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| Lieutenant commander | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of the rank of lieutenant commander | |
| Country |  United States |
| Service branch |  United States Navy United States Coast Guard United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps US Maritime Service |
| Abbreviation | LCDR |
| Rank group | Senior officer |
| NATOrank code | OF-3 |
| Pay grade | O-4 |
| Next higher rank | Commander |
| Next lower rank | Lieutenant |
| Equivalent ranks | Major |
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Lieutenant commander (LCDR) is asenior officer rank in theUnited States Navy, theUnited States Coast Guard, theUnited States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), with the pay grade of O-4 andNATO rank code OF-3. Lieutenant commander ranks abovelieutenant and belowcommander. The rank is also used in theUnited States Maritime Service. The rank is equivalent to amajor in theUnited States Army,United States Air Force,United States Marine Corps, andUnited States Space Force.
When introducing a lieutenant commander, their full rank should always be used; however, in general conversation they are usually called "commander" even though they are not "full" commanders (which is one rank higher). Simply "lieutenant" is never used because it is one rank lower.
Promotion to lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy is governed byUnited States Department of Defense policies derived from theDefense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest 80% of lieutenants should be promoted to lieutenant commander after serving a minimum of three years as lieutenants and after attaining nine to eleven years of cumulative commissioned service.[citation needed]
While lieutenant commander is the U.S. Navy's first commissioned officer rank to be selected by a board, lieutenant commanders are still considered to be junior officers due to their origin as "lieutenant, commanding".[1][failed verification] This can be seen by lieutenant commanders not wearing the headgear embellishment (colloquially known as "scrambled eggs") on theircombination covers.[a][citation needed]
The U.S. Coast Guard used its own rank system untilWorld War I. In 1916, discontent grew among Coast Guard captains:[2] By law, they ranked below a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy despite similar roles and duties. Pursuant to the Appropriations Act of 1918, the Coast Guard adopted the U.S. Navy rank structure to prevent disagreements over seniority.[3]
There are two insignia used by lieutenant commanders. On service khakis and all working uniforms, lieutenant commanders wear a gold oak leaf collar device, similar to the ones worn by majors in theUnited States Air Force andUnited States Army, and identical to that worn by majors in theUnited 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). In the case of officers of the U.S. Navy, above or inboard of the stripes, they wear their specialty insignia, notably a star for officers of the line, crossed oak leaves for Civil Engineer Corps.[4]
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