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Second Lieutenant Information

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.

Contents

United Kingdom and Commonwealth

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, Fusilier and Rifle 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 exact 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 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 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 / SO 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 Second Lieutenant

In the United States, Second Lieutenant is the normal entry-level rank for most commissioned officers.

In the Army and Marine Corps, a second lieutenant typically commands a platoon-size element (16 to 44 soldiers or Marines). In the Army, the rank bore no insignia other than a brown sleeve braid on blouses and an officer's cap device and hat cord until December 1917, when a gold bar similar to the silver bar of a first lieutenant was introduced.

In the 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.

The corresponding Navy and Coast Guard rank is ensign.

As a result of the gold color of the bars and their usual inexperience as officers, second lieutenants are often colloquially referred to as "Butterbars". Other colloquialisms include "Nuggets" and "2nd Luey."

United States commissioned officer and officer candidate ranks
Pay Grade / Branch of Service Officer Candidate O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 O-11 (wartime) Special Grade
Approximate insignia (no universal insignia)
Air Force CDT / OT 2d Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen GAF[1] [3]
Army CDT / OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA[1] GAS[1]
Marine Corps Midn / Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen [3] [3]
Navy MIDN / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM[1] AN[1]
Coast Guard CDT / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM [3] [3]
Public Health Service [3] ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RADM RADM VADM ADM [3] [3]
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [3] ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM[1] [2] [3] [3]
Grade is inactive; requires Congressional approval for re-activation [1] Grade is authorized by the U.S. Code for use but has not been created [2] Grade has never been created or authorized [3]
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]
Grade inactive [1] Grade is authorized for use by U.S. Code but has not been created [2] Grade never created or authorized [3]

Norway

Insignia of a Norway Second Lieutenant

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. The ranking system in Norway is quite different, while they do not have a professional army, Fenriks are usually former experienced sergeants but to become a sergeant one has to go through officer's training and education. Though they still fill such roles as squad leaders and platoon sergeants while at the rank Fenrik, in some cases Fenriks are Executive Officers (XOs). Most Fenriks have finished the War Academy as well, and are fully trained officers. This is due to the lack of an NCO-corps in the Norwegian army.

Other countries

See also

References

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