Definition

Noun: - A commissioned officer of intermediate rank: A "field officer" is a military officer holding one of the senior ranks between company-grade officers and general officers, specifically major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel. These officers typically command units of battalion size or larger and operate at the tactical and operational levels of warfare.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The decision was made by the field officers on the ground. (The majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels present at the location made the decision.)
  • Promotion to field officer requires significant leadership experience. (Advancing to the rank of major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel needs considerable experience in leading people.)
  • The general met with his field officers to discuss the strategy. (The general officer consulted with his majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels.)

Advanced Usage

• "Field officer ranks": This phrase explicitly refers to the set of ranks comprising major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel.
  • He spent fifteen years in the field officer ranks before his promotion to brigadier general.

Variants and Related Words

• Field-grade officer: A direct synonym for "field officer," used interchangeably in many military contexts.

  • The ceremony honored retiring field-grade officers.

• Company-grade officer: A related term for officers of lower rank (second lieutenant, first lieutenant, captain) who typically command company-sized units.

• General officer: A related term for officers of higher rank (brigadier general and above) who command at the operational and strategic levels.

Synonyms

• Field-grade officer: The most common and precise synonym.
• Senior officer: A broader, less specific term that can also include general officers.

Notes on Meaning

The term "field officer" is specific to military hierarchy. It does not refer to an officer who merely works "in the field" as opposed to an office. All officers may work in the field, but only those holding the specific ranks of major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel are formally designated as "field officers."

Noun

1. an officer holding the rank of major or lieutenant colonel or colonel