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A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of commissioned officers above junior officer ranks but below flag, general or air rank.^[1] In most countries, this includes the ranks of lieutenant commander/major/squadron leader, commander/lieutenant colonel/wing commander and naval captain/colonel/group captain, or their equivalents. In some countries, it also includes brigadiers and commodores.

Sometimes, particularly in the army, this grade is referred to as field-grade officers, field officers or officers of field rank. Historically, a regiment or battalion's field officers made up its command element.

Canada[edit]

In the Canadian Armed Forces, the term "senior officer" (French: officier supérieur^[2]) is used in all three services. It includes the army and air force ranks of major, lieutenant-colonel, and colonel, and the naval ranks of lieutenant-commander, commander, and captain.^[3]

France[edit]

In the French Armed Forces, senior officers are called officiers supérieurs. They include the army and air force ranks of commandant, lieutenant-colonel and colonel, and the naval ranks of capitaine de corvette, capitaine de frégate and capitaine de vaisseau.

Germany[edit]

In the German Bundeswehr, officers of the rank of Major, Oberstleutnant and Oberst in the Heer (army) and Luftwaffe (air force), and Korvettenkapitän, Fregattenkapitän and Kapitän zur See in the German Navy are traditionally known as Stabsoffiziere (English: staff officers).

Russia[edit]

Shtabofitser (Russian: Штаб-офицер), derived from the German stabsoffizier, was the designation of the following officers of the Russian Imperial Army and Navy until 1917.

Rank group	Field officers (Russian: Штаб-офицеры, romanized: Shtabofitsery)
Nevsky 1st Infantry Regiment
Ivanogorodsky 99th IR
	Полковник Polkovnik	Подполко́вник Podpolkovnik	Майо́р Major	Капитан Kapitan	Штабс-капитан Stabs-kapitan

United Kingdom and Commonwealth[edit]

The British Army and Royal Marines use the terms "officers of field rank" or "field officers" to refer to the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and brigadier. The term "senior officer" is used for the ranks of lieutenant commander, commander, captain and commodore in the Royal Navy, and squadron leader, wing commander and group captain in the Royal Air Force. An RAF air commodore, however, is considered to be an air officer.

A number of other armed forces in the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand, also follow this pattern.

United States[edit]

The officer group in United States Armed Forces, has two different names depending on the branch. In the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force the rank group is called field grade and consists of major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel. United States Army Commissioned Chief Warrant Officers in the grades of CW3-CW5 are also grouped with and wear the uniform of field-grade officers. In the navy, and coast guard, the rank group is called mid-grade and consists of commander, and captain.^[4]

References[edit]

^ "Field officer - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
^ "Grades et nomination". canada.ca (in French). Government of Canada. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "Ranks and appointment". canada.ca. Government of Canada. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "U.S. Military Rank Insignia". defense.gov. Department of Defense. Retrieved 21 December 2022.

[1] "Field officer - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2011-10-03.

[2] "Grades et nomination". canada.ca (in French). Government of Canada. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[3] "Ranks and appointment". canada.ca. Government of Canada. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[4] "U.S. Military Rank Insignia". defense.gov. Department of Defense. Retrieved 21 December 2022.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{about|military officers|intelligence operatives|agent handling}}
+{{Short description|Category of military officers, above junior officer ranks}}
+{{about|military officers|intelligence operatives|agent handling|senior corporate officers|Corporate title}}
 {{refimprove|date=January 2009}}
+{{Military ranks}}
+A '''senior officer''' is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above [[junior officer]] rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of [[commissioned officer]]s above junior officer ranks but below [[flag officer|flag]], [[general officer|general]] or [[air officer|air rank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/field+officer |title=Field officer - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=2011-10-03}}</ref> In most countries, this includes the [[military rank|rank]]s of [[lieutenant commander]]/[[Major (rank)|major]]/[[squadron leader]], [[commander]]/[[lieutenant colonel]]/[[wing commander]] and [[captain (naval)|naval captain]]/[[colonel]]/[[group captain]], or their equivalents. In some countries, it also includes [[brigadier]]s and [[Commodore (rank)|commodore]]s.
+Sometimes, particularly in the army, this grade is referred to as '''field-grade officers''', '''field officers''' or '''officers of field rank'''. Historically, a [[regiment]] or [[battalion]]'s field officers made up its command element.
-A '''field officer''', '''field-grade officer''', or '''senior officer''' is an [[Army]], [[marine (armed services)|Marine]], or [[Air Force]] [[commissioned officer]] senior in rank to a [[Company-grade officer|company officer]] but junior to a [[general officer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/field+officer |title=Field officer - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=2011-10-03}}</ref> In most armies this corresponds to the [[Military rank|rank]]s of [[major]], [[lieutenant colonel]] and [[colonel]], or their equivalents. Some countries also include [[brigadier]] in the definition.
-Historically, a [[regiment]] or [[battalion]]'s field officers made up its command element.
 ==Canada==
+In the [[Canadian Armed Forces]], the term "senior officer" ({{lang-fr|officier supérieur}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Grades et nomination |url=https://www.canada.ca/fr/services/defense/fac/systeme-identite-militaire/insignes-grade-fonction.html |website=canada.ca |date=23 November 2017 |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=14 January 2023 |language=fr}}</ref>) is used in all three services. It includes the army and air force ranks of [[major (Canada)|major]], [[lieutenant-colonel (Canada)|lieutenant-colonel]], and [[colonel (Canada)|colonel]], and the naval ranks of [[lieutenant-Commander (Canada)|lieutenant-commander]], [[commander (Canada)|commander]], and [[captain (naval)#Canada|captain]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ranks and appointment |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/caf/military-identity-system/rank-appointment-insignia.html |website=canada.ca |date=23 November 2017 |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=14 January 2023}}</ref>
-In the [[Canadian Armed Forces]], the equivalent of field officers are [[Military Rank#Field or senior officers|senior officer]]s ({{lang-fr|Officiers supérieurs}}); they include the army and air force ranks of Major, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Colonel, and the naval ranks of [[Lieutenant-Commander (Canada)|Lieutenant-Commander]], [[Commander (Canada)|Commander]], and [[Captain (Naval)|Captain]].
 ==France==
-In the [[French Armed Forces|French Forces]], field officers are called ''officiers supérieurs'' (Senior Officers). There are three ranks, in ascending order: ''[[Commandant]]'', ''[[Lieutenant-colonel]]'' and ''[[Colonel]]'' (''[[Corvette Captain|Capitaine de corvette]]'', ''[[Frigate Captain|Capitaine de frégate]]'' and ''[[Ship-of-the-line Captain|Capitaine de vaisseau]]'' in the [[French Navy|naval forces]]), while brigadiers rank among ''officiers généraux''.
+In the [[French Armed Forces]], senior officers are called ''officiers supérieurs''. They include the army and air force ranks of ''[[commandant#France|commandant]]'', [[lieutenant-colonel]] and [[colonel]], and the [[French Navy|naval]] ranks of ''[[corvette captain|capitaine de corvette]]'', ''[[frigate captain|capitaine de frégate]]'' and ''[[ship-of-the-line captain|capitaine de vaisseau]]''.
 ==Germany==
-In the German [[Bundeswehr]], officers from [[Major]], [[Oberstleutnant]] to [[Oberst]] in the [[German Army|Heer]] (Army) and [[Luftwaffe]] (Air Force), or from [[Korvettenkapitän]], [[Fregattenkapitän]] to [[Kapitän zur See]] in the [[Deutsche Marine]] (German Navy) are traditionally known as '''''<span style="color:#60c000;">Stabsoffiziere</span>''''' ({{lang-en| Staff officers, in the meaning of field officers}}) [[OF-3]], [[OF-4]] and [[OF-5]].
+In the German {{Lang|de|[[Bundeswehr]]|italic=no}}, officers of the rank of [[Major (Germany)|Major]], {{Lang|de|[[Oberstleutnant]]}} and ''[[Oberst]]'' in the [[German Army|Heer]] (army) and [[Luftwaffe]] (air force), and ''[[Korvettenkapitän]]'', ''[[Fregattenkapitän]]'' and ''[[Kapitän zur See]]'' in the [[German Navy]] are traditionally known as ''Stabsoffiziere'' ({{lang-en|staff officers}}).
 ==Russia==
+{{no ref|section|date=July 2023}}
-''Field officer'' ({{lang-ru| Штаб-офицер, Shtabofitser}}; derived from {{lang-de| Stabsoffizier}}), was the designation of a particular officers rank category ([[OF-3]] to [[OF-5]]) of the [[Russian Imperial Army]] and Navy until 1917.
+{{lang|ru-Latn|Shtabofitser}} ({{lang-ru|Штаб-офицер}}), derived from the German {{lang|de|stabsoffizier}}, was the designation of the following officers of the [[Russian Imperial Army]] and Navy until 1917.
 {| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 12px 12px 12px 12px;"
+|- align="center" style="background:#cfcfcf;"
-|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
+! Rank group
-!Designation|| colspan=6|''Nevsky 1st infantry regiment''
+! colspan=9| Field officers ({{lang-ru|Штаб-офицеры|Shtabofitsery}})
-! colspan=4|''Ivanogorodsky 99th IR''
 |- align="center"
+| Nevsky 1st Infantry Regiment
-! [[File:Pekh 1 Nevsky.jpg|40px]]
+| [[File:1911-ir001-p15.png|50px]]
-!
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1911-ir001-p15.png|70px]]
+| [[File:1911-ir001-p14.png|50px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1911-ir001-p14.png|70px]]
+| [[File:1880-ir001-p13.png|50px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1880-ir001-p13.png|70px]]
+| [[File:1911-ir001-p12.png|50px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1911-ir001-p12.png|70px]]
+| [[File:1911-ir001-p11.png|50px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1911-ir001-p11.png|70px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1904ir036-p15.png|70px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1904ir036-p14.png|70px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1904ir036-p12.png|70px]]
-! rowspan=3 | [[File:1904ir036-p11.png|70px]]
 |- align="center"
+| Ivanogorodsky 99th IR
-! rowspan=1 |Shoulder board
+| [[File:1904ir036-p15.png|50px]]
+| [[File:1904ir036-p14.png|50px]]
+|
+| [[File:1904ir036-p12.png|50px]]
+| [[File:1904ir036-p11.png|50px]]
 |- align="center"
+|
-!
+| {{lang|ru|Полковник}}<br />{{lang|ru-Latn|[[Polkovnik]]}}
-|- align="center"
+| {{lang|ru|Подполко́вник}}<br />{{lang|ru-Latn|[[Podpolkovnik]]}}
-! style="background:#ff8800; color:black;"|rank
+| {{lang|ru|Майо́р}}<br />{{lang|ru-Latn|[[Major (rank)|Major]]}}
- | <!--Бригади́р--> || [[Polkovnik]]<br />Полковник || [[Podpolkovnik]]<br />Подполко́вник || [[Major]]<br />Майо́р
+| {{lang|ru|Капитан}}<br />{{lang|ru-Latn|[[Kapitan (rank)#Russia|Kapitan]]}}
-| Kapitan<br />Капитан || Stabs-kapitan<br />Штабс-капитан
+| {{lang|ru|Штабс-капитан}}<br />{{lang|ru-Latn|[[Stabskapitän#Russian Empire|Stabs-kapitan]]}}
-| Polkovnik || Podpolkovnik || Kapitan || Stabs-kapitan
-|- align="center" style="background:#cfcfcf;"
-| rank category
-| colspan=10| ''Field Officers'' (Штаб-офицеры; Shtabofitsery)
 |}
-==United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries==
+==United Kingdom and Commonwealth==
+The [[British Army]] and [[Royal Marines]] use the terms "officers of field rank" or "field officers" to refer to the ranks of [[major (United Kingdom)|major]], [[lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]], [[colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] and [[brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier]]. The term "senior officer" is used for the ranks of [[lieutenant commander (Royal Navy)|lieutenant commander]], [[commander (Royal Navy)|commander]], [[captain (Royal Navy)|captain]] and [[commodore (Royal Navy)|commodore]] in the [[Royal Navy]], and [[squadron leader]], [[wing commander]] and [[group captain]] in the [[Royal Air Force]]. An RAF [[air commodore]], however, is considered to be an [[air officer]].
-The [[British Army]] (in which these officers are called officers of '''field rank'''), and some others in the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] (including the [[Australian Army]] and [[New Zealand Army]]), also include the [[brigadier]] in this category: the equivalent in other armies is a general officer (the [[brigadier general]]).
+A number of other armed forces in the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]], including Australia and New Zealand, also follow this pattern.
 ==United States==
+The officer group in [[United States Armed Forces]], has two different names depending on the branch. In the [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], and [[United States Space Force|Space Force]] the rank group is called '''field grade''' and consists of [[Major (United States)|major]], [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]], and [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]]. United States Army Commissioned Chief Warrant Officers in the grades of CW3-CW5 are also grouped with and wear the uniform of field-grade officers. In the [[United States Navy|navy]], and [[United States Coast Guard|coast guard]], the rank group is called '''mid-grade''' and consists of [[Commander (United States)|commander]], and [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]].<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Military Rank Insignia |url=https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Insignias/ |website=defense.gov |publisher=Department of Defense |access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref>
-Today, a field officer in the United States (here called '''field grade''') [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] is typically a [[Major (United States)|major]], [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]], or a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]]:
-{{quote|The [U.S.] officer corps is divided into 10 Commissioned Officer pay grades (O-1 through O-10) and 5 Warrant Officer pay grades (WO1 through CW5):
-* Officers in pay grades O-1 through O-3 are considered junior, or company grade, officers in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, and are referred to as junior grade in the Navy. These pay grades correspond to the ranks of: [[second lieutenant]] (O-1), [[first lieutenant]] (O-2), [[Captain (United States O-3)|captain]] (O-3)<ref name="DOD Rank">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Military Rank Insignia |url=https://www.defense.gov/Our-Story/Insignias/ |publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922143508/https://www.defense.gov/Our-Story/Insignias/ |archive-date=2019-09-22 }}</ref> as well as [[Warrant officer (United States)|Warrant Officer 1]] (WO1) and [[Chief Warrant Officer 2]] (CW2).
-* Commissioned 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 (United States)|major]] (O-4), [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]] (O-5), [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] (O-6), as well as Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3), Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4), and Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5). The divisions of company grade and field grade have equivalent groupings in the Navy or Coast Guard, namely junior-grade officers and mid-grade officers.<ref name="DOD Rank"/>
-* In the Navy or Coast Guard, officers in pay grades O-1 through O-4 are considered junior officers: [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]], [[Lieutenant (junior grade)|lieutenant junior grade]], [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]], [[lieutenant commander]].
-* In the Navy or Coast Guard, officers in the following pay grades (O-5 and O-6) are considered senior officers: [[Commander (United States)|commander]] and [[Captain (United States O-6)|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 and Coast Guard. The ranks associated with each pay grade are as follows: in the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] (O-7), [[Major general (United States)|major general]] (O-8), [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]] (O-9), and [[General (United States)|general]] (O-10); in the Navy and Coast Guard, [[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral (lower half)|rear admiral-lower half]], [[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral|rear admiral-upper half]], [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]], and [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]].<ref>[http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/poprep2000/html/chapter4/chapter4_2.htm Population Representation in the Military Services - Chapter 4 - Pay Grade] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041230015239/http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/poprep2000/html/chapter4/chapter4_2.htm |date=December 30, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/officers.html |title=Department of Defense - Officer Rank Insignia |publisher=Defenselink.mil |access-date=2011-10-03 |archive-date=2004-06-03 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20040603124003/http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/officers.html%23O4 |url-status=live }}</ref>|sign=|source=}}
 ==References==