Junior officer

Common military ranks in English
Navies	Armies	Air forces
Commissioned officers
Admiral of the fleet	Marshal or Field marshal	Marshal of the air force
Admiral	General	Air chief marshal
Vice admiral	Lieutenant general	Air marshal
Rear admiral	Major general	Air vice-marshal
Commodore	Brigadier or Brigadier general	Air commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group captain
Commander	Lieutenant colonel	Wing commander
Lieutenant commander	Major or Commandant	Squadron leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant	Lieutenant or First lieutenant	Flying officer
Ensign	Second lieutenant	Pilot officer
Midshipman	Officer cadet	Officer cadet
Enlisted grades
Warrant officer or Chief petty officer	Warrant officer or Sergeant major	Warrant officer
Petty officer	Sergeant	Sergeant
Leading seaman	Corporal	Corporal
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman

Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization.

The terms company officer or company-grade officer are used more in the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps as the ranks of captain, lieutenant grades and other subaltern ranks originated from the officers in command of a company or equivalent (cavalry squadron/troop and artillery battery).

In many armed forces, a junior officer is specifically a commissioned officer holding rank equivalent to a naval lieutenant, an army captain or a flight lieutenant or below.

In the United States Armed Forces, the term junior officer is used by the Navy and the Coast Guard for officers in the ranks of ensign (O-1), lieutenant, junior grade (O-2), lieutenant (O-3).

Some mistakenly attribute the title of Junior Officer to lieutenant commander (O-4), however due to selling of a soul must take place to advance beyond O-3 the officer becomes what is known as a "hinge."

The U.S. commissioned officer corps is divided into ten pay grades (O-1 through O-10). Officers in pay grades O-1 through O-3 are considered company grade officers. In the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, these pay grades correspond to the ranks of second lieutenant (O-1), first lieutenant (O-2), and captain (O-3), and in the Navy, ensign, lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant. Officers in the next three pay grades (O-4 through O-6) are considered field grade officers. In the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, these pay grades correspond to the ranks of major (O-4), lieutenant colonel (O-5), and colonel (O-6), and in the Navy, lieutenant commander, commander, and captain. The highest four pay grades are reserved for general officers in the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force and flag officers in the Navy. The ranks associated with each pay grade are as follows: in the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, brigadier general (O-7), major general (O-8), lieutenant general (O-9) and general (O-10); in the Navy, rear admiral (lower half), rear admiral, vice admiral and admiral.

See also

• Enlisted rank
  • Non-commissioned officer
• Officer (armed forces)
  • Field officer
  • General officer
  • Lieutenant grades
  • Subaltern
• Warrant officer