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A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a junior commissioned officer rank in the
armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...
of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, security services and
police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
forces. The rank in armies and air forces is often subdivided into subcategories of seniority. In English-speaking navies, lieutenants are often equivalent to the army rank of captain; in other navies, the lieutenants are usually equal to their army counterparts. ''Lieutenant'' may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure. It often designates someone who is " second-in-command", and as such, may precede the name of the rank directly above it. For example, a "lieutenant master" is likely to be second-in-command to the "master" in an organisation using both ranks. Political uses include lieutenant governor in various governments, such as the viceregal representatives of the Crown in Canadian provinces. In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, a lord lieutenant is the sovereign's representative in a county or lieutenancy area, while a deputy lieutenant is one of the lord lieutenant's deputies.


Etymology

The word ''lieutenant'' derives from French; the meaning "place" as in a position ( cf. in lieu of); and meaning "holding" as in "holding a position"; thus a "lieutenant" is a placeholder for a superior, during their absence (compare the Latin ). In the 19th century, British writers who considered this word either an imposition on the English language, or difficult for common soldiers and sailors, argued for it to be replaced by the
calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...
"steadholder". However, their efforts failed, and the French word is still used, along with its many variations (e.g. lieutenant colonel,
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
, lieutenant commander, flight lieutenant, second lieutenant and many non-English language examples), in both the Old and the
New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
.


Pronunciation

Pronunciation of ''lieutenant'' as is generally associated with the armies of British Commonwealth countries, while is generally associated with the United States military. American Heritage Dictionary, s.v
"Lieutenant"
The early history of the pronunciation is unclear;
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
spellings suggest that both pronunciations may have existed even then. The majority of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources show pronunciations with or , but Bullokar has . The rare
Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
variant spelling for Modern French () supports the suggestion that a final of the Old French word was in certain environments perceived as an . Furthermore, in Latin, the ''lingua franca'' of the era, the letter is used for both and . In Royal Navy, Royal Naval (RN) tradition—and other English-speaking navies outside the United States—a reduced pronunciation is used. This is not recognised as current by recent editions of the '' OED'' (although the RN pronunciation was included in editions of the ''OED'' up until the 1970s).


Military rank


Lieutenant

The senior grade of lieutenant is known as first lieutenant in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and as lieutenant in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and the rest of the English-speaking world. In countries that do not speak English, the rank title usually translates as "lieutenant", but may also translate as "first lieutenant" or "senior lieutenant". The Israel Defense Forces rank ''segen'' (סגן) literally translates as "deputy", which is equivalent to a lieutenant. In the Finnish military there is a senior lieutenant grade that ranks above lieutenant and second lieutenant but below captain; it does not have an English equivalent. In Germany it is called (senior lieutenant).


Army rank

Conventionally, armies and other services or branches that use army-style rank titles have two grades of lieutenant, but a few also use a third, more junior, rank. Historically, the "lieutenant" was the deputy to a "captain", and as the rank structure of armies began to formalise, this came to mean that a captain commanded a
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
and had several lieutenants, each commanding a
platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...
. Where more junior officers were employed as deputies to the lieutenant, they went by many names, including second lieutenant, sub-lieutenant, ensign and cornet. Some parts of the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
, including the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
, Royal Engineers and fusilier
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
s, used first lieutenant as well as second lieutenant until the end of the 19th century, and some British Army regiments still preserve cornet as an official alternative to second lieutenant. There is great variation in the insignia used worldwide. In most English-speaking and Arabic-speaking countries, as well as a number of European and South American nations, full lieutenants (and equivalents) usually wear two stars (pips) and second lieutenants (and equivalents) one. An example of an exception is the United States, whose armed forces distinguish their lieutenant ranks with a silver bar for first lieutenant and a gold bar for second lieutenant. File:08.AlgA-1LT.svg,

( Algerian Land Forces) File:Angola-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(
Angolan Army The Angolan Army () is the land component of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). History On August 1, 1974, a few months after a military coup d'état had overthrown the Lisbon regime and proclaimed its intention of granting independence to Angola, ...
) File:Argentina-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Argentine Army) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,

( Armenian Ground Forces) File:Australian Army OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Australian Army) File:Bundesheer - Rank insignia - Leutnant.png,
( Austrian Army) File:10.AzAF-LT.png,
( Azerbaijani Land Forces) File:Bangladesh-army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant

( Bangladesh Army) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,

( Belarusian Ground Forces) File:Army-BEL-OF-01a.svg,
( Belgian Land Component) File:Belize-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Belize Ground Forces) File:Benin Army OF-1b.svg,
( Benin Army) File:TteEB.svg,
( Bolivian Army) File:08.Bhutan Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
( Royal Bhutan Army) File:11.RBrLF-1LT.svg,
( Royal Brunei Land Force) File:Rank insignia of Лейтенант of the Bulgarian Army.png,

( Bulgarian Land Forces) File:09. Burkina Faso Army - 1LT.svg,
( Burkina Faso Ground Forces) File:Burundi-Army-OF-1a.svg,

( Burundi Ground Forces) File:Cameroon-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Cameroon Ground Forces) File:Canadian Army OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant

(
Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...
) File:Cape Verde-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Cape Verdean National Guard) File:11.CAGF-1LT.svg,
( Central African Ground Forces) File:Chad-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Chadian Ground Forces) File:SS.OO.3.EJER.TENIENTE.svg,
( Chilean Army) File:Colombia-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Colombian Army) File:Comoros-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Comorian Army) File:DR Congo Army OF-1b.svg,
( Land Forces of the DR Congo) File:09-ROCongo Army-1LT.svg,
( Congolese Ground Forces) File:Cuba-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Cuban Revolutionary Army) File:Denmark-Army-OF-1a-M11.svg,
( Royal Danish Army) File:Djibouti-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Djiboutian Army) File:10.ECA-1LT.svg,
( Ecuadorian Army) File:El-Salvador-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Salvadoran Army) File:08. EGLF-1LT.svg,
( Army of Equatorial Guinea) File:ES-Army-OF13.svg,
( Estonian Land Forces) File:Fijian-OF-01b.svg, Lieutenant
( Fiji Infantry Regiment) File:Luutnantti M05.svg,

( Finnish Army) File:Army-FRA-OF-01a.svg,
( French Army) File:10.GLF-LT.svg,
( Gabonese Army) File:Georgia Army OF-1b.png,

( Georgian Land Forces) File:HD H 41 Leutnant FschJg.svg,
(
German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
) File:08-Ghana Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
(
Ghana Army The Ghana Army is the principal land warfare force of Ghana. In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast became independent from the British Empire, the Ghana Regiment, Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West ...
) File:Guatemala-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Guatemalan Army) File:Mali-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Guinea Ground Forces) File:Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lieutenant rank insignia.svg, Lieutenant
( Guyana Army) File:Haiti-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Haitian Army) File:HON-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Honduran Army) File:Lieutenant of the Indian Army.svg, Lieutenant

( Indian Army) File:Ireland-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant

(
Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...
) File:Rank insignia of tenete of the Army of Italy (1973).svg,
( Italian Army) File:Ivory Coast-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Ivory Coast Ground Forces) File:Jamaica-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Jamaican Army) File:11-RKGF-LT.svg,

( Kazakh Ground Forces) File:08. Kenyan Army LT.svg, Lieutenant
( Kenya Army) File:08.Kyrgyzstan Army-LT.svg,

( Kyrgyz Army) File:LV-Army-OF1b.png,
( Latvian Land Forces) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant
( Lesotho Army) File:13-Lithuania Army-2LT.svg,
( Lithuanian Land Forces) File:Army-LUX-OF-01b.svg,
( Luxembourg Army) File:Madagascar-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Madagascar Ground Forces) File:08. Malawi Army - LT.svg, Lieutenant
( Malawian Army) File:09.Malta Army-1LT.svg,
( Army of Malta) File:Malaysia-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Malaysian Army) File:06.Mali Army-1LT.svg,
( Malian Army) File:Mexico army OF1b.svg,
( Mexican Army) File:09-Moldovan Army-2LT.svg,
( Moldovan Ground Forces) File:Monaco-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Army of Monaco) File:11-Moroccan Army-1LT.svg,
( Royal Moroccan Army) File:Mozambique-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Mozambican Army) File:08-Namibia Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
( Namibian Army) File:12.Nepalese Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant

( Nepali Army) File:New Zealand-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(
New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...
) File:08-Nicaragua Army-2LT.svg,
( Nicaraguan Army) File:Blank.svg,
( Niger Ground Forces) File:Nigeria-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Nigerian Army) File:OF-1(B) Pakistan Army.svg, Lieutenant

( Pakistani Army) File:Paraguay-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Paraguayan Army) File:Peru-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Peruvian Army) File:Army-POR-OF-01a.svg,
( Portuguese Army) File:Romania-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Romanian Land Forces) File:Russia-Army-OF-1b-2010.svg,

( Russian Ground Forces) File:08-Rwanda Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
( Rwandan Land Forces) File:Belize-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( SKN Regiment) File:Guardia di Rocca OF1b.png,
( Sammarinese Guard of the Rock) File:STeP OF-1b.svg,
( Army of São Tomé and Príncipe) File:Senegal-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Senegalese Army) File:Seychelles Army OF-01b (2018).svg, Lieutenant
( Seychelles Infantry Unit) File:02-RSA-OF01b.svg, Lieutenant
( Singapore Army) File:SAA-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( South African Army) File:Spain-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Spanish Army) File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Sri Lanka Army) File:Sweden-Field-OF-1b (2019).svg,
(
Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...
) File:CHE OF1b Lt.svg,
( Swiss Army) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,

( Tajik Ground Forces) File:09-Tanzania Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant

( Tanzanian Army) File:Timor-Leste-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Timor-Leste Army) File:Togo-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Togolese Army) File:Tonga-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Tongan Land Component) File:TaT-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Trinidad and Tobago Regiment) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Turkmen Ground Forces) File:Uganda-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Ugandan Land Forces) File:UA shoulder mark 12.svg,

( Ukrainian Ground Forces) File:British Army OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
) File:Rank insignia of Leutnant (OF-1b) Pontifical Swiss Guard.svg,
( Swiss Guard) File:TTEEJB-GNB.png,
( Venezuelan Army) File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Uzbek Ground Forces) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant
( Zambian Army) File:Zimbabwe-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Zimbabwe National Army)


Marine rank

The
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
and British
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
both use army ranks, while many former Eastern-Bloc marine forces retain the naval rank structure. Before 1999 the Royal Marines enjoyed the same rank structure as the army, but at a grade higher; thus a Royal Marine captain ranked with and was paid the same as a British Army major. This historical remnant caused increasing confusion in multi-national operations and was abolished. File:Generic-Navy-3.svg,
( Colombian Naval Infantry) File:Maldives Army OF-1a.svg,

( Maldivian Marine Corps) File:Spain-Marines-OF-1b.svg,
( Spanish Marine Infantry) File:Sweden-Navy-OF-1b (Amphibious).svg,
( Swedish Amphibious Corps) File:British Royal Marines OF-1b.svg,
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
)


Air force rank

While some air forces use the army rank system, the British
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
and many other Commonwealth air forces use another rank system in which flight lieutenant ranks with an army captain and naval lieutenant, a flying officer ranks with an army lieutenant and a pilot officer with an army second lieutenant. File:RAAF O3 rank.png, Flight lieutenant
( Royal Australian Air Force) File:CDN-Air Force-Lieutenant (OF1A)-2015.svg, Lieutenant
( Royal Canadian Air Force) File:Indian IAF OF-2.svg, Flight lieutenant
( Indian Air Force) File:Teniente de la FAM.gif,
( Mexican Air Force) File:RO-Airforce-OF-2bs.PNG,
( Romanian Air Force) File:SAAF-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(
South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...
) File:Tte-ea.svg,
( Spanish Air Force) File:SWE-Airforce-löjtnant.png,
( Swedish Air Force) File:Thai air O2.png, Flight lieutenant
( Royal Thai Air Force) File:British RAF OF-2.svg, Flight lieutenant
(
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
)
In the US Air Force, the Third Lieutenant Program refers specifically to a training program at active duty air force bases for cadets of the Air Force Academy and Air Force ROTC the summer before their fourth and final year before graduation and commissioning. A single silver or subdued pip is used to designate this rank. The Royal Air Force also has an acting pilot officer designation, the most junior commissioned rank in the British armed forces. It is functionally equivalent to third lieutenant.


Naval rank

During the early days of the naval rank, a lieutenant might be very junior indeed, or might be on the cusp of promotion to captain; by modern standards, he might rank with any army rank between second lieutenant and lieutenant colonel. As the rank structure of navies stabilized, and the ranks of commander, lieutenant commander and sub-lieutenant were introduced, the naval lieutenant came to rank with an army captain (NATO OF-2 or US O-3). The insignia of a lieutenant in many navies, including the Royal Navy, consists of two medium gold braid stripes (top stripe with loop) on a navy blue or black background. Where in Myanmar Navy, they're Sub Lieutenant with the insignia of 2 gold stars. This pattern was copied by the United States Navy and various Air Forces for their equivalent ranks grades, except that the loop is removed (see flight lieutenant). File:French Navy-Rama NG-OF1b.svg, France File:GR-Navy-OF2.svg, Greece File:IN Lieutenant.png, India File:PN LTSG WhtDr.svg, Philippines (Lieutenant Senior Grade) File:POR-Navy-primeiro-tenente.png, Portugal File:Russia-Navy-OF-1b.svg, Russia File:US Navy O3 insignia.svg, United States File:08. Myanmar Navy 1LT.png, Myanmar


Lieutenant commander

Lieutenants were commonly put in command of smaller vessels not warranting a commander or captain: such a lieutenant was called a "lieutenant commanding" or "lieutenant commandant" in the United States Navy, and a "lieutenant in command" or "lieutenant and commander" in the Royal Navy. The USN settled on "lieutenant commander" in 1862, and made it a distinct rank; the Royal Navy followed suit in March 1914. The insignia of an additional half-thickness stripe between the two full stripes of a lieutenant was introduced in 1877 for a Royal Navy lieutenant of 8 years seniority, and used for lieutenant commanders upon introduction of their rank.


Senior lieutenant


First lieutenant


"First lieutenant" in naval use

The first lieutenant in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
and other Commonwealth navies, 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. Although lieutenants are no longer numbered by seniority, the post of "first lieutenant" remains. In minor war vessels, destroyers and frigates the first lieutenant (either a lieutenant or lieutenant-commander) is second in command, executive officer (XO) and head of the executive branch; in larger ships where a commander of the warfare specialization is appointed as the executive officer, a first lieutenant (normally a lieutenant-commander) 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. In the U.S. Navy or U.S. Coast Guard the billet of first lieutenant describes the officer in charge of the deck department or division, depending upon the size of the ship. In smaller ships with only a single deck division, the billet is typically filled by an ensign while in larger ships with a deck department, consisting of multiple subordinate divisions, the billet may be filled by a lieutenant commander. On submarines and smaller Coast Guard cutters the billet of first lieutenant may be filled by a petty officer.


Second lieutenant

Second lieutenant is usually the most junior grade of commissioned officer. In most cases, newly commissioned officers do not remain at the rank for long before being promoted, and both university graduates and officers commissioned from the ranks may skip the rank altogether.


Third lieutenant


United States rank

In March 1813, the US Army created the rank of third lieutenant. The rank was used as the entry level officer rank for the Ordnance Department and the Corps of Artillery until March 1821. Throughout the 19th century and until as late as World War II the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
sometimes referred to brevet second lieutenants as "third lieutenants". These were typically newly commissioned officers for which no authorized second lieutenant position existed. Additionally, the Confederate States Army also used "third lieutenant", typically as the lowest ranking commissioned officer in an infantry company. Notably, the United States Revenue Cutter Service used a simple officer rank structure with Captain, First, Second and Third Lieutenants, each of whom had distinct insignia. The title of Third Lieutenant, essentially equal to the rank of ensign, existed until 1915 when the Service became the nucleus of the new United States Coast Guard. Because of the time required to fully establish this organization the rank continued for some time afterwards; the first Coast Guard aviator, Elmer F. Stone, was a third lieutenant until 1918.


Sub-lieutenant

In the Royal Navy, the commissioned rank of mate was created in 1840, and was renamed sub-lieutenant in 1860. In the US Navy, the rank was called master until 1883, when it was renamed lieutenant, junior grade. In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant, but in Brazil it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain it is the second highest non-commissioned rank. In Portugal, sub-lieutenant is the rank of a junior naval officer graduated from a civil university or promoted from a NCO rank, while the equivalent rank of an officer graduated in the naval academy is designated midshipman.


Other uses


Police rank


France and the French Union

The first French Lieutenant of Police, Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, was appointed in Paris by Louis XIV on 15 March 1667 to command a reformed police force. He was later elevated to Lieutenant-General of Police. In the 17th century, the term "lieutenant" corresponded to "deputy" (i.e. a person appointed to carry out a task). La Reynie was the deputy for policing duties of the Provost of Paris, the ceremonial representative of the King in Paris. In 1995, the rank of ''lieutenant'' was introduced in the National Police as the first rank of the police officers scale.


United Kingdom and Commonwealth police forces

The rank of Lieutenant was formerly used in areas outside of the Metropolitan Police. The adoption of standardized ranks across the United Kingdom has eliminated its use. A number of city and burgh police forces in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
used the rank of lieutenant (and detective lieutenant) between inspector and superintendent from 1812 to 1948. It was replaced by the rank of chief inspector. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (founded 1871) had the rank of lieutenant between staff sergeant and inspector until 1997. In Australia, Queensland's first police force (founded 1864) had second lieutenants and lieutenants between the ranks of sergeant and inspector-general.


United States police forces

The rank of police lieutenant is used in most medium or large police departments in the United States, where it is one rank above sergeant and two ranks above a regular police officer (three in departments with a corporal rank). It is roughly equivalent to an inspector in the British and Canadian police forces. The usual role of a lieutenant is to carry out administrative duties and assist precinct commanders (normally a captain, or sometimes the local police chiefs). In smaller police departments, they may command a precinct itself. Lieutenants either command a watch (8-hour "shift") of regular officers or a special unit for operations or investigations (like a Robbery-Homicide squad). The typical rank insignia for a lieutenant is a single silver bar (like that of an Army or Marine Corps First Lieutenant) or a single gold bar (like that of an Army or Marine Corps Second Lieutenant). Some police departments split the rank of lieutenant into two separate grades.


Other nations

File:Insignia PM O5.PNG, 1st Lieutenant
( Military Police (Brazil)) File:Insignia PM O6.PNG, 2nd Lieutenant
( Military Police (Brazil)) File:PNP PI.png, Police Lieutenant
( Philippine National Police) File:Portugal NRG OF-1b.svg,
( Portuguese National Republican Guard) File:Spain-Civil Guard-OF-1b.svg,
( Spanish Civil Guard) File:Ukrainian police shoulder mark 06.svg, Police Lieutenant
( National Police of Ukraine) File:US-O2 insignia.svg, US Police 1st Lieutenant
( Police ranks of the United States) File:US-O1 insignia.svg, US Police 2nd Lieutenant
( Police ranks of the United States) File:Russia-Police-OF-1b-2013.svg, ()
( Police of Russia)


Fire services rank


Singapore

In the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the rank of lieutenant (LTA) is the second-lowest commissioned rank. The rank insignia of LTA is two pips.


Political titles


Canada

In Canada, the representative of the Canadian monarch in each province is called the Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor exercises all the royal prerogative powers that the monarch holds.


France

In French history, "lieutenant du roi" was a title borne by the officer sent with military powers to represent the king in certain provinces. It is in the sense of a deputy that it has entered into the titles of more senior officers,
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
and lieutenant colonel.


United Kingdom

The British monarch's representatives in the counties of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
are called Lords Lieutenant. The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland performed the function of viceroy in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.


United States

The Lieutenant Governor is an official in state governments of 45 out of 50
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
, standing in for the governor when they are absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated. In the event a governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor typically becomes governor. In the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, a
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
serves as the
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states and in the five permanently inhabited territories, functioning as both
head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
and
head of government In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...
therein.


Other organisations


The Boys' Brigade

Leaders, or officers of the Boys' Brigade, particularly in the United Kingdom, are ranked as lieutenants after having completed their formal training, before which they are ranked as warrant officers. Officers serving in staff or command posts are awarded the "brevet" rank of captain, these officers then revert to their lieutenancy after having completed their tour of duty.


National Civil Defence Cadet Corps

The rank of cadet lieutenant (CLT) is given to officer cadet trainees who have passed their officer's course. The rank insignia of CLT is a pip and a bar below it. CLTs may be promoted to the rank of senior cadet lieutenant (S/CLT), which has a rank insignia of a pip and two bars below it.


The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army also uses lieutenant to denote first time officers, or clergymen/women.


See also

* Captain lieutenant * Military rank * Comparative military ranks * Tenentism


References


External links

* {{Authority control Military ranks Naval ranks Police ranks