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Anexecutive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of anorganization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.
In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer (XO) is thesecond-in-command, reporting to thecommanding officer (CO). The XO is typically responsible for the management of day-to-day activities, freeing the commander to concentrate on strategy and planning the unit's next move.
While there is no clear line between principal executive officers and inferior executive officers, principal officers are high-level officials in theexecutive branch of U.S. government such as department heads of independent agencies. InHumphrey's Executor v. United States, 295 U.S. 602 (1935), the Court distinguished between executive officers and quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial officers by stating that the former serve at the pleasure of thepresident and may be removed at their discretion. The latter are removed only with procedures consistent with statutory conditions enacted by Congress. The decision by the Court was that theFederal Trade Commission was a quasi-legislative body because of other powers it had, and therefore, the president could not fire an FTC member for political reasons. Congress can't retain removal power over officials with executive function (Bowsher v. Synar). However, statutes can restrict removal if not purely executive (Humphrey's executor), but can't restrict removal of purely executive officer (Myers v. United States, 272 U.S. 52 (1926)). The standard is whether restriction "impedes the president's ability to perform his constitutional duty" (Morrison v. Olson, 487 U.S. 654 (1988)).
Inbusiness, executive officers are usually the top staff members of a corporation, thechief executive officer (CEO) being the best-known type. The definition varies; for instance, theCalifornia Corporate Disclosure Act defines "executive officers" as the five most highly compensated officers not also sitting on theboard of directors. In many insurance policies, executive officer means, in the case of a corporation, any chairman, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, president, or general counsel. In the case of asole proprietorship, an executive officer is the sole proprietor. In the case of apartnership, an executive officer is a managing partner, senior partner, or administrative partner. In the case of alimited liability company, an executive officer is any member, manager, or officer.
Incharities,voluntary sectors andNonprofit organizations, the executive officers are those appointed to drive the day-to-day decisions of the organization. This is normally a formal appointment made by the executive board of trustees. Specific responsibilities and scope vary and are usually called out in a governance document.
In the units of somemilitary forces, the executive officer is thesecond-in-command, reporting to thecommanding officer (CO).
In most non-naval military services that are land-based (except the U.S. Army, where an executive officer is the second-in-command of certain units) or in joint military organizations, the executive officer is an administrative staff position versus a command position. XOs in these positions typically assist a commander or deputy commander (or in the case of joint staffs or joint commands, a director) by managing day-to-day activities such as management of the senior officer's schedule, screening of documents or other products, and oversight of the senior officer's administrative support staff.
Management of individual assets in theairline industry is derived from the military terminology, where an executive officer orfirst officer, is the second in command of the aircraft. In a fixed wing aircraft, the first officer sits in the right-hand seat, but on a rotary wing aircraft, they sit on the left. Management of the airline as a whole is more in-line with the corporate example above.
The term 'Executive officer' is used in theIndian Navy. Abbreviated asEXO, the officer is the second-in-command of a ship or shore establishment. In theIndian Army, second-in-command (2IC) is the designation used.
The term XO is not used in mostBritish Army orRoyal Marines units, where the designation second-in-command (2i/c) is used as a formal appointment. However, the position does exist in some specialist regiments within the Royal Artillery where the exact duties vary. In theRoyal Air Force, the term XO is informally used between officers and airmen, referring to the officer who is second-in-command. It is, however, formally used in theRoyal Navy. In smaller vessels, such assubmarines andfrigates, the executive officer also holds the position offirst lieutenant. Originally, the second-in-command was usually referred to as the first lieutenant (or as "number one"), although it is becoming more common to hear the term XO. On larger ships of the Royal Navy, in which the XO holds the rank ofcommander, the XO is usually referred to simply as "the commander". The XO also heads the executive department.
There are executive officer slots in eachcompany,battalion,regiment, andbrigade, though generally not at higher levels of command until thearmy level. The XO is typically the second-in-command, and serves as the day-to-day manager of the command staff. The XO is typically responsible for the management of day-to-day activities, such as administration, maintenance, and logistics, freeing a commander to concentrate on tactical/operational planning and execution and ageneral officer commander to concentrate on similar planning and execution at the operational-strategic level. The XO may take charge in the absence of the commander, the exception being commands with a deputy commander, although recent army command reductions have either merged the two, or eliminated the deputy.
A few organizations within the army maintain authorizations for achief warrant officer to serve as an XO/2IC. One example of this is theModular Ammunition Platoon, where the ammunition technician acts as the second-in-command during the absence of the platoon leader. While the experience gained as an XO is highly beneficial for an army officer's professional development, it is not necessarily a prerequisite for a command position. At thearmy level of command, a commanding general will have a deputy commanding general as second in command and an "executive officer" on their personal staff who works as their liaison to the general staff and anaide-de-camp who takes care of their calendar and personal needs.
The executive officer is thebillet of the officer who is second-in-command at the company/battery,battalion/squadron, andMarine Expeditionary Unit (MEU)/regiment/aviationgroup (i.e., Marine Aircraft Group, Marine Air Control Group, and Marine Wing Support Group) level. Per theMarine Corps Manual, paragraph 1007.5: "The executive officer shall be an officer of the organization who is eligible to succeed to command, and normally will be the officer next in rank to the commander. As the direct representative of the commander, all orders issued by the executive officer shall have the same force and effect as though issued by the commander. The executive officer shall conform to and effectuate the policies and orders of the commander and shall be prepared to assume command at any time the need should arise." At higher levels of command, the second-in-command is the assistant division/wing commander or, in the case of aMarine Expeditionary Force (MEF), deputy commander. For those commands having a general officer (usually a brigadier general) in command without a designated assistant commander or deputy commander, such as aMarine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) orMarine Logistics Group (MLG), the chief of staff (a colonel) is the second-in-command. Unlike their U.S. Navy counterparts, XOs of U.S. Marine Corps squadrons inU.S. Naval Aviation do not "fleet up" to become CO.
The executive officer is the billet of the officer who is second-in-command. An XO is assigned to all ships, aviation squadrons, and shore units and installations, and is responsible to the captain for all ship's work, drills, exercises, personnel organization, and the policing and inspection of the ship. When the ship goes to action stations, the XO confirms that the ship actually is ready for combat and reports this to the captain. The XO's own action station is in a separate part of the ship from that of the captain, so that a single hit will not likely incapacitate both officers.[1] On small ships with nofirst lieutenant,gunnery officer, ornavigator, the executive officer may also be responsible for the duties of those officers.[2] Carrier air wings in the U.S. Navy do not have an XO, but have a deputy commander (DCAG) instead; for shore-based or functional naval air wings headed by a commodore, the equivalent position is the deputy commodore.
In the U.S. Coast Guard, on board small cutters and patrol boats that are commanded by either a junior officer or a senior enlisted member, executivechief petty officers or executive petty officers are usually assigned to serve as second-in-command.
On U.S.aircraft carriers, per Title 10United States Code, both the captain (i.e., the commanding officer or CO) and the XO assigned to the ship arenaval aviators ornaval flight officers. Although not specified by 10 U.S.C., large, air-capableamphibious assault ships will have one of the two senior positions (CO or XO) occupied by asurface warfare officer and the other by a naval aviator or naval flight officer, alternating at each change of command. Innaval aviation, in U.S. Navy squadrons (other than theFleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS) and the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron {viz., Blue Angels}), the XO will eventually "fleet up" to become the CO of that squadron after twelve to fifteen months as XO. This fleet up model was also adopted in the late 2000s for XO and CO positions of both large amphibious assault ships (but not aircraft carriers) andArleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers. In addition to operational and tactical responsibilities, XOs also shoulder most of the CO's administrative burden, to include oversight of the command's administrative officer (if assigned) and administrative department.
The term of XO in the Navy and Coast Guard should not be confused with the termexecutive assistant (EA) in those services, the latter being an officer in the rank ofcaptain (O-6) who serves either dual-hatted as, or in addition to, thechief of staff to aflag officer.
In the U.S. Air Force, XO is not a command or second-in-command position. Instead, it is used to designate a company grade officer or junior field grade officer who serves as a staff administrative assistant to a senior officer, starting with a commander at the squadron level or above (e.g., squadron, group, wing, numbered air force, major command).[3] In the other uniformed services, this position may be called an aide, an "executive assistant" or anadjutant.
Like the Army, while experience gained as an XO is highly beneficial for an Air Force officer's professional development, it is not necessarily a prerequisite for a command position. However, it is often the norm that nearly all Air Force commanders will have been an XO at some point earlier in their careers.[4][5] For officers holding second-in-command positions, the U.S. Air Force uses the titles of "vice commander" (CV), or "deputy commander" (CD) for an officer who serves as the second-in-command for an organization abovesquadron level. For a squadron level organization, the second-in-command is typically termed the "director of operations" or "operations officer" (DO). These latter terms were previously used for similar positions at the group and wing level until renamed as the "operations group commander (OG/CC). The rank of an executive officer in the U.S. Air Force can vary from a junior officer supporting a mid level commander up to a senior field grade (FGO) supporting a general officer.
The U.S. Air Force uses the termexecutive officer for officers assigned as personal staff officers to general officers. Their role is similar toaides-de-camp in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, andflag aides and flag lieutenants in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.
A unique application of the term is executive officer to theSupreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and commander,United States European Command. This position is typically held by abrigadier general orrear admiral (lower half) and is drawn from all of the armed services. The duties involve serving as both an "executive assistant" to the SACEUR and also includes command responsibilities for the U.S. military community atSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium.[6]
