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Thecommanding officer (CO) orcommander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is ageneral officer,commanding general (CG), is the officer incommand of amilitary unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as they see fit, within the bounds ofmilitary law. In this respect, commanding officers have significant responsibilities (for example, theuse of force, finances, equipment, theGeneva Conventions), duties (to higher authority, mission effectiveness,duty of care to personnel), and powers (for example, discipline andpunishment of personnel within certain limits of military law).
In some countries, commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank. Usually, there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued. The commanding officer is often assisted by anexecutive officer (XO) orsecond-in-command (2i/c), who handles personnel and day-to-day matters, and asenior enlisted advisor. Larger units may also havestaff officers responsible for various responsibilities.
In theBritish Army,Royal Marines, and many otherCommonwealth military andparamilitary organisations, the commanding officer of a unit is appointed. Thus the office of CO is an appointment.The appointment of commanding officer is exclusive to commanders of major units (regiments,battalions and similar sized units). It is customary for a commanding officer to hold the rank oflieutenant colonel, and they are usually referred to within the unit simply as "the colonel" or the CO. "The colonel" may also refer to the holder of an honorary appointment of a senior officer who oversees the non-operational affairs of a regiment. However, the rank of the appointment holder and the holder's appointment are separate. That is, not all lieutenant colonels are COs, and although most COs are lieutenant colonels, that is not a requirement of the appointment.
Sub-units and minor units (companies,squadrons andbatteries) and formations (brigades, divisions, corps and armies) do not have a commanding officer. The officer in command of a minor unit holds the appointment ofofficer commanding (OC). Higher formations have a commander (e.g. brigade commander) or ageneral officer commanding (GOC). Area commands have a commander-in-chief (e.g. C-in-C Land Army, C-in-C British Army of the Rhine). The OC of a sub-unit or minor unit is today customarily amajor (although formerly usually acaptain in infantry companies and often also in cavalry squadrons), although again the rank of the appointment holder and the holder's appointment are separate and independent of each other.
In some cases, independent units smaller than a sub-unit (e.g. a military police platoon that reports directly to a formation such as a brigade) will also have an OC appointed. In these cases, the officer commanding can be a captain or even a lieutenant. The commanders of administrative organisations, such as schools or wings, may also be designated officers commanding or commanders.
Appointments such as CO and OC may have specific powers associated with them. For example, they may have statutory powers to promote soldiers or to deal with certain disciplinary offences and award certain punishments. The CO of a unit may have the power to sentence an offender to 28 days' detention, whereas the OC of a sub-unit may have the power to sentence an offender to three days' restriction of privileges.
Commanders of units smaller than sub-units (e.g.platoons,troops andsections) are not specific appointments and officers or NCOs who fill those positions are simply referred to as the commander or leader (e.g. platoon commander, troop leader, section commander/leader, etc.).
In theRoyal Air Force, the title of commanding officer is reserved for station commanders or commanders of independent units, including flying squadrons. As with the British Army, the post of a commander of a lesser unit such as an administrativewing,squadron orflight is referred to as the officer commanding (OC).
In theRoyal Navy and many others, commanding officer is the official title of the commander of any ship, unit or installation. However, they are referred to as "the captain" no matter what their actual rank, or informally as"skipper" or even "boss".
In theUnited States, the status of commanding officer is duly applied to all commissioned officers who hold lawful command over a military unit, ship, or installation.
The commanding officer of acompany, usually acaptain, is referred to as thecompany commander (or thebattery/troop commander forartillery/cavalry) units. The commanding officer of abattalion (orsquadron ofcavalry/armored cavalry) is usually alieutenant colonel. The commanding officer of abrigade, acolonel, is thebrigade commander. At thedivision level and higher, however, the commanding officer is referred to as thecommanding general, as these officers holdgeneral officer rank.
Warrant officers in theUnited States Armed Forces are single career-track officers that can, and occasionally do, hold command positions within certain specialty units, i.e.Special Forces andArmy Aviation. However, warrant officers usually do not command if a commissioned officer is present; normally they serve asexecutive officer (2IC).
The commanding officer of acompany, usually acaptain, is referred to as thecompany commander or thebattery commander (forfield artillery andlow altitude air defense units). The commanding officer of abattalion or asquadron (Marine aviation), is usually alieutenant colonel. The commanding officer of aregiment,aviation group, orMarine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is acolonel. At theMarine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB),Marine Logistics Group (MLG),Marine Division (MARDIV),Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW),Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), andFleet Marine Force (FMF) levels; however, the commanding officer is referred to as thecommanding general, as these officers holdgeneral officer rank.
In theUnited States Navy andUnited States Coast Guard, commanding officer is the official title of the commander of a ship, but they are usually referred to as "the Captain" regardless of their actual rank: "Any naval officer who commands a ship, submarine or other vessel is addressed by naval custom as 'captain' while aboard in command, regardless of their actual rank."[1] They may be informally referred to as "Skipper", though allowing or forbidding the use of this form of address is the commanding officer's prerogative.
A prospective commanding officer (PCO) is a U.S. Navy officer who has been selected for his/her own command. The term is used in correspondence or in reference to the officer before they assume command of the unit (ship, squadron, unit, etc.).
If the sailor in command of a unit is an enlisted member, rather than a commissioned orwarrant officer, he or she is referred to as the "officer in charge" rather than "commanding officer". In the Coast Guard it is common for smaller cutters to be commanded by achief petty officer.
In theUnited States Air Force, the commanding officer of a unit is similarly referred to as the unit commander, such assquadron commander,group commander,wing commander, and so forth. Squadron commanders (the base unit of the United States Air Force) are usually majors or lieutenant colonels. Group commanders (made up of two or more squadrons) are usually colonels, while wing commanders may be colonels (typical wings) or generals (larger wings).
