how to become a commanding officer

An Army commander is a senior officer who has supervisory and decision-making responsibilities. The title of commander refers to duties and does not correspond to any one pay grade. Only the Navy and Coast Guard use “commander” as an official rank.

Job Description

All branches of the military group personnel according to ranks within the categories of enlisted, warrant officers and officers. Each corresponds to a pay grade that is standard across all the services. Enlisted ranks are designated E-1 through E-9, warrant officers are W-1 through W-5 and officers are O-1 through O-10.

The names of the ranks can vary depending on the branch of service. For example, an O-5 is called a lieutenant colonel (Lt. Col.) in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The Navy commander rank is equivalent. Navy rank abbreviations also use Lt. Cmdr. to designate a lieutenant commander (O-4), equivalent to a major in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps.

The Army is organized into commands under Headquarters, Department of the Army. Within each of the three main areas of command (abbreviated as FORSCOM, TRADOC and AMC), there are many smaller, regional commands of various sizes and occupational focus. These range from battalion-level commands to brigade, division, corps and field army commands.

A colonel (O-6) can serve as commander of a hospital on an Army post. On the same post, a major general (O-8) can serve as commander of a division, such as an infantry or artillery division, which is comprised of 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers. A battalion commander rank is typically that of lieutenant colonel (O-5), who is responsible for a unit of approximately 1,000 personnel. The duties of a commander depend on the officer’s pay grade and area of expertise. Think of a commander as senior management. He or she is responsible for the personnel and operations of the organization, reporting to the commander at the next-highest level.

Education Requirements

There are four paths to becoming an Army officer. The premier path is graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Admission to the academy is by appointment, usually from a member of Congress, and highly competitive. Most officers are commissioned after graduating from a college or university with an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, program. Enlisted personnel, warrant officers and individuals with a college degree may be eligible to become officers by attending Officer Candidate School, or OCS, a 14-week training program. Finally, individuals with specialized degrees in medicine, law, ministry and certain technical fields may become officers through direct appointment.

Industry

Army commanders can find themselves in a variety of settings, depending on their military occupational specialty and the needs of the service. Commanders often work from an office, but can also be outdoors. Because of the level of responsibility, a commander’s workweek usually exceeds 40 hours.

Years of Experience and Salary

Pay for a commander depends on rank and years of service. A colonel (O-6) with 20 years of service earns $10,295.70 per month, or $123,548.40 annually. A brigadier general (O-7) with 20 years of service earns $12,591.90 a month, or $151,102.80 per year. The higher the rank, the fewer people there are at that rank and the fewer opportunities there are for command positions.

Leave a Reply