field-grade officer
A colonel, a field-grade officer, reviews a map with two other officers in a tent.
Noun: A commissioned officer in the United States Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps holding a rank of major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel. This term categorizes officers who typically command units of battalion or brigade size and serve in senior staff positions.
The term "field-grade officer" is used to collectively refer to the middle tier of commissioned officers, above company-grade officers (captains and below) and below general officers. - After ten years of service, she was promoted to the rank of major, becoming a field-grade officer. - The planning meeting included all field-grade officers from the brigade.
- The term is primarily used in organizational, doctrinal, and force structure contexts within the U.S. military.
- It denotes a level of responsibility involving the planning and execution of operations for units typically consisting of several hundred to a few thousand personnel.
- Field officer: A synonym commonly used, especially in British and Commonwealth militaries.
- Company-grade officer: The officer tier below field-grade, including ranks from second lieutenant to captain.
- General officer: The officer tier above field-grade, including ranks from brigadier general and above.
- Field officer
- Senior officer (in a specific, contextual sense referring to this tier)
- The specific duties and command authority of a field-grade officer can vary by service branch and the specific unit of assignment.
- The term is a compound noun; its meaning is specific to the military rank structure and is not typically broken down or used metaphorically.
A colonel, a field-grade officer, reviews a map with two other officers in a tent.
- an officer holding the rank of major or lieutenant colonel or colonel