The base commander is the officer assigned to command a
military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
. In the
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
, a base commander is generally at least an
O-6 grade officer, which means
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
(
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
,
Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
) or
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
(
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
,
Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
).
However, in certain instances, typically with smaller installations, a base commander may be of a higher or lower rank depending on the size of the installation.
In the US Army, a base commander is called a post commander. A US Army installation sometimes establishes a
base defense operations center
A base defense operations center (BDOC) is a command and control facility established by the base commander to serve as the focal point for base security and defense.
It plans, directs, integrates, coordinates, and controls all base defense effor ...
s to provide a focus point for defense operations. The post commander for most active duty installations is an O-7 grade officer (brigadier general) or higher, depending in the echelon housed. For example, Wheeler Army Airfield on Oahu, Hawaii, houses the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and is commanded by an O-6 (colonel). Fort Leonard Wood houses a Center of Excellence and three branch commands (Chemical, Engineer and Military Police) and is commanded by an O-7 (brigadier general). Fort Hood houses three divisions and III Corps and is commanded by an O-10 (general).
In the US Air Force, a base commander may either be called an air base wing commander or a support group commander. If the former, the commander is an independent commander supporting other tenant units; if the latter, the commander is a junior O-6 answering to a more senior O-6 or a general officer serving as the wing commander.
In the US Navy, the US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard, the commanding officer of a base, station, air station, support activity or other facility in an independent commander, typically supporting one or more tenant units.
Military ranks
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