Major (United States)

For other countries that use this rank, seeMajor.

Major
U.S. Army,U.S. Marine Corps,U.S. Air Force,andU.S. Space Forceinsignia of the rank of Major. Style and method of wear vary between the services.
Shoulder boards
Country	United States
Service branch	U.S. Army U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Air Force U.S. Space Force
Abbreviation	MAJ(Army) Maj
Rank group	Field officer
NATOrank code	OF-3
Pay grade	O-4
Next higher rank	Lieutenant colonel
Next lower rank	Captain
Equivalent ranks	Lieutenant commander(U.S. NavyandU.S. Coast Guard)

In theUnited States Army,Marine Corps,Air ForceandSpace Force,majoris afield officerabove therankofcaptainand below the rank oflieutenant colonel.It is equivalent to thenavalrank oflieutenant commanderin the otheruniformed services.Although lieutenant commanders are considered junior officers by their services (Navy and Coast Guard), the rank of major is that of a senior officer in the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, and the United States Air Force.

Thepay gradefor the rank of major is O-4. The insignia for the rank consists of a goldenoakleaf, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version. Promotion to major is governed by the Department of Defense policies derived from theDefense Officer Personnel Management Actof 1980.

Army

A major in the U.S. Army typically serves as abattalionexecutive officer(XO) or as the battalionoperations officer(S3). Majors can also serve as Company Commanding Officers, a major can also serve as a primary staff officer for aregiment,brigadeortask forcein 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 commandSpecial operationscompanies, such asU.S. Army Special Forcescompanies, Civil Affairs companies, Military Information Support Operations companies, and certain types of separate, numbered vice lettered,Military Intelligencecompanies.

In the 1830s, the Army selected an oak leaf as the rank insignia for a major, though the rationale for the choice remains unclear.

Selected majors in the United States Army attend the 10-monthCommand and General Staff SchoolatFort Leavenworth,with a greater number attending satellite schools administered by Fort Leavenworth atFort Belvoir,VirginiaandRedstone Arsenal,Alabama.960 graduated from the Leavenworth course in 2009, at the time the largest class in Army history.

American Revolution

TheContinental Armymostly followed the organization and rank structure of the British Army. 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. 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

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

During the American Civil War theUnion Armycontinued to use the existing titles of rank and rank insignia established for the U.S. Army. After the Southern states seceded and became theConfederacy,theConfederate armyretained the same titles of rank as its U.S. counterpart, but developed anew system of rank identificationand insignia for its officers.

While U.S. officers continued to wear their rank insignia on their shoulder straps, 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), as well as rows of gold lace forming anAustrian knotpattern on each sleeve. The number of rows of gold lace increased with the rank of the officer.

Post-Civil War

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 organized into three four-company battalions, each commanded by a major. Prior to World War II, battalion commanders became lieutenant colonels. 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,Special Forcesand Aviation companies are usually commanded by majors.

Air Force

A major in the Air Force typically has duties as a senior staff officer at the squadron and wing level. 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

A major in the Space Force typically has duties as a senior staff officer at the squadron anddeltalevels.

Law enforcement

Manylaw enforcement agenciesuse major as a rank, including nearly everystate policeagency, manysheriff's offices,and somecountyandmunicipalpolice departments. Examples include theOhio State Highway Patrol,Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office,DeKalb County Police Department,andBaltimore Police Department.Majors in law enforcement agencies usually command aprecinctor a larger element, such as a division or bureau (i.e., Patrol Division, Detective Bureau, etc.).

Insignia

• 
  U.S. Armyrank insignia of a major.
• 
  U.S. Marine Corpsrank insignia of a major.
• 
  U.S. Air Forcerank insignia of a major.
• 
  U.S. Space Forcerank insignia of a major.

External links

• Confederate Army rank insignia: A guide
• Officer rank insignia
• Rank history