Captain    

Captain
CF tunic braid shown
Captain
CF tunic braid shown
Seniority
Above:	Lieutenant
Below:	Major

The army rank of Captain is an officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically the commander, or second in command, of a company or squadron (NB: in the U.S. Army, a squadron is a larger, battalion-equivalent, unit).

Captain is one rank above a lieutenant (or first lieutenant) and one below a major (or commandant).

The rank of captain should not be confused with the naval rank of captain or with the commonwealth air force rank of Group Captain, both of which are more senior.

History

Prior to the professionalization of the armed services of European nations subsequent to the French Revolution, a captain was a nobleman who purchased the right to head a company from the previous holder of that right. He would in turn receive money from another nobleman to serve as his lieutenant. The funding to provide for the troops came from the monarch or his government; the captain had to be responsible for it. If he was not, or was otherwise court-martialed, he would be dismissed ("cashiered"), and the monarch would receive money from another nobleman to command the company. Otherwise, the only pension for the captain was selling the right to another nobleman when he was ready to retire.

Air forces

In most countries the air force is the junior service and so air force ranks have been adopted or modified from one of the other services. Many, such as the United States Air Force, use a rank structure and insignia similar to those of the army.

However, the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries use a rank structure in which Flight Lieutenant is OF-2. A Group Captain is OF-5 and was derived from the naval rank of captain.

In the unified system of the Canadian Forces, however, the air force rank titles are identical to that of the Army, while the rank insignia is common to Army, Navy, and Air Force; thus, an air force or army captain wears two gold stripes on sleeve or epaulet (the same as a naval lieutenant), while the modern equivalent of the British group captain bears the rank and insignia of colonel, i.e. four gold stripes on sleeve or epaulet (same as a naval captain).

Etiquette

As a matter of etiquette in the U.S. Navy there is only one captain aboard a vessel. Therefore, if a captain (land) is at the officer's mess, he or she is given the courtesy title of Major (one rank higher) to be differentiated from the head of the ship.

United Kingdom

British rank insignia for a Captain

Captain (Capt) is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Captain in the Royal Navy is considerably more senior and the two ranks should not be confused.

A rank of 2nd Captain existed in the Ordnance at the time of the Battle of Waterloo.[1]

From 1 April, 1918 to 31 July, 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the junior officer rank of captain. It was superseded by the rank of flight lieutenant on the following day.

United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps

United States Army, Air Force and Marine Corps rank insignia for a Captain

Insignia of the Army and Air Force rank of Captain (O-3)In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, captain is a company grade officer rank, with the pay grade of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the below uniformed services. The insignia for the rank consists of two silver bars, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version.

Army and Marine Captains generally command company-sized units. When given such a command, they bear the title Company Commander. Captains also instruct at service schools and combat training centers and are often staff officers at the battalion level. In medical units (in all services except the Marine Corps), Captain is the entry-level rank for those possessing a doctorate in a healthcare related profession. In Judge Advocate General units in all services except the United States Marine Corps, Captain or First Lieutenant is the entry-level rank for lawyers who already have their Juris Doctor degree and have been admitted to the bar of at least one U.S. state or territory. Air Force Captains' authority varies by group assignment. In the operations group, senior captains may be flight commanders while more junior captains may be heads of departments. In the maintenance and mission support groups they are almost always flight commanders. In the medical group, Captains usually have little administrative responsibility as Captain is the entry level rank for many medical officers. Captains in the MSC, BSC, and NC corps, however, are sometimes assigned as flight commanders.

Early history

In the United States, the rank of captain first appeared in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. A captain was the officer placed in charge of a company of soldiers and was granted a commission from the regimental Colonel. A captain was afforded one to several Lieutenants, depending on the size of the company, and the captain’s commission could be revoked or expired at the end of a particular military campaign.

The Continental Navy used the rank of captain as the commander of a sailing vessel at war, with the captain having several lieutenants on board, as well as a Sailing Master to assist in their duties. This use of the rank carried over into the U.S. Navy. With the addition of the ranks of Commander and Lieutenant Commander between Lieutenant and Captain, a Navy Captain became equivalent in rank to an Army Colonel.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Captain (land). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Information concerning use of copyright protected material can be found at the CWwiki Copyright Policy Page.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Captain (British Army and Royal Marines). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Information concerning use of copyright protected material can be found at the CWwiki Copyright Policy Page.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Captain (United States). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Information concerning use of copyright protected material can be found at the CWwiki Copyright Policy Page.