Captain (United States O-6)

Captain
Captain;
	The insignia, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy captain
Country	United States of America
Abbreviation	CAPT
Rank	Captain
NATOrank code	OF-5
Non-NATOrank	O-6
Next higher rank	Rear admiral (lower half)
Next lower rank	Commander
Equivalent ranks	Colonel(United States Army,Marine Corps,Space ForceandAir Force)

In theUnited States Navy,United States Coast Guard,United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps(USPHS Corps), andNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps(NOAA Corps),captainis the senior-mostcommissioned officerrank below that offlag officer(i.e.,admirals). The equivalent rank iscolonelin theUnited States Army,Air Force,Space Force,andMarine Corps.

Reflecting its nautical heritage, the termcaptainis used as amilitary titleby officers of more junior rank whocommanda commissioned vessel of the Navy, Coast Guard, orNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) ofpatrol boatsize or greater. Officers below O-6 who commandaviation squadrons(typically O-5commanders) usually use the less formal title "skipper".

Insignia

USN, USCG, USPHSCC, and NOAACOC collar, cover (hat), or shoulder rank insignia (on select uniforms)
The eagle, shoulder boards, and dress blue sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy captain
(Line officer)
The eagle, shoulder boards, and dress blue sleeve stripes of a U.S. Coast Guard captain
The eagle, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes (dress blues + female dress whites) of a USPHS captain
The eagle, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes (dress blues + female dress whites) of a NOAA Corps captain

U.S. Navy

In theUnited States Navy,captain was the highest rank from 1775 until 1857, when theUnited States Congresscreated the rank offlag officer.^[1]The modern rank of captain (abbreviated CAPT) is a senior officer rank, with thepay gradeof O-6. It ranks abovecommanderand belowrear admiral (lower half).It is equivalent to the rank ofcolonelin the otheruniformed services.Promotion to captain is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from theDefense Officer Personnel Management Act(DOPMA) of 1980 or its companion Reserve Officer Personnel Management Act (ROPMA). DOPMA/ROPMA guidelines suggest that no more than 50% of eligible commanders should be promoted to captain after serving a minimum of three years at their present rank and after attaining 21–23 years of cumulative commissioned service, although this percentage may be appreciably less, contingent on force structure and the needs of the service. With very few exceptions, such asNaval AviatorAstronaut andNaval Flight OfficerAstronaut,unrestricted line officercaptains in the Navy will have successfully completed at least one commanding officer assignment at the commander (O-5) level, typically adestroyerorfrigatefor surface warfare officers, a nuclear-poweredattack submarineorballistic missile submarinefor submarine warfare officers, a SEAL team for special warfare officers, or an aviation squadron for Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers, before being selected for promotion to captain. All those selected to the rank of captain by the U.S. Navy are confirmed by the United States Senate.

Navy captains with sea commands in thesurface warfare officercommunity generally command ships ofcruisersize or larger; the larger the ship, the more senior the commanding officer. Others may hold command ascommodoresof destroyer squadrons (DESRON) or surface squadrons (SURFRONs) consisting of multiple destroyers and frigates. Surface Warfare Officers may also command large deck amphibious warfare ships or combat support ships, or serve as commodores of amphibious squadrons (PHIBRON) or other type of surface ship squadrons.

In the submarine community, a captain typically commanded a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) until the early 21st century, when the requisite rank for the position was downgraded to commander. Today, like their surface warfare counterparts, captains in the submarine community may serve as commodores of submarine squadrons (SUBRON), commanding a group of SSBNs or attack submarines (SSN).

InNaval Aviation,captains with sea commands are Naval Aviators or Naval Flight Officers who are commanding officers ofaircraft carriers,commanding officers of large-deck air-capable amphibious assault ships, commanders ofcarrier air wings(CAG), or commodores of functional or "type" air wings or air groups. A smaller cohort outside of sea and shore commands may also serve asastronautson loan to theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA).

In the Naval Special Warfare "Sea Air Land" (SEAL) community, captains with sea commands are typically commodores in command of Naval Special Warfare Groups (NAVSPECWARGRU).

In contrast, commanders of aircraft carrier strike groups (CSG) and expeditionary strike groups (ESG) are normallyrear admirals,while subordinate destroyer squadron commodores, amphibious squadron commodores, carrier air wing commanders and the individual ship commanding officers within the strike group are of captain rank or lower. In addition, in the expeditionary strike group, theMarine Expeditionary Unit(MEU) commanding officer will always be a Marine Corps colonel. Adding to the confusion, all commanding officers of commissioned U.S. Navy warships and submarines (e.g., USS or "United States Ship" ) are called "captain" regardless of actual rank.

Navy captains who are line officers may also fill senior command and staff positions ashore as Chiefs of Staff/Executive Assistants or senior operations officers toflag officers,or they may hold shore command assignments such as commanding officers of naval bases, naval stations, naval air stations, naval air facilities, naval support activities, logistics groups, specialized centers or schools, or commanders of test wings or training air wings. They may also occupy senior leadership positions on fleet staffs, naval component commands staffs, the staffs of the jointUnified Combatant Commands,the staff of theChief of Naval Operations(OPNAV), or theJoint Staff.

As opposed to unrestricted line captains, restricted line and staff corps captains will command facilities and organizations appropriate to their designators, such as intelligence centers commanded by intelligence officers; naval aviation depots/fleet readiness centers commanded by aeronautical engineering duty officers; naval hospitals commanded byMedical Corps(MC),Dental Corps(DC),Medical Service Corps(MSC), orNurse Corps(NC) officers; supply centers bySupply Corps(SC) officers; Construction Battalions or civil engineering centers byCivil Engineer Corps(CEC) officers; or region legal service offices, trial service offices, or defense service offices commanded byJudge Advocate General's Corps(JAGC) officers..

U.S. Coast Guard

TheUnited States Coast Guardalso uses the same naval rank system for its commissioned officers as the U.S. Navy, with a Coast Guard captain ranking above a commander and belowrear admiral (lower half).The sleeve and shoulder board insignia are similar to the Navy insignia, with a lighter shade of blue with a gold USCG shield above the stripes. Coast Guard captains follow career paths very similar to their Navy counterparts, with marine safety, security, and boat forces officers serving as Captain of the Port in command of Coast Guard Sectors, seagoing officers typically commanding largemaritime security cuttersorhigh endurance cuttersand aviators commanding Coast Guard air stations. Coast Guard captains will also command all types of major Coast Guard shore installations and activities, as well as serve as chiefs of staff / executive assistants, senior operations officers, and other senior staff officers for Coast Guard flag officers. The Coast Guard has no staff corps officers.

Like the U.S. Navy, all commanding officers of commissioned cutters (e.g., USCGC or "United States Coast Guard Cutter" ) are addressed as "captain" regardless of their actual rank.

U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps

In theUnited States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corpsand theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps(NOAA Corps), captains are seniornon-combatantofficers that serve as directors or ranking supervisors in their respective uniformed services. Seagoing NOAA Corps captains command certainNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) ships, while NOAA Corps aviators command NOAA flight operations activities. USPHS rapid-deployment force teams, containing 105 USPHS physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals, are commanded exclusively by USPHS Commissioned Corps captains.

U.S. Maritime Service

Although it exists largely as a maritime training organization, theUnited States Maritime Servicealso uses the rank of captain. Even though the Maritime Service is an auxiliary service, the grade is appointed by the President via theSecretary of Transportation,making it a federally recognized rank with corresponding pay grade of O-6.

References

^"Naval History and Heritage Command - Navy Captain".History.navy.mil.13 May 2014.Retrieved18 March2021.

DA Pamphlet 600–3, Commissioned Officer Professional Development and Career Management

[1] "Naval History and Heritage Command - Navy Captain".History.navy.mil.13 May 2014.Retrieved18 March2021.

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