SLt Lt Lt Cdr Cdr Capt Cdre RAdm
(list)		 VAdm
(list)		 Adm
(list)		 Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen Lt-Gen Gen
(list)
Army O Cdt 2Lt Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Maj-Gen
(list)		 Lt-Gen
(list)		 Gen
(list)		 FM
Royal Air Force Off Cdt / SO APO / Plt Off Fg Off Flt Lt Sqn Ldr Wg Cdr Gp Capt Air Cdre AVM Air Mshl Air Chf Mshl
(list)		 MRAF
United States warrant officer ranks
W-1 W-2 W-3 W-4 W-5
Air Force WO1[1] CWO2[1] CWO3[1] CWO4[1] CWO5[1]
Army WO1 CW2 CW3 CW4 CW5
Marine Corps WO1 CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 CWO5
Navy WO1[1] CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 CWO5
Coast Guard WO1[1] CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 [2]
Public Health Service [2] [2] [2] [2] [3]
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration		 [3] [3] [3] [3] [3]
[1] Grade inactive
[2] Grade is authorized for use by U.S. Code but has not been created
[3] Grade never created or authorized