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Major (United States)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major
U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force insignia of the rank of Major. Style and method of wear vary between the services.
Shoulder boards
CountryUnited States
Service branch U.S. Army
 U.S. Marine Corps
 U.S. Air Force
 U.S. Space Force
AbbreviationMAJ (Army)
Maj (Marine Corps / Air Force / Space Force)
Rank groupField Grade Officer
NATO rank codeOF-3
Pay gradeO-4
Next higher rankLieutenant colonel
Next lower rankCaptain
Equivalent ranksLieutenant commander (U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard)

In the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, major is a field officer above the rank of captain and below the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1] It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy and Coast Guard. Although lieutenant commanders are considered junior officers by their services, majors are senior officers.[2]

The pay grade for the rank of major is O-4.[1] The insignia for the rank consists of a golden oak leaf, with slight stylized differences between the versions of the different services. Promotion to the rank of major is governed by the Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980.

Army

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Major Roger Donlon, US Army. Note golden oak leaf insignia on shoulder board.

A major in the U.S. Army typically serves as a battalion executive officer (XO)[3] or as the battalion operations officer (S3). Majors can also serve as company commanding officers, a major can also serve as a primary staff officer for a regiment, brigade[4] or task force in the areas concerning personnel, logistics, intelligence, and operations. A major will also be a staff officer / action officer on higher staffs and headquarters. In addition, majors command augmented companies in Combat Service and Service Support units. U.S. Army majors also command special operations companies, such as U.S. Army Special Forces companies, Civil Affairs companies, Military Information Support Operations companies, and certain types of separate, numbered vice lettered, Military Intelligence companies.

In the 1830s, the Army selected an oak leaf as the rank insignia for a major, though the rationale for the choice remains unclear. Oak leaves and acorns were used in the early American army on high ranking officer's headwear and may have come from the British or Germans as oak leafs and acorns were used in German uniforms in the 18th Century. The Army and US Air Force oak leaf is a stylized gold leaf that does not represent any individual tree.[5]

Selected majors in the United States Army attend the 10-month Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth,[6] with a greater number attending satellite schools administered by Fort Leavenworth at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.[7] 960 graduated from the Leavenworth course in 2009, at the time the largest class in Army history.[8]

American Revolution

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The Continental Army mostly followed the organization and rank structure of the British Army.[9] A regiment consisted of eight companies with three officers (a captain, lieutenant and ensign) and about 60 enlisted men each. The field-grade officers of a regiment were the colonel, the lieutenant colonel and a major.[10] The major was the regiment's third in command and, at least in theory, would command one of the regiment's two battalions if the regiment were divided for tactical purposes.

American Civil War

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U.S. Army major rank insignia during the 1860s

During the American Civil War the Union Army continued to use the existing titles of rank and rank insignia established for the U.S. Army. After the Southern states seceded and became the Confederacy, the Confederate army retained the same titles of rank as its U.S. counterpart,[11] but developed a new system of rank identification and insignia for its officers.

While U.S. officers continued to wear their rank insignia on their shoulder straps,[12] Confederate officers wore their rank insignia on the collar (one, two, or three horizontal gold bars for lieutenants and captains; one, two, or three gold stars for field grade officers; and three gold stars surrounded by a wreath for all general officers),[13] as well as rows of gold lace forming an Austrian knot pattern on each sleeve. The number of rows of gold lace increased with the rank of the officer.

Post–Civil War

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1957 to 2015 U.S. Army major rank insignia

In the late 1800s the US Army changed from the traditional ten-company regiment to one of twelve companies[14] organized into three four-company battalions, each commanded by a major.[15] After World War I, battalion commanders became lieutenant colonels.[16] The basic regimental organization remained standard until after the Korean War, when regiments with organic battalions were no longer used as tactical units. Battalions attached to brigades replaced the regiment. Battalions commanded by lieutenant colonels became the US Army's basic tactical unit. As a result, there were only a limited number of command positions for majors although Medical[17], Special Forces and Aviation[18] companies are usually commanded by majors.

Marine Corps

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US Army/Air Force style major insignia on the left and US Marine Corps on the right

Within the Marine Corps, a major is a commissioned officer who will usually serve in roles such as battalion executive officer, weapons company commander, or as members of regimental or brigade staff.[19] The USMC majors wear an oak leaf insignia that differs slightly from the US Army/US Air Force. The naval services version is styled similar to a southern live oak leaf grown in the Naval Live Oaks Reservation in the 19th Century.

Air Force

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A major in the Air Force typically has duties as a senior staff officer at the squadron and wing level.[20] In flying squadrons majors are generally flight commanders or assistant directors of operations. In the mission support and maintenance groups majors may occasionally be squadron commanders. In the medical corps, a major may be the head of a clinic or flight.

Space Force

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A major in the Space Force typically has duties as a senior staff officer[21] at the squadron and delta levels.

Law enforcement

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Many law enforcement agencies use major as a rank, including nearly every state police agency, many sheriff's offices, and some county and municipal police departments, as well as Correctional facilities (Chief of Security). Examples include the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, DeKalb County Police Department, and Baltimore Police Department. Majors in law enforcement agencies usually command a precinct or a larger element, such as a division or bureau (i.e., Patrol Division, Detective Bureau, Kansas Dept of Corrections, etc.).

Insignia

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References

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  1. ^ a b "U.S. Military Rank Insignia". U.S. Department of War. Archived from the original on 2025-10-08. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  2. ^ "Stop Calling Lieutenant Commanders Junior Officers". U.S. Naval Institute. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  3. ^ "First 100 Days: XO/S3 Handbook". www.army.mil. 2025-08-27. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  4. ^ "U.S. Army Ranks". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  5. ^ "Major". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  6. ^ "CGSS | Army University". armyuniversity.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-08-14. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  7. ^ CGSC (5 January 2011). "About the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College". www.cgscfoundation.org. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  8. ^ Bower, Melissa (18 June 2009). "Largest CGSC-ILEAca,!E+class graduates". www.army.mil. United States Army. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Brigades and Regiments - Morristown National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  10. ^ "Continental Army | American Revolutionary War". Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  11. ^ "Civil War Army Organization". www.nellaware.com. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  12. ^ "1861 General Order 6: Uniforms & Dress Regulations". www.usregulars.com. Archived from the original on 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  13. ^ Confederate States of America. Adjutant and Inspector-General's Office; Crehen, E.; Wynne, Charles H. (1861). Uniform and dress of the army of the Confederate States. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Richmond : Chas. H. Wynne, printer.
  14. ^ Gnam, Carl (2019-02-09). "The Post-Civil War Frontier American Army". Warfare History Network. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  15. ^ "REORGANIZATION OF THE LINE OF THE ARMY". University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons. 1897.
  16. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.armyupress.army.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-05-26. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  17. ^ "Medical Service Corps" (PDF). US Army. May 3, 2023.
  18. ^ "Aviation Branch" (PDF). US Army. June 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "Marine Corps Ranks | Marines". www.marines.com. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  20. ^ "Air Force Career Progression - Officer | BogiDope". bogidope.com. 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  21. ^ Bajza, Tiffini Theisen,Stephen (2025-09-23). "Space Force Ranks: A Complete Guide to Enlisted and Officer Ranks". Military.com. Retrieved 2025-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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