In the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, Marine Corps,

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

and Space Force, lieutenant colonel is a senior officer rank, just above the rank of major and just below the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. It is equivalent to the naval rank of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

in the other

uniformed services Uniformed services is an abstract term that are generally bodies of people in employment of a state who wear a distinct uniform that differentiates them from the public and private sector. Their purpose is to foster the equality, security, saf ...

. The pay grade for the rank of lieutenant colonel is O-5. In the United States armed forces, the insignia for the rank is a silver oak leaf, with slight stylized differences between the version of the Army and the Air Force and that of the Navy and the Marine Corps. Promotion to lieutenant colonel is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) of 1980, for officers in the Active Component, and its companion Reserve Officer Personnel Management Act (ROPMA), for officers in the Reserve Component (e.g., Reserve and

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

). DOPMA guidelines suggest that 70 percent of majors be promoted to lieutenant colonel after serving at least three years at their present rank and after 15–17 years of cumulative commissioned service.

Orthography

The U.S. Army uses the three letter abbreviation "LTC," while the Marine Corps and Air Force use the abbreviations of "LtCol" and "Lt Col" (note the space), respectively. These abbreviation formats are also outlined in ''The Naval Institute Guide to Naval Writing'' and in Air Force Handbook 33-337 (AFH 33-337), ''The Tongue and Quill''. The United States Government Publishing Office recommends the abbreviation "LTC" for U.S. Army usage, "LtCol" for Marine Corps usage, and "Lt. Col." for the Air Force. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends the abbreviation "Lt. Col." for the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

Slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

terms for the rank historically used by the U.S. military include "light colonel", "short colonel", "light bird", "half colonel", "walking colonel", "bottlecap colonel" (referring to the silver oak leaf insignia), and "telephone colonel" (from self-reference as "colonel" when using a telephone).

History

The rank of lieutenant colonel has existed in the British Army since at least the 16th century and was used in both American colonial militia and colonial regular

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

s. The

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

continued the British and colonial use of the rank of lieutenant colonel, as the second-in-command to a

commanding a regiment. The lieutenant colonel was sometimes known as "lieutenant to the colonel." In British practice, regiments were commanded by their lieutenant colonels, as the

was a titular position (with the incumbent absent from the regiment serving as a senior staff officer, a

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

, or as a member of the nobility). Since the British

was not a "combat" officer, beginning in May 1778 to simplify prisoner-of-war exchanges, American regiments began to eliminate colonels by attrition and replace them with lieutenant colonel commandant. The conversion was never completely effected and some regiments remained commanded by colonels throughout the war. From 1784 until 1791, there was only one lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army ( Josiah Harmar), who acted as the army's commanding officer. In the Continental Army aides to the Commander in Chief, viz.,

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, were lieutenant colonels. Additionally, certain officers serving under the Adjutant General, Inspector General, and Judge Advocate General, ranked as lieutenant colonels. During the 19th century, lieutenant colonel was often a terminal rank for many officers, since the full rank "colonel" was considered extremely prestigious and reserved only for the most successful officers. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, the rank of lieutenant colonel became much more common and was used as a "stepping stone" for officers who commanded small

s or

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s and were expected, by default, to be promoted to full colonel once the manpower of a regiment grew in strength. Such was the case of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who commanded a Maine regiment as both a lieutenant colonel and later as a colonel. After the Civil War ended, those officers remaining in the military found lieutenant colonel to again be a terminal rank, although many lieutenant colonels were raised to higher positions in a brevet status. Such was the case with George A. Custer, who was a lieutenant colonel in the

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

, but held the brevet rank of major general. The 20th century saw lieutenant colonel in its present-day status although, during the 1930s, many officers again found the rank to be terminal as the rank of

was reserved for only a select few officers.

Modern usage

In the

and the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

(USMC), a lieutenant colonel typically commands a

- or squadron-sized unit (300 to 1,200 Soldiers or Marines), with a major as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

(XO) and a command sergeant major or

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

(USMC) as principal

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

(NCO) or senior enlisted adviser (SEA). A lieutenant colonel may also serve as a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

brigade combat team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic Military deployment, deployable Military unit, unit of maneuver in the United States Army, U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver Brigade (United States Army), b ...

/ regimental combat team, Marine Aviation Group (MAG), Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), or battalion

task force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

. Lieutenant colonels routinely serve as principal staff officers, under a colonel as chief of staff, on a

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

("G" staff) of a division, Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), or Marine Logistics Group (MLG). These staff positions include G-1 (administration and personnel), G-2 (intelligence), G-3 (operations), G-4 (logistics), G-5 (planning), G-6 (computers and communications), and G-9 (Civil Affairs). "The G-''n''" may mean either a specific staff section or the staff officer leading a section. Lieutenant colonels may also be junior staff at a variety of higher echelons. In the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, a lieutenant colonel is generally a squadron commander in the operations group, mission support group, maintenance group, or squadron commander or division chief in a medical group. The lieutenant colonel also may serve as a Director of Operations (DO) in a squadron in the operations group before assuming command of his or her own squadron (this is common for rated officers in flying units), or as a deputy commander of a squadron in the maintenance, mission-support, or medical group. Lieutenant colonels may serve also on general staff and may be the heads of some wing staff departments. Air Force lieutenant colonels in the acquisition career fields can be selected to serve as "Materiel Leaders" (Program Managers or Branch Chiefs), similar to how other Air Force lieutenant colonels are selected to serve as squadron commanders. Senior lieutenant colonels occasionally serve as group commanders, most commonly in units of the

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

and the Air National Guard. In U.S. Army ROTC detachments, the commander is typically a lieutenant colonel, with several majors, captains, and non-commissioned officers serving as assistants. In the U.S. Air Force, Air Force ROTC detachments may be commanded by full colonels or lieutenant colonels, depending on the size of the detachment and the size of the associated college or university.

Insignia

File:US Army O5 (Army greens).svg, U.S. Army rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel. File:US Marine O5 shoulderboard vertical.svg, U.S. Marine Corps rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel. File:US Air Force O5 shoulderboard.svg, U.S. Air Force rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel. File:US_Space-force_O5.svg, U.S. Space Force rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel.

Notable American lieutenant colonels

* Allen Allensworth (U.S. Army) * Eben Bartlett (U.S. Army), member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral State legislature (United States), legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members com ...

* Aaron Burr (Continental Army) * Benjamin Busch (U.S. Marine Corps), TV and film actor * James Pratt Carter (U.S. Army) * Ernest Childers (U.S. Army),

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Jerry Coleman (U.S. Marine Corps) * Robert G. Cole (U.S. Army),

recipient * David P. Cooley (U.S. Air Force) * Philip Corso (U.S. Army) * Bruce P. "Snake" Crandall (U.S. Army),

recipient for his actions at Ia Drang. * George Armstrong Custer (U.S. Army) * James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle (U.S. Air Force),

recipient for his raid on Tokyo *

Tammy Duckworth Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel serving since 2017 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States ...

(U.S. Army), U.S. Senator (D-Illinois) * Charity Adams Earley (U.S. Army), first African-American woman to become an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps *

Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American politician and retired military officer serving since 2015 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa. A member of the ...

(Iowa Army National Guard), U.S. Senator (R-Iowa) * William Montague Ferry Jr. (U.S. Army) * Rick Francona (U.S. Air Force) * John C. Fremont (U.S. Army) *

Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving as the director of National Intelligence, director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She has held the rank of Lieutenant colonel (United Stat ...

(U.S. Army), incumbent

Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a Cabinet of the United States#Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials, cabinet-level Federal government of the United States, United States government intelligence and security official. The p ...

(2025-present) * Gregory D. Gadson (U.S. Army) * Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom (U.S. Air Force) * Dave Grossman (U.S. Army), professor of psychology and military science, author, and speaker * David "Bull" Gurfein (U.S. Marine Corps) * Iceal Hambleton (U.S. Air Force) *

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

(Continental Army) * Anthony B. Herbert (U.S. Army) * Christopher B. Howard (U.S. Air Force) * Lisa Jaster (U.S. Army), first female USAR officer to become a Ranger School graduate. * Shawna R. Kimbrell (U.S. Air Force), the first female African-American fighter pilot * Gus Kohntopp (U.S. Air National Guard) * Robert Kuertz (U.S. Air Force), Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air and Space Commendation Medal, Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Air and Space Longevity Service Award, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal * John Laurens (Continental Army) * Bruce R. McConkie (U.S. Army), apostle,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

* Bob McDonnell (U.S. Army), former Republican Attorney General and Governor of Virginia. * Amy McGrath (U.S. Marine Corps), political candidate, first female pilot to fly the F/A-18 on a combat mission *

Hal Moore Harold Gregory Moore Jr. (February 13, 1922 – February 10, 2017) was a United States Army Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general and author. As a Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel, he commanded the 1st Bat ...

(U.S. Army), famous for his actions at Ia Drang * Michael Mori (U.S. Marine Corps), lawyer and military judge (retired), known for representing David Hicks * Dick Muri (U.S. Air Force) * Oliver North (U.S. Marine Corps) * Ellison S. Onizuka (U.S. Air Force) * Ralph Peters (U.S. Army) * Rob Riggle (U.S. Marine Corps) * William R. Rowley (U.S. Army) * Stuart Scheller (U.S. Marine Corps) * Richard Scheuring (U.S. Army) * Francis R. Scobee (U.S. Air Force) * John Shimkus (U.S. Army), U.S. Representative from Illinois * Ronald Speirs (U.S. Army) * Michael Strobl (U.S. Marine Corps) *

Tench Tilghman Tench Tilghman (, December 25, 1744April 18, 1786) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He served as an aide-de-camp to General (United States), General George Washington, achieving the Military rank, rank ...

(Continental Army) * William Travis (Texas Militia) * Matt Urban (U.S. Army) * John Paul Vann (U.S. Army) * Alexander Vindman (U.S. Army) * Allen West (U.S. Army), former U.S. Representative from Florida * Ed White (U.S. Air Force) * Earl Woods (U.S. Army)

References