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First Lieutenant is a military rank.

The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see comparative military ranks), but in all cases it is common for it to be divided.

United Kingdom

In the British Army and Royal Marines, the rank is only Lieutenant, with no ordinal attached.

The Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and Fusilier regiments, the only branches which used Second Lieutenant (instead of Ensign or Cornet), did use the term First Lieutenant, but this ended when the whole Army switched to using Second Lieutenant in 1871.

In the Royal Navy, the rank of Lieutenant is equivalent to that of a Captain in the army. Aboard a ship, the senior lieutenant was designated as First Lieutenant (familiarly, "Number One") and was the effective second in command. First Lieutenant's often hold the confusingly named rank of Lieutenant-Commander (which actually designates a senior Lieutenant rather than a junior Commander). In smaller ships he also holds the position of Executive Officer, although in larger ships he is the XO's deputy.

United States

In the United States Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, First Lieutenant is the second-lowest ranking commissioned officer. It is one step above the rank of Second Lieutenant, usually promoted after 18 to 24 months service. A First Lieutenant usually leads more specialized platoons or may be the Executive Officer of a company-sized unit (110 to 140 personnel).

In the United States Navy, First Lieutenant is a position title and is held by the officer in command of the Deck department. On smaller ships, a First Lieutenant holds the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. On larger vessels, the position is held by a Lieutenant or, in the case of extremely large warships such as aircraft carriers, a Lieutenant Commander or even full Commander. However, on US submarines, where the deck department may only have a few junior sailors, the First Lieutenant may be a senior enlisted member, such as a first class petty officer or chief petty officer.

Other countries

Military ranks of the United States Army | Military ranks of the United States Air Force | United States Marine Corps ranks | Royal Navy

Premierløjtnant | Oberleutnant | ستوان | Eerste luitenant | Porucznik | Nadporočnik

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "First Lieutenant".

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