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The commanding officer (CO) is the officer
Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an Armed forces who holds a position of authority.Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereignty power and, as such, hold a Letters patent charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position....
 in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law
Military law

Military law is a distinct legal system to which members of armed forces are subject. Most countries have special additional laws, and often a legal system, which are applicable to members of their military but not usually to civilians....
. In this respect, commanding officers have significant responsibilities (for example, the use of force, finances, equipment, the Geneva Conventions), duties (to higher authority, mission effectiveness, duty of care
Duty of care

In Tort, a duty of care is a Law obligation imposed on an individual requiring that they adhere to a Reasonable person standard of care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others....
 to personnel) and powers (for example, discipline and punishment
Punishment

Punishment is the practice of imposing something suffering on a person or animal, usually in response to disobedient or morally wrong behavior....
 of personnel within certain limits of military law).

In some countries, commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank; usually there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued, and in theory only goes to the best officers.






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The commanding officer (CO) is the officer
Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an Armed forces who holds a position of authority.Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereignty power and, as such, hold a Letters patent charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position....
 in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law
Military law

Military law is a distinct legal system to which members of armed forces are subject. Most countries have special additional laws, and often a legal system, which are applicable to members of their military but not usually to civilians....
. In this respect, commanding officers have significant responsibilities (for example, the use of force, finances, equipment, the Geneva Conventions), duties (to higher authority, mission effectiveness, duty of care
Duty of care

In Tort, a duty of care is a Law obligation imposed on an individual requiring that they adhere to a Reasonable person standard of care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others....
 to personnel) and powers (for example, discipline and punishment
Punishment

Punishment is the practice of imposing something suffering on a person or animal, usually in response to disobedient or morally wrong behavior....
 of personnel within certain limits of military law).

In some countries, commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank; usually there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued, and in theory only goes to the best officers. The commanding officer is often assisted by an Executive Officer
Executive officer

While executive officer literally refers to a person responsible for the performance of duties involved in running an organization, the exact meaning of the role is variable, depending on the organization....
 (XO) or Second-in-Command
Second-in-command

The Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army....
 (2i/c), who handles personnel and day-to-day matters. Larger units may also have staff officers of various responsibilities.

United Kingdom


Army

In the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
, Royal Marines
Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
, and many other Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
 military and paramilitary
Paramilitary

A paramilitary is a force whose function and organisation are similar to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having the same status....
 organisations, the title of commanding officer is reserved for commanders of major units (regiment
Regiment

A regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organization, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers ....
s, battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
s and similar sized units), almost invariably holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the army and most Marine and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel....
 and usually referred to within the unit simply as "the Colonel". The post of a commander of a minor unit (company
Company (military unit)

A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure....
, squadron
Squadron

A squadron is a small military unit or formation of cavalry, Armoured forces, aircraft , or warships....
 or battery
Artillery battery

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortar s, or rockets, so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems....
) is collectivelly referred to as the Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding

The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit in widespread military usage.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company , squadron or artillery battery commander ....
 (OC). More specifically they are referred to as the Company Commander, Squadron Leader, etc. Officers and NCOs in charge of platoon
Platoon

A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four Section or squads and containing about 30 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organised into a company , which typically consists of three, four or five platoons....
s, troop
Troop

A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. A cavalry soldier of Private is called a Trooper ....
s and section
Section (military unit)

A section is a small infantry military unit first introduced in the British Army. A section generally consists of about seven or eight soldiers, with a junior-Non-commissioned officer as commander....
s are just referred to as Commanders (Platoon Commander, Troop Leader, Section Commander/Leader, etc).

Air Force

In the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
, the title of Commanding Officer is reserved for Station
RAF station

A Royal Air Force station is a permanent Royal Air Force military base. Many RAF stations are aerodromes, or airbases, being the home to one or more flight squadrons....
 Commanders or commanders of independent units.

Navy

In the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
, Commanding Officer is the official title of the commander of any ship, unit or installation. However, they are referred to as "the Captain" no matter what their actual rank, or informally as "Skipper"
Skipper (boating)

A skipper is a person who has command of a boat or ship, more or less equivalent to "Captain ." At sea, the skipper has absolute command over the crew....
 or even "Boss".

United States

In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, the status of commanding officer is duly applied to all commissioned officers who hold lawful command over a military unit, ship, or installation.

Army

The commanding officer of a company
Company (military unit)

A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure....
 is referred to as a Company Commander
Company Commander

In the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, the commanding officer of a company is a Company Commander. A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers ....
, the commanding officer of a battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
 is referred to as a Battalion Commander, and the commanding officer of a brigade
Brigade

A brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army....
 is referred to as a Brigade Commander. At the division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 level and higher, however, the commanding officer is referred to as the Commanding General, as these officers are normally of general
General

A General officer is an Officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general....
 rank.

Air Force

In the United States Air Force
United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Military of the United States and one of the uniformed services of the United States....
, the commanding officer of a unit is similarly referred to as the unit commander, such as squadron
Squadron

A squadron is a small military unit or formation of cavalry, Armoured forces, aircraft , or warships....
 commander, group
Group (air force unit)

Group is a term used by different air forces for an element of military organization. The size of a group varies considerably between different countries....
 commander, wing
Wing (air force unit)

Wing is a term used by different air forces for a unit of command. The terms wing and group are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another, and this may cause confusion....
 commander, and so forth.

Navy

In the United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
, commanding officer is the official title of the commander of a ship, but they are usually referred to as "the Captain" regardless of their actual rank, or informally referred to as "Skipper"
Skipper (boating)

A skipper is a person who has command of a boat or ship, more or less equivalent to "Captain ." At sea, the skipper has absolute command over the crew....
.

See also

  • Command responsibility
    Command responsibility

    Command responsibility, sometimes referred to as the Yamashita standard or the Medina standard, is the doctrine of hierarchical accountability in cases of war crimes....
  • List of military commanders
    List of military commanders

    See also: Military History...
  • Staff (military)