A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a

junior commissioned officer Junior commissioned officer (JCO) is a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar (non-commissioned officer) and lower than lieutenant (commissioned officer). The term is only used by Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Senior havi ...

rank in the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

of many nations, as well as

fire service A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...

emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

security services Security Service or security service may refer to: Government * Security agency, a nation's institution for intelligence gathering * List of security agencies (MI5, NSA, KGB, etc.) * (SD), Nazi German agency which translates as "Security Servi ...

and

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

forces. The rank in armies and air forces is often subdivided into subcategories of seniority. In English-speaking navies, lieutenants are often equivalent to the army rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

; in other navies, the lieutenants are usually equal to their army counterparts. ''Lieutenant'' may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure. It often designates someone who is "

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...

", and as such, may precede the name of the rank directly above it. For example, a "lieutenant master" is likely to be second-in-command to the "master" in an organisation using both ranks. Political uses include

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in various governments, such as the viceregal representatives of the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

Canadian provinces Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North America—New Brunswick, N ...

. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, a

lord lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

is the sovereign's representative in a county or

lieutenancy area Lieutenancy areas (), officially counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, are the separate areas of the United Kingdom that are appointed to a lord-lieutenant – a representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have s ...

, while a deputy lieutenant is one of the lord lieutenant's deputies.

Etymology

The word ''lieutenant'' derives from

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

; the meaning "place" as in a position (

cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...

in lieu of); and meaning "holding" as in "holding a position"; thus a "lieutenant" is a placeholder for a superior, during their absence (compare the Latin ). In the 19th century, British writers who considered this word either an imposition on the English language, or difficult for common soldiers and sailors, argued for it to be replaced by the

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...

"steadholder". However, their efforts failed, and the French word is still used, along with its many variations (e.g. lieutenant colonel,

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 ...

, lieutenant commander, flight lieutenant, second lieutenant and many non-English language examples), in both the Old and the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

Pronunciation

Pronunciation of ''lieutenant'' as is generally associated with the armies of

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...

countries, while is generally associated with the United States military.

American Heritage Dictionary American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, s.v
"Lieutenant"
The early history of the pronunciation is unclear;

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

spellings suggest that both pronunciations may have existed even then. The majority of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources show pronunciations with or , but Bullokar has . The rare

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

variant spelling for Modern French () supports the suggestion that a final of the Old French word was in certain environments perceived as an . Furthermore, in Latin, the ''lingua franca'' of the era, the letter is used for both and . In Royal Navy, Royal Naval (RN) tradition—and other English-speaking navies outside the United States—a reduced pronunciation is used. This is not recognised as current by recent editions of the ''

OED The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'' (although the RN pronunciation was included in editions of the ''OED'' up until the 1970s).

Military rank

Lieutenant

The senior grade of lieutenant is known as first lieutenant in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and as lieutenant in the

and the rest of the

English-speaking The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

world. In countries that do not speak English, the rank title usually translates as "lieutenant", but may also translate as "first lieutenant" or "senior lieutenant". The Israel Defense Forces rank ''segen'' (סגן) literally translates as "deputy", which is equivalent to a lieutenant. In the Finnish military there is a senior lieutenant grade that ranks above lieutenant and second lieutenant but below captain; it does not have an English equivalent. In Germany it is called (senior lieutenant).

Army rank

Conventionally, armies and other services or branches that use army-style rank titles have two grades of lieutenant, but a few also use a third, more junior, rank. Historically, the "lieutenant" was the deputy to a "captain", and as the rank structure of armies began to formalise, this came to mean that a

commanded a

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 ...

and had several lieutenants, each commanding a

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

. Where more junior officers were employed as deputies to the lieutenant, they went by many names, including second lieutenant, sub-lieutenant,

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

and

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

. Some parts of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, including the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

and

fusilier ''Fusilier'' is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While ''fusilier'' is derived from the 17th-century French word – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in cont ...

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, used first lieutenant as well as second lieutenant until the end of the 19th century, and some British Army regiments still preserve cornet as an official alternative to second lieutenant. There is great variation in the insignia used worldwide. In most English-speaking and Arabic-speaking countries, as well as a number of European and South American nations, full lieutenants (and equivalents) usually wear two stars (pips) and second lieutenants (and equivalents) one. An example of an exception is the United States, whose armed forces distinguish their lieutenant ranks with a silver bar for first lieutenant and a gold bar for second lieutenant. File:08.AlgA-1LT.svg,

(

Algerian Land Forces The Algerian Land Forces (, ) are the Army, land forces of the Algerian People's National Army. The forces' equipment is mostly supplied by Russia and China. The forces include two armoured and two mechanised divisions, one of which is the 8th ...

) File:Angola-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Angolan Army The Angolan Army () is the land component of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). History On August 1, 1974, a few months after a military coup d'état had overthrown the Lisbon regime and proclaimed its intention of granting independence to Angola, ...

) File:Argentina-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Argentine Army The Argentine Army () is the Army, land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander-in-chief of the Armed For ...

) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,

(

Armenian Ground Forces The Armenian Ground Forces () is the collective term for personnel branches of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia that are responsible for the country's land-based operations. It was established in conjunction with the other compon ...

) File:Australian Army OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

) File:Bundesheer - Rank insignia - Leutnant.png,
( Austrian Army) File:10.AzAF-LT.png,
(

Azerbaijani Land Forces The Azerbaijani Land Forces () are the land force component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to create professional, well trained, and mobile armed forces. Based on 2013 statistics, th ...

) File:Bangladesh-army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant

(

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army () is the land warfare branch, and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to defend the land of Bangladesh from any external attack. Control of personnel and operations is ad ...

) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,

(

Belarusian Ground Forces The Belarusian Ground Forces, also called the Belarusian army, is the land warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of Belarus. Since the abolition of the Main Staff of the Ground Forces in 2012, the three regional operational commands of the ...

) File:Army-BEL-OF-01a.svg,
(

Belgian Land Component The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component i ...

) File:Belize-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Belize Ground Forces) File:Benin Army OF-1b.svg,
( Benin Army) File:TteEB.svg,
(

Bolivian Army The Bolivian Army () is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. Figures on the size and composition of the Bolivian army vary considerably, with little official data available. It is estimated that the army has between 26,000 and 6 ...

) File:08.Bhutan Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
(

Royal Bhutan Army The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; ) is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty against security threats. The King of Bhutan is the Supreme Commander in Chie ...

) File:11.RBrLF-1LT.svg,
(

Royal Brunei Land Force The Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), natively known as (TDDB) is the land component of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) or (ABDB). The RBLF has responsibility for maintaining the territorial defence of Brunei Darussalam, both from attack ...

) File:Rank insignia of Лейтенант of the Bulgarian Army.png,

( Bulgarian Land Forces) File:09. Burkina Faso Army - 1LT.svg,
( Burkina Faso Ground Forces) File:Burundi-Army-OF-1a.svg,

( Burundi Ground Forces) File:Cameroon-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Cameroon Ground Forces) File:Canadian Army OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant

(

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

) File:Cape Verde-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Cape Verdean National Guard) File:11.CAGF-1LT.svg,
( Central African Ground Forces) File:Chad-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Chadian Ground Forces The Chadian Ground Forces (, ) are the main and largest component of the Military of Chad, Chadian National Army. Historically Chad has had one of the strongest armies in the Sahara Desert, Sahara region, larger than the Malian Army, Malian or Cen ...

) File:SS.OO.3.EJER.TENIENTE.svg,
(

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

) File:Colombia-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Colombian Army The National Army of Colombia () is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, and is the second largest army in the ...

) File:Comoros-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Comorian Army The Comorian Armed Forces (; ) are the national military of the Comoros. The armed forces consist of a small standing army and a 500-member police force, as well as a 500-member defense force. A defense treaty with France provides naval resources f ...

) File:DR Congo Army OF-1b.svg,
( Land Forces of the DR Congo) File:09-ROCongo Army-1LT.svg,
( Congolese Ground Forces) File:Cuba-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Cuban Revolutionary Army The Cuban Revolutionary Army () serve as the ground forces of Cuba. Formed in 1868 during the Ten Years' War, it was originally known as the Cuban Constitutional Army. Following the Cuban Revolution, the revolutionary military forces was recon ...

) File:Denmark-Army-OF-1a-M11.svg,
(

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army (; ; ) is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods ...

) File:Djibouti-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Djiboutian Army The Djiboutian National Army is the largest branch of the Djibouti Armed Forces and is based in the Djiboutian capital of Djibouti. Djibouti has upgraded its Ground Forces with advanced additions from domestic engineering and modifications. It mu ...

) File:10.ECA-1LT.svg,
(

Ecuadorian Army The Ecuadorian Army () is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 25,650 active soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine. The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jungle and special forces infantry un ...

) File:El-Salvador-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Salvadoran Army The Salvadoran Army (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Ejército Salvadoreño'') is the land branch and largest of the Armed Forces of El Salvador. History The Football War The Football War (also called The Soccer War or 100-hours War) was a ter ...

) File:08. EGLF-1LT.svg,
( Army of Equatorial Guinea) File:ES-Army-OF13.svg,
(

Estonian Land Forces The Estonian Land Forces (), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. The Estonian Land Forces is currently the ...

) File:Fijian-OF-01b.svg, Lieutenant
(

Fiji Infantry Regiment The Fiji Infantry Regiment is the main combat element of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. It is a light infantry regiment consisting of six battalions, of which three are regular army and three are Territorial Force. The regiment was formed ...

) File:Luutnantti M05.svg,

(

Finnish Army The Finnish Army ( , ) is the army, land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, Combat engineering, engineer ...

) File:Army-FRA-OF-01a.svg,
(

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

) File:10.GLF-LT.svg,
(

Gabonese Army The Armed Forces of Gabon (), officially the Gabonese Defense and Security Forces (), is the national professional military of Gabon, divided into the Army, Air Force, Navy, and a National Gendarmerie, consisting of about 5,000 personnel. The arme ...

) File:Georgia Army OF-1b.png,

(

Georgian Land Forces The Georgian Land Forces ( ka, საქართველოს სახმელეთო ძალები) are the land force component of the Defense Forces of Georgia. They are the largest branch of the military and constitute the bulk o ...

) File:HD H 41 Leutnant FschJg.svg,
(

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

) File:08-Ghana Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
(

Ghana Army The Ghana Army is the principal land warfare force of Ghana. In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast became independent from the British Empire, the Ghana Regiment, Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West ...

) File:Guatemala-army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Guatemalan Army The Guatemalan Armed Forces () is the unified military organization comprising the Guatemalan Army, Navy, Air Force, and Presidential Honor Guard. The president of Guatemala is the commander-in-chief of the military, and formulates policy, tra ...

) File:Mali-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Guinea Ground Forces) File:Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lieutenant rank insignia.svg, Lieutenant
( Guyana Army) File:Haiti-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Haitian Army Originating from the Army of Saint-Domingue (1791–1803), then the Indigenous Army (1803–1915), the Haitian Army (''Armée d'Haiti'') is the Land warfare, land component of the Armed Forces of Haiti. It is the largest branch of the armed forces ...

) File:HON-army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Honduran Army The Honduran Army is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of Honduras, as established by the Constitution of Honduras, 1982 Constitution. Its recruits are all volunteers. History The Honduran Army has its roots in the post-independen ...

) File:Lieutenant of the Indian Army.svg, Lieutenant

(

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

) File:Ireland-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant

(

Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...

) File:Rank insignia of tenete of the Army of Italy (1973).svg,
(

Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

) File:Ivory Coast-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Ivory Coast Ground Forces) File:Jamaica-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Jamaican Army) File:11-RKGF-LT.svg,

(

Kazakh Ground Forces The Kazakh Ground Forces (, ; ) is the land Military branch, service branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is one of the three uniformed military services, and is the most senior branch of the Kazakh military in order of pr ...

) File:08. Kenyan Army LT.svg, Lieutenant
(

Kenya Army The Kenya Army is the land arm of the Kenya Defence Forces. History The origins of the present day Kenya Army can be traced back to the British Army's King's African Rifles. In the last quarter of the 19th Century, the British began actively enf ...

) File:08.Kyrgyzstan Army-LT.svg,

(

Kyrgyz Army The Kyrgyz Ground Forces, or simply the Kyrgyz Army, is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. History In April 1992, Kyrgyzstan formed a State Committee for Defense Affairs, and in June the republic took cont ...

) File:LV-Army-OF1b.png,
(

Latvian Land Forces The Latvian Land Forces () together with the Latvian National Guard form the land warfare branch of the Latvian National Armed Forces. From 2007 to 2024, the Land Forces were organized as a fully professional standing army until the re-introducti ...

) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant
( Lesotho Army) File:13-Lithuania Army-2LT.svg,
(

Lithuanian Land Forces The Lithuanian Land Forces (LLF) form the backbone of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and are capable of acting as an integral part of NATO forces. Lithuanian Land Forces consist of a single recently formed 1st Army Division (military), Division, th ...

) File:Army-LUX-OF-01b.svg,
(

Luxembourg Army The Luxembourg Armed Forces (; ) are the national military force of Luxembourg. The army has been a fully volunteer military since 1967. , it has 939 personnel. The army is under civilian control of the military, civilian control, with the Gran ...

) File:Madagascar-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Madagascar Ground Forces) File:08. Malawi Army - LT.svg, Lieutenant
( Malawian Army) File:09.Malta Army-1LT.svg,
( Army of Malta) File:Malaysia-army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Malaysian Army The Malaysian Army (; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the land component of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Steeped in British Army traditions, the Malaysian Army does not carry the title ‘royal’ () as do the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysi ...

) File:06.Mali Army-1LT.svg,
(

Malian Army The Malian Armed Forces (, FAMa) consists of the Army (), Republic of Mali Air Force (), and National Guard. They number some 7,000 and are under the control of the Minister of Armed Forces and Veterans. The Library of Congress as of January 200 ...

) File:Mexico army OF1b.svg,
(

Mexican Army The Mexican Army () is the combined Army, land and Air Force, air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense o ...

) File:09-Moldovan Army-2LT.svg,
(

Moldovan Ground Forces The Moldovan Ground Forces, known officially as Land Forces Command is the Army, land armed-forces branch of the Moldovan National Army, National Army of the Moldovan Armed Forces. The Moldovan Ground Forces date back to the dissolution of the Sovi ...

) File:Monaco-army-OF-1b.svg,
( Army of Monaco) File:11-Moroccan Army-1LT.svg,
(

Royal Moroccan Army The Royal Moroccan Army ( ''Al-Quwwat al-Bariyah al-Malakiyah al-Maghribiyah'', ''tasrdast tagldant'') is the branch of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Royal Moroccan Army is about 215,000 t ...

) File:Mozambique-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Mozambican Army) File:08-Namibia Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
(

Namibian Army The Namibian Army is the ground warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force. History Development of Namibia's army was the fastest of the three arms of service. The first units of the Army were deployed as early as 1990. The Army was formed ...

) File:12.Nepalese Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant

(

Nepali Army The Nepali Army (), also referred to as the Gorkhali Army (; see '' Gorkhas''), formally known as "Royal Nepal Army" is the land service branch of the Nepali Armed Forces. After the Gorkha Kingdom was founded in 1559, its army was establis ...

) File:New Zealand-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

) File:08-Nicaragua Army-2LT.svg,
(

Nicaraguan Army The Nicaraguan Armed Forces () are the military forces of Nicaragua. There are three branches: the Nicaraguan Navy, Navy, the Nicaraguan Army, Army, and Nicaraguan Air Force, Air Force. History National Guard, 1925–1979 The long years o ...

) File:Blank.svg,
( Niger Ground Forces) File:Nigeria-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

) File:OF-1(B) Pakistan Army.svg, Lieutenant

(

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

) File:Paraguay-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Paraguayan Army The Paraguayan Army () is the ground force branch of the Armed Forces of Paraguay. It is organized into three corps and nine divisions, and several commands and direction. It has gone to war on many occasions, notably in the War of the Triple A ...

) File:Peru-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Peruvian Army The Peruvian Army (, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in s ...

) File:Army-POR-OF-01a.svg,
(

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army () is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

) File:Romania-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Romanian Land Forces The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Force ...

) File:Russia-Army-OF-1b-2010.svg,

(

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

) File:08-Rwanda Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant
( Rwandan Land Forces) File:Belize-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( SKN Regiment) File:Guardia di Rocca OF1b.png,
( Sammarinese Guard of the Rock) File:STeP OF-1b.svg,
( Army of São Tomé and Príncipe) File:Senegal-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Senegalese Army The Armed Forces of Senegal () consists of about 17,000 personnel in the army, Senegalese Air Force, air force, navy, and gendarmerie. The Senegalese, Senegal military force receives most of its training, equipment, and support from France and th ...

) File:Seychelles Army OF-01b (2018).svg, Lieutenant
( Seychelles Infantry Unit) File:02-RSA-OF01b.svg, Lieutenant
(

Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the Ground warfare, land Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the Singapore Armed Forces#Organisation, four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the Inf ...

) File:SAA-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servi ...

) File:Spain-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

) File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

Sri Lanka Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...

) File:Sweden-Field-OF-1b (2019).svg,
(

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

) File:CHE OF1b Lt.svg,
(

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,

(

Tajik Ground Forces The Tajik Ground Forces (), known officially as the Ground Forces of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan are the land forces of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan. Formed during the Tajikistani Civil War, it makes up about 70 percent of the country ...

) File:09-Tanzania Army-1LT.svg, Lieutenant

(

Tanzanian Army Demographic features of the population of Tanzania include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. The population distribution in Tan ...

) File:Timor-Leste-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Timor-Leste Army) File:Togo-Army-OF-1b.svg,
( Togolese Army) File:Tonga-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Tongan Land Component) File:TaT-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

Trinidad and Tobago Regiment The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment is the main ground force element of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. It has approximately 10,000 men and women organized into a Regiment Headquarters (located in Port of Spain) and four battalions. There is ...

) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Turkmen Ground Forces The Turkmen Ground Forces () is the army branch of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. The ground forces include the 2nd Training Motor Rifle Division "Alp Arslan", 2nd, 3rd, 11th Motor Rifle Division "Sultan Sanjar", 11th, and 22nd Motor Rifle Div ...

) File:Uganda-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
( Ugandan Land Forces) File:UA shoulder mark 12.svg,

(

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

) File:British Army OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

) File:Rank insignia of Leutnant (OF-1b) Pontifical Swiss Guard.svg,
(

Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard,; ; ; ; , %5BCorps of the Pontifical Swiss Guard%5D. ''vatican.va'' (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2022. also known as the Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard,Swiss Guards , History, Vatican, Uniform, Require ...

) File:TTEEJB-GNB.png,
(

Venezuelan Army The Bolivarian Army of Venezuela (), is the land arm of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela. Also known as Bolivarian Army (''Ejército Bolivariano'', EB), its role is to be responsible for land-based operations against external o ...

) File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-1b.svg,
(

Uzbek Ground Forces The Uzbek Ground Forces are the land component of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Operating since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the army is made up of former Soviet Army units that were in the territory of Uzbekistan. A ...

) File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant
(

Zambian Army The Zambian Army is the land military branch of the Zambian Defence Force. Like all branches of the Zambian military, citizens of the nation are required to register at 16 years old, and citizens can join at 16 years old with parental consent or a ...

) File:Zimbabwe-Army-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

Zimbabwe National Army The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is the primary branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces responsible for land-oriented military operations. It is the largest service branch under the Zimbabwean Joint Operations Command (JOC). The modern army h ...

)

Marine rank

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 ...

and British

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

both use army ranks, while many former Eastern-Bloc marine forces retain the naval rank structure. Before 1999 the Royal Marines enjoyed the same rank structure as the army, but at a grade higher; thus a Royal Marine captain ranked with and was paid the same as a British Army major. This historical remnant caused increasing confusion in multi-national operations and was abolished. File:Generic-Navy-3.svg,
(

Colombian Naval Infantry The Colombian Naval Infantry, also referred to as Colombian Marines (), is the Marines, marine force of the Colombian National Armada. The 53,123-member Colombian Marine Infantry is organized into a single division with four brigades (one amphibi ...

) File:Maldives Army OF-1a.svg,

( Maldivian Marine Corps) File:Spain-Marines-OF-1b.svg,
(

Spanish Marine Infantry The Marine Infantry () are the marines of the Spanish Navy. Responsible for conducting amphibious warfare. Fully integrated into the Spanish Navy's structure, the branch's history dates back to 1537 when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor formed the ...

) File:Sweden-Navy-OF-1b (Amphibious).svg,
(

Swedish Amphibious Corps The Amphibious Corps (, Amf) is the Marines, marine infantry arm of the Swedish Navy, with an emphasis on coastal defence. It has its roots in the Swedish Coastal Artillery, coastal artillery (, KA) but after the end of the Cold War it was seen as ...

) File:British Royal Marines OF-1b.svg,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(

)

Air force rank

While some air forces use the army rank system, the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

and many other

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

air forces use another rank system in which flight lieutenant ranks with an army captain and naval lieutenant, a

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

ranks with an army lieutenant and a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...

with an army second lieutenant. File:RAAF O3 rank.png, Flight lieutenant
(

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

) File:CDN-Air Force-Lieutenant (OF1A)-2015.svg, Lieutenant
(

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

) File:Indian IAF OF-2.svg, Flight lieutenant
(

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

) File:Teniente de la FAM.gif,
(

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; ) is the air service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and as such overseen by the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, in ...

) File:RO-Airforce-OF-2bs.PNG,
(

Romanian Air Force The Romanian Air Force (RoAF) () is the air force branch of the Romanian Armed Forces. It has an air force headquarters, an operational command, five air bases, a logistics base, an air defense brigade, an air defense regiment and an ISR (Intel ...

) File:SAAF-OF-1b.svg, Lieutenant
(

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

) File:Tte-ea.svg,
(

Spanish Air Force The Spanish Air and Space Force () is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces. History Early stages Hot air balloons have been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Al ...

) File:SWE-Airforce-löjtnant.png,
(

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( or just ) is the air force Military branch, branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalatin ...

) File:Thai air O2.png, Flight lieutenant
(

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

) File:British RAF OF-2.svg, Flight lieutenant
(

) In the US Air Force, the Third Lieutenant Program refers specifically to a training program at active duty air force bases for cadets of the

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...

and

Air Force ROTC The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA ...

the summer before their fourth and final year before graduation and commissioning. A single silver or subdued pip is used to designate this rank. The Royal Air Force also has an acting pilot officer designation, the most junior commissioned rank in the British armed forces. It is functionally equivalent to third lieutenant.

Naval rank

During the early days of the naval rank, a lieutenant might be very junior indeed, or might be on the cusp of promotion to captain; by modern standards, he might rank with any army rank between second lieutenant and lieutenant colonel. As the rank structure of navies stabilized, and the ranks of commander, lieutenant commander and sub-lieutenant were introduced, the naval lieutenant came to rank with an army captain (NATO OF-2 or US O-3). The insignia of a lieutenant in many navies, including the Royal Navy, consists of two medium

gold braid A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strand ...

stripes (top stripe with loop) on a

navy blue Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...

or black background. Where in Myanmar Navy, they're Sub Lieutenant with the insignia of 2 gold stars. This pattern was copied by the United States Navy and various Air Forces for their equivalent ranks grades, except that the loop is removed (see flight lieutenant). File:French Navy-Rama NG-OF1b.svg, France File:GR-Navy-OF2.svg, Greece File:IN Lieutenant.png, India File:PN LTSG WhtDr.svg, Philippines (Lieutenant Senior Grade) File:POR-Navy-primeiro-tenente.png, Portugal File:Russia-Navy-OF-1b.svg, Russia File:US Navy O3 insignia.svg, United States File:08. Myanmar Navy 1LT.png, Myanmar

Lieutenant commander

Lieutenants were commonly put in command of smaller vessels not warranting a commander or captain: such a lieutenant was called a "lieutenant commanding" or "lieutenant commandant" in the United States Navy, and a "lieutenant in command" or "lieutenant and commander" in the Royal Navy. The USN settled on "lieutenant commander" in 1862, and made it a distinct rank; the Royal Navy followed suit in March 1914. The insignia of an additional half-thickness stripe between the two full stripes of a lieutenant was introduced in 1877 for a Royal Navy lieutenant of 8 years seniority, and used for lieutenant commanders upon introduction of their rank.

Senior lieutenant

First lieutenant

"First lieutenant" in naval use

The first lieutenant in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and other Commonwealth navies, is a post or appointment, rather than a rank. Historically the lieutenants in a ship were ranked in accordance with seniority, with the most senior being termed the "first lieutenant" and acting as the

. Although lieutenants are no longer numbered by seniority, the post of "first lieutenant" remains. In minor war vessels,

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s and

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s the first lieutenant (either a lieutenant or lieutenant-commander) is second in command,

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 head of the executive branch; in larger ships where a commander of the warfare specialization is appointed as the executive officer, a first lieutenant (normally a lieutenant-commander) is appointed as his deputy. The post of first lieutenant in a

shore establishment A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a ' sloop of war' to harass the French in ...

carries a similar responsibility to the first lieutenant of a

capital ship The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. Strategic i ...

. In the U.S. Navy or U.S. Coast Guard the billet of first lieutenant describes the officer in charge of the

deck department The deck department is an organisational team on board navy, naval and merchant ship, merchant ships. Seafarers in the deck department work a variety of jobs on a ship or vessel, but primarily they will carry out the navigation of a vessel from ...

or division, depending upon the size of the ship. In smaller ships with only a single deck division, the billet is typically filled by an ensign while in larger ships with a deck department, consisting of multiple subordinate divisions, the billet may be filled by a lieutenant commander. On submarines and smaller Coast Guard cutters the billet of first lieutenant may be filled by a

petty officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...

Second lieutenant

Second lieutenant is usually the most junior grade of commissioned officer. In most cases, newly commissioned officers do not remain at the rank for long before being promoted, and both university graduates and officers commissioned from the ranks may skip the rank altogether.

Third lieutenant

United States rank

In March 1813, the US Army created the rank of third lieutenant. The rank was used as the entry level officer rank for the Ordnance Department and the Corps of Artillery until March 1821. Throughout the 19th century and until as late as World War II 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 ...

sometimes referred to brevet second lieutenants as "third lieutenants". These were typically newly commissioned officers for which no authorized second lieutenant position existed. Additionally, the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

also used "third lieutenant", typically as the lowest ranking commissioned officer in an infantry company. Notably, the

United States Revenue Cutter Service The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress () on 4 August 1790 as the Revenue-Marine at the recommendation of the nation's first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. The federal government bod ...

used a simple officer rank structure with Captain, First, Second and Third Lieutenants, each of whom had distinct insignia. The title of Third Lieutenant, essentially equal to the rank of

, existed until 1915 when the Service became the nucleus of the new

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

. Because of the time required to fully establish this organization the rank continued for some time afterwards; the first Coast Guard aviator,

Elmer F. Stone Elmer "Archie" Fowler Stone (January 22, 1887 – May 20, 1936) was a United States naval aviator and a commander in the United States Coast Guard. Biography Stone was born in Livonia, New York and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He joined the U.S. ...

, was a third lieutenant until 1918.

Sub-lieutenant

In the Royal Navy, the commissioned rank of mate was created in 1840, and was renamed sub-lieutenant in 1860. In the US Navy, the rank was called

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

until 1883, when it was renamed

lieutenant, junior grade Lieutenant junior grade is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both ab ...

. In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or

subordinate officer Subordinate officer is a term used in some armed forces for a grade of officer above a non-commissioned officer but still not actually commissioned, usually still in training. Such officers are treated for most intents and purposes as commissioned ...

, ranking below a lieutenant, but in Brazil it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain it is the second highest non-commissioned rank. In Portugal, sub-lieutenant is the rank of a junior naval officer graduated from a civil university or promoted from a NCO rank, while the equivalent rank of an officer graduated in the naval academy is designated midshipman.

Other uses

Police rank

France and the French Union

The first French Lieutenant of Police,

Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie (; 1625 – 14 June 1709) was a French magistrate who served as the first Paris Police Prefecture, Lieutenant General of Police of Paris from 1667 to 1697. He is considered to be the founder of the first modern Police ...

, was appointed in Paris by Louis XIV on 15 March 1667 to command a reformed police force. He was later elevated to Lieutenant-General of Police. In the 17th century, the term "lieutenant" corresponded to "deputy" (i.e. a person appointed to carry out a task). La Reynie was the deputy for policing duties of the Provost of Paris, the ceremonial representative of the King in Paris. In 1995, the rank of ''lieutenant'' was introduced in the National Police as the first rank of the police officers scale.

United Kingdom and Commonwealth police forces

The rank of Lieutenant was formerly used in areas outside of the Metropolitan Police. The adoption of standardized ranks across the United Kingdom has eliminated its use. A number of city and burgh police forces in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

used the rank of lieutenant (and detective lieutenant) between inspector and superintendent from 1812 to 1948. It was replaced by the rank of chief inspector. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (founded 1871) had the rank of lieutenant between staff sergeant and inspector until 1997. In Australia, Queensland's first police force (founded 1864) had second lieutenants and lieutenants between the ranks of sergeant and inspector-general.

United States police forces

The rank of police lieutenant is used in most medium or large police departments in the United States, where it is one rank above sergeant and two ranks above a regular police officer (three in departments with a corporal rank). It is roughly equivalent to an

inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

in the British and Canadian police forces. The usual role of a lieutenant is to carry out administrative duties and assist precinct commanders (normally a captain, or sometimes the local police chiefs). In smaller police departments, they may command a precinct itself. Lieutenants either command a watch (8-hour "shift") of regular officers or a special unit for operations or investigations (like a Robbery-Homicide squad). The typical rank insignia for a lieutenant is a single silver bar (like that of an Army or Marine Corps First Lieutenant) or a single gold bar (like that of an Army or Marine Corps Second Lieutenant). Some police departments split the rank of lieutenant into two separate grades.

Other nations

File:Insignia PM O5.PNG, 1st Lieutenant
(

Military Police (Brazil) Military Police are the police uniform, uniformed Preventive police, preventive state police of the States of Brazil, states and of the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District of Brazil. The Military Police units are the main ostensive police ...

) File:Insignia PM O6.PNG, 2nd Lieutenant
(

) File:PNP PI.png, Police Lieutenant
(

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...

) File:Portugal NRG OF-1b.svg,
(

Portuguese National Republican Guard The National Republican Guard () or GNR is the national gendarmerie force of Portugal. Members of the GNR are military personnel, subject to military law and organisation, unlike the agents of the civilian Polícia de Segurança Pública, Publi ...

) File:Spain-Civil Guard-OF-1b.svg,
(

Spanish Civil Guard The Civil Guard (; ) is one of the two national law enforcement agencies of Spain. As a national gendarmerie, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Minis ...

) File:Ukrainian police shoulder mark 06.svg, Police Lieutenant
(

National Police of Ukraine The National Police of Ukraine (, ; /NPU ), often simply referred to as the (), is the national, and only, police service of Ukraine. It was formed on 3 July 2015, as part of the post-Euromaidan reforms launched by Ukrainian president Petro Por ...

) File:US-O2 insignia.svg, US Police 1st Lieutenant
(

Police ranks of the United States The United States police rank#United States, police-rank model is generally quasi-military in structure. A uniform system of insignia based on that of the United States Army, US Army and United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps is used to help ide ...

) File:US-O1 insignia.svg, US Police 2nd Lieutenant
(

) File:Russia-Police-OF-1b-2013.svg, ()
(

Police of Russia The Police of Russia () is the national Law enforcement in Russia, law enforcement agency of Russia, operating under the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs from . It was established on by decree of Peter the Gre ...

)

Fire services rank

Singapore

In the

Singapore Civil Defence Force The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is a uniformed organisation in Singapore under the Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore), Ministry of Home Affairs that provides emergency services such as firefighting, technical rescue, and emergency med ...

, the rank of lieutenant (LTA) is the second-lowest commissioned rank. The rank insignia of LTA is two pips.

Political titles

Canada

In Canada, the representative of the

Canadian monarch The monarchy of Canada is Canada's Government#Forms, form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canadian federalism, Canada's cons ...

in each province is called the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. The Lieutenant Governor exercises all the royal prerogative powers that the monarch holds.

France

French history The first written records for the history of France appeared in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. Greek writers noted the presence of three main ethno-linguistic groups in the area: t ...

, "lieutenant du roi" was a title borne by the officer sent with military powers to represent the king in certain provinces. It is in the sense of a deputy that it has entered into the titles of more senior officers,

and lieutenant colonel.

United Kingdom

The

British monarch The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British con ...

's representatives in the counties of the

are called Lords Lieutenant. The

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

performed the function of

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

United States

The

is an official in

state governments State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

of 45 out of 50

. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, standing in for the governor when they are absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated. In the event a governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor typically becomes governor. In the

, a

serves as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

and in the five permanently inhabited

territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

, functioning as both

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

and

head of government In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...

therein.

Other organisations

The Boys' Brigade

Leaders, or officers of the Boys' Brigade, particularly in the United Kingdom, are ranked as lieutenants after having completed their formal training, before which they are ranked as warrant officers. Officers serving in staff or command posts are awarded the "brevet" rank of captain, these officers then revert to their lieutenancy after having completed their tour of duty.

National Civil Defence Cadet Corps

The rank of cadet lieutenant (CLT) is given to officer cadet trainees who have passed their officer's course. The rank insignia of CLT is a pip and a bar below it. CLTs may be promoted to the rank of senior cadet lieutenant (S/CLT), which has a rank insignia of a pip and two bars below it.

The Salvation Army

The

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

also uses lieutenant to denote first time officers, or clergymen/women.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Military ranks Naval ranks Police ranks

Etymology

Pronunciation

Military rank

Lieutenant

Army rank

Marine rank

Air force rank

Naval rank

Lieutenant commander

Senior lieutenant

First lieutenant

"First lieutenant" in naval use

Second lieutenant

Third lieutenant

United States rank

Sub-lieutenant

Other uses

Police rank

France and the French Union

United Kingdom and Commonwealth police forces

United States police forces

Other nations

Fire services rank

Singapore

Political titles

Canada

France

United Kingdom

United States

Other organisations

The Boys' Brigade

National Civil Defence Cadet Corps

The Salvation Army

See also

References

External links