Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
rank in many
navies
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...
. The rank is
superior
Superior may refer to:
*Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind
Places
*Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state
*Lake ...
to a
lieutenant and subordinate to a
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
. The corresponding rank in most
armies and
air forces is
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
, and in the
Royal Air Force and other
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
air forces is
squadron leader.
The
NATO rank code is mostly OF-3.
A lieutenant commander is a department officer or the
executive officer
An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
(
second-in-command
Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation.
Usage
In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...
) on many warships and smaller shore installations, or the
commanding officer
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of a smaller ship/installation. They are also department officers in
naval aviation squadrons.
Etymology
Most Commonwealth and other navies address lieutenant commanders by their full rank or the positions they occupy ("captain" if in command of a vessel). The United States Navy, however, addresses officers by their full rank or the higher grade of the rank. For example, oral communications in formal and informal situations, a lieutenant (junior grade) is abbreviated as "lieutenant," and a lieutenant commander is abbreviated as "commander."
Origins
Lieutenants were commonly put in command of smaller vessels not warranting a commander 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 ...
. Such a lieutenant was called a "lieutenant commanding" or "lieutenant commandant" in the
United States Navy, and a "lieutenant in command," "lieutenant and commander," or "senior lieutenant" in the
Royal Navy. The USN settled on "lieutenant commander" in 1862 and made it a distinct rank. The RN followed suit in March 1914.
Canada
In the
Royal Canadian Navy, the rank is the
naval
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 ...
rank equal to
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the
army or
air force and is the first
senior officer rank. Lieutenant commanders are senior to
lieutenants (N) and to army and air force
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 ...
s, and are junior to
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
s and
lieutenant colonels
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
United Kingdom
Royal Navy
The insignia worn by a
Royal Navy lieutenant commander is two medium
gold braid
A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair.
The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...
stripes with one thin gold stripe running in between, placed upon a navy blue/black background. The top stripe has the ubiquitous loop used in all RN officer rank insignia, except for the rank of Midshipman. The RAF follows this pattern with its equivalent rank of
squadron leader.
Having fewer officer ranks than the army, the RN previously split some of its ranks by seniority (time in rank) to provide equivalence: hence a lieutenant with fewer than eight years seniority wore two stripes, and ranked with an army captain; a lieutenant of eight years or more wore two stripes with a thinner one in between, and ranked with a major. This distinction was ostensibly abolished when the rank of lieutenant commander was introduced, although promotion to the latter rank was automatic following accumulation of eight years’ seniority as a lieutenant. Automatic promotion was stopped at the start of the 21st Century and promotion is now only awarded on merit.
Royal Observer Corps
Throughout much of its existence, the British
Royal Observer Corps (ROC) maintained a rank of observer lieutenant commander. The ROC wore a
Royal Air Force uniform and their rank insignia appeared similar to that of an RAF
squadron leader except that the stripes were shown entirely in black. Prior to the renaming, the rank had been known as ''observer lieutenant (first class)''.
United States
In the
United States, the rank of lieutenant commander exists in the
United States Navy,
United States Coast Guard,
United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.
Within the U.S. Navy, lieutenant commanders are listed as
junior officers
Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below senior officers.
The ...
. There are two insignia used by U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant commanders. On service khakis and all working uniforms, lieutenant commanders wear a gold oak leaf collar device, similar to the ones worn by
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
s in the
United States Air Force and
United States Army, and identical to that worn by majors in the
United States Marine Corps. In all dress uniforms, they wear sleeve braid or shoulder boards bearing a single gold quarter-inch stripe between two gold half-inch strips (nominal size). Above or inboard of the stripes, they wear their speciality insignia (i.e., a star for officers of the line, single oak leaf for medical with silver acorn for Medical Corps, crossed oak leaves for
Civil Engineer Corps, United States shield for the Coast Guard, etc.) The
Uniformed Services of the United States designate the rank as O-4.
Gallery
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
( Antigua and Barbuda Coast Guard)
( Royal Australian Navy)
( Royal Bahamas Defence Force)
( Bangladesh Navy)
(Barbados Coast Guard
The Barbados Coast Guard is the maritime element of the Barbados Defence Force. Its responsibilities include territorial defence, patrolling Barbados' territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as well as conducting maritime law enforce ...
)
File:Belize Coast Guard OF-3.svg, Lieutenant commander
(Belize Coast Guard
The Belize Coast Guard (until 2016, the Belize National Coast Guard Service) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and the maritime and law enforcement service branch of Belize.
The new service began operations with seven impounded Eduar ...
)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg,
( Royal Brunei Navy)
)
( Royal Canadian Navy)
( Royal Danish Navy)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg,
(Ethiopian Navy
The Ethiopian Navy (), known as the Imperial Ethiopian Navy until 1974, was a branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force founded in 1955. It was disestablished in 1996 after the independence of Eritrea in 1991 left Ethiopia landlocked.
The ...
)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
( Republic of Fiji Navy)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
(Gambian Navy
The Gambia Armed Forces, also known as the Armed Forces of The Gambia, consists of three branches: the Gambia National Army (GNA), the Gambia Navy, and the Republican National Guard (RNG). It formerly included the Gambia National Gendarmerie (GNG) ...
)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
( Ghana Navy)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
( Guyanan Coast Guard)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
( Indian Navy)
)
(Irish Naval Service
The Naval Service ( ga, An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork.
Though preceded by earlier mar ...
)
( Jamaican Coast Guard)
( Latvian Naval Forces)
(Liberian National Coast Guard
The Liberian National Coast Guard is the naval force of Liberia, part of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Its main duties are law enforcement along Liberia's coast and in its maritime area, and aiding those in distress.
History
The Liberian National C ...
)
( Lithuanian Naval Force)
(Royal Malaysian Navy
The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of o ...
)
(Namibian Navy
The Namibian Navy is the maritime warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force.
History
Development of Namibia's navy has been slow, and the force was only formally established on 11 September 1998 as a maritime wing and in 2004 as a fully f ...
)
( Royal New Zealand Navy)
( Nigerian Navy)
(Pakistan Navy
ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...
)
( Papua New Guinea Maritime Element)
File:Generic-Navy-11.svg,
( Polish Navy)
( Romanian Naval Forces)
(Saint Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard
The Saint Kitts and Nevis Defence Force is the military of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It currently consists of an infantry unit (the St. Kitts Nevis Regiment) and a maritime unit (the St. Kitts Nevis Coast Guard). Both units having regular and reserv ...
)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
(Sierra Leone Navy
The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) are the armed forces of Sierra Leone, responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's borders and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of the 1991 Si ...
)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
(South African Navy
The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force.
The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prot ...
)
( Sri Lanka Navy)
(Tanzania Naval Command
The Tanzania Naval Command ( sw, Kamandi ya Jeshi la Majini) is the naval military branch of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF). It was established in 1971 with assistance from China.
History
In the years immediately following independ ...
)
File:Generic-Navy-5.svg, Lieutenant commander
( Tongan Maritime Force)
(Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard
The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the Tr ...
)
( Royal Navy)
( United States Navy)
( United States Coast Guard)
( Vanuatu Maritime Wing)
References
{{US officer ranks, collapse=collapsed
Naval ranks
Military ranks of Australia
Military ranks of Denmark