CQ or charge of quarters is a tasked duty in which a
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
service member is to guard the front entrance to the
barracks
Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...
. In which the two
service members, one a
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) and the other a junior enlisted service member, sit at a desk to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic into the barracks. There are usually additional duties, such as sweeping the entryway, cleaning the entrance restrooms, and checking the barracks laundry room for laundry left overnight. Other duties may include performing radio checks every few hours with other
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
barracks and
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), ...
headquarters around the base or surrounding installations as well as bed checks to ensure service members are in their rooms with their doors locked by
curfew. For example, some U.S. Armed Forces service members stationed in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
have a curfew for being on post, and another one for being in their own individual rooms with their doors locked.
Weekend shifts usually start at 0700 hours (7:00 a.m.), depending on the
military branch and installation, and go for 24 hours. During the work week, the duty starts at between 1600 and 1630 hours (4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.), also known as
Close of Business (COB). Service members are typically excused from duties the following day after being relieved by a senior NCO, in most cases the unit's
first sergeant.
References
{{Reflist
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20100917122604/http://armybasic.org/portal/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=10
Military terminology of the United States