Officer (armed forces)
From Free net encyclopedia
←Older revision | Newer revision→
- See Officer for other meanings of the term.
An officer is a member of a military service who holds a position of responsibility.
Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons in a military able to exercise command (according to the most technical definition of the word) over a military unit.
Non-commissioned officers in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se, although the use of the word "command" to describe any use of authority is widespread and often official.
Having officers is one requirement for combatant status under the laws of war, though these officers need not have obtained an official commission or warrant. In such case, those persons holding offices of responsibility within the organization are deemed to be the officers, and the presence of these officers connotes a level of organization sufficient to designate a group as being combatant.
Contents |
Commissioned officers
Commissioned officers generally receive training as leadership and management generalists, in addition to training relating to their specific trade or function in the military. Most developed nations have set the goal of having their officer corps university-educated, although exceptions exist in some nations to accommodate officers who have risen from the non-commissioned ranks. Most advanced militaries, however, require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even from the enlisted ranks. The Australian Defence Force, the British Armed Forces, the Israeli Defence Force and the New Zealand Defence Force are different in not requiring a university degree for commissioning. They emphasise military, technical and leadership training and skills over academic qualifications (although a majority of officers are now graduates).
By contrast, non-commissioned members rise from the lowest ranks in most nations. Education standards for non-commissioned members are typically lower than for officers (with the exception of specialised-military and highly-technical trades) and members only receive leadership training as they are promoted to positions of responsibility, or as a prerequisite for such. In the past (and in some countries today but to a lesser extent) non-commissioned members were almost exclusively conscripts, whereas officers were volunteers.
Subordinate officers
In some armed forces, a further category of officers under training known as subordinate officers may also exist. Subordinate officers, though not yet commissioned, are accorded many of the privileges of commissioned officers.
Non-commissioned and warrant officers
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military member holding a position of authority who has obtained it by promotion from within the non-officer ranks. They usually receive some leadership training, but their function is to serve as leaders within their area of trade speciality and, at lower NCO grades, they are not generally considered management generalists. Senior non-commissioned officers serve as advisors and leaders from the duty section level to the highest levels of the military establishment.
In some branches of some militaries there exists a third grade of officer known as a Warrant Officer. A Warrant Officer may be simply a high-ranking non-commissioned officer whose position has been affirmed by warrant from the bureaucracy directing the force, or may be a separate grade altogether, sometimes actually holding a commission (known as a "Commissioned Warrant Officer").
Officer ranks and accommodation
Officers, non-commissioned officers, and junior ranks in almost every country of the world are segregated along the lines of the Prussian system of messing, where eating facilities, accommodation, and social facilities are kept separate to ensure relations between various ranks stay strictly professional.
See also
External links
de:Offizier es:Oficial (fuerzas armadas) eo:Oficiro fr:Officier nl:Officier ja:士官 no:Offiser nn:Offiser pl:Oficer (wojsko) sl:Častnik sv:Officer