Line officer
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In the United States Armed Forces, a line officer or officer of the line is a U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps commissioned officer or warrant officer who exercises general command authority and is eligible for operational command positions, as opposed to officers who normally exercise command authority only within a Navy Staff Corps.[1] The term line officer is also used by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard to indicate that an officer is eligible for command of operational, viz., tactical or combat units. The term is not generally used by officers of the U.S. Army – the roughly corresponding Army terms are basic branch (e.g, Infantry) and special branch (e.g., Medical Corps) qualified officers, although the concepts are not entirely synonymous, as some Army special branch officers (e.g., Judge Advocate General's Corps) are eligible to hold command outside their branch specialty.[2]
Officers who are not line officers are those whose primary duties are generally in non-combat specialties including (depending upon the service)
See explanation of staff and line.
History
The expression "officer of the line" is possibly derived from the 18th- and 19th-century Royal Navy term for capital ships, then called ships of the line. The name stemmed from the practice of employing sail-powered warships in line formations to maximize the effectiveness of side-mounted cannons. [4]
In the
Navy Limited Duty Officers and Warrant Officers whose technical specialties fall within a staff corps are considered staff corps officers, while all others are classed of the Line.
United States Marine Corps
In the
United States Air Force
In the United States Air Force (and USAF Reserve), officers assigned to the medical, nurse, dental, medical services (healthcare administration), biosciences, Judge Advocates and chaplain corps are professional officers. In addition to being professional officers, Judge Advocates in the Air Force are also considered line officers and, like all other officers in operational/combat and combat support specialties, belong to the Line of the Air Force (LAF). The Air Force has no warrant officers.
United States Coast Guard
All
Other forces
The expression "line officer" is no longer current in the Royal Navy and Commonwealth affiliates. Officers trained in the "Executive Department" of a warship are the only ones trained for command. In the Royal Canadian Navy, officers in the Naval Warfare Officer (NWO) occupation hold a similar function, but are not distinguished by any identifiable badge.[citation needed]
See also
- Staff officer
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
References
- ^ "US Navy Regulations, Chapter 10, Paragraph 1001" (PDF). US Navy. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Army Publishing Directorate".
- ^ a b c d e U.S Navy Regulations (2010). "Chapter 10, PRECEDENCE, AUTHORITY AND COMMAND, Section 1. Precedence" (PDF). doni.documentservices.dla.mil. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ A short Account of the Several General Duties of Officers, Naval History and Heritage Command.
- ^ "Careers in Special Warfare/Special Operations : Navy.com". www.navy.com. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ Mack, VADM William P. and Paulsen, CAPT Thomas D., The Naval Officer's Guide, 9th ed., Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, c1983
- ^ U.S. Navy Regulations (2010). "Chapter 10 – PRECEDENCE, AUTHORITY AND COMMAND, Section 2. Authority" (PDF). doni.documentservices.dla.mil/. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
1030. Authority of an Officer of the Marine Corps Over Naval Forces. Officers of the Marine Corps may not command ships or Navy shore facilities. This article shall not be construed to prevent an officer of the Marine Corps, when so detailed by the Secretary of the Navy or a commander in chief (sic), from having and exercising such authority as may be necessary to direct the operations of all forces assigned to him or her.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Coast Guard Chaplains Orientation Manual" (PDF). www.uscg.mil. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ "Opportunities for U.S. Public Health Service Health Services Officers in the U.S. Coast Guard" (PDF). www.gocoastguard.com. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.