Second Lieutenant is the lowest
commissioned officer military rank in many
armed forces.
In
British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ (lef-tenent), while in
American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ (loo-tenent).
United Kingdom and Commonwealth
The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the
British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of
ensign (
cornet in the cavalry), although it had long been used in the
Royal Artillery,
Royal Engineers,
Fusilier and
Rifle regiments. At first the rank bore no distinct insignia. In 1902 a single bath
star (now commonly referred to as a
pip) was introduced; the ranks of
lieutenant and
captain had their number of stars increased by one to (respectively) two and three. The rank is also used by the
Royal Marines.
In the
Royal Air Force the comparable rank is
pilot officer. The
Royal Navy has no exactly equivalent rank, and a second lieutenant is senior to a Royal Navy
midshipman but junior to a
Sub-Lieutenant. The
Royal New Zealand Navy – breaking with Royal Navy tradition – uses the
ensign grade for this rank equivalent. The
Royal Australian Navy also breaks tradition in the sense that it has the equivalent rank of Ensign, but it is titled "acting sub lieutenant."
The
Canadian Forces adopted the rank with insignia of a single gold ring around the service dress uniform cuff for both army and air personnel upon unification in 1968. For a time, naval personnel used this rank but reverted to the Royal Canadian Navy rank of
acting sub-lieutenant, though the CF Green uniform was retained until the mid-1980s.
United States
Insignia of a United States Second Lieutenant
rank insignia of the Confederate Army as used during the American Civil War|175px]]
In the
United States, second lieutenant is typically the entry-level rank for most
commissioned officers.
In the
U.S. Army and the
U.S. Marine Corps, a second lieutenant typically leads a
platoon-size element (16 to 44 soldiers or marines). In the Army, the rank bore no
insignia until December 1917, when a gold bar was introduced to contrast with the silver bar of a
first lieutenant.
In the
U.S. Air Force, a second lieutenant may supervise
flights of varying sizes, depending upon the career field, as a flight commander or assistant flight commander or may work in a variety of administrative positions at the
squadron,
group, or
wing level.
As a result of the gold color of the bars, second lieutenants are often
colloquially referred to as
Butterbars,
Nuggets,
Commissioned Privates, or
2nd Luey.
The corresponding
United States Coast Guard and
United States Navy rank is
ensign.
In the
Army Medical Corps, this is the entry-level rank for nurses.
Norway
Image:UK-Navy-OF1.gif| An RNoN Fenrik Arm, shoulder or chest insignia (depending on uniform)
Image:NOR-Army-OF1b.gif| A Norwegian Army and Heimevernet (Home Guard) Fenrik shoulder insignia.
The equivalent rank in Norway(O-1) is "fenrik", but the function of the rank differs drastically from other armies. Although it is an officer rank, it strongly resembles an NCO-rank in practice. The ranking system in Norway is quite different, while they don't have a professional army, Fenriks are usually former experienced sergeants but to become a sergeant one has to go through officer's training and education. Though they still fill such roles as squad leaders and platoon sergeants while at the rank Fenrik, in some cases Fenriks are XOs. Most Fenriks have finished the War Academy as well, and are fully trained officers. This is due to the lack of an NCO-corps in the Norwegian army.
Other countries
- , , and : ملازم ثان (Mulazim Thani)
- : Sous-Lieutenant (French); Onderluitenant (Dutch)
- , , , , , , and : Subteniente
- : Vänrikki (Finnish) or Fänrik (Swedish) (army and air force); Aliluutnantti (Finnish) or Underlöjtnant (Swedish) (navy)
- and all French-speaking non-European countries: Sous-Lieutenant
- : ლეიტენანტი (Leytenanti)
- : ستوان دوم (Setvan Dovom)
- Second Lieutenant (English); Dara-Lefteanant (Irish)
- : סגן משנה (Segen mishne)
- : Santō Rikui (or San'i) (modern); Shōi (historical)
- Philippines: Second Lieutenant (English); Magat, Tenyente, Ikalawang Tenyente, Alperes (cognate of Alferez)
- : Sublocotenent (modern); Locotenent (former)
- , , , , and : Лейтенант (Leytenant)
- : Подпоручик (Podporuchik); Kорнет (Kornet) (cavalry)
- , and : Потпоручник (Potporučnik)
- : Leutnant (German); Lieutenant (French); Tenente (Italian)
- : Subteniente (army); Subteniente (air force); Alférez (Navy)
See also
