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→Company commanders: Corrected incorrect term for the rank. "Commanding officer" are billets reserved for commanding units at or above battalion level, with ranks typically at the O-5 pay grade or above. |
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{{refimprove|date=April 2021}}
{{for|the naval rank of captain|Captain (United States O-6)}}
{{short description|Military rank of the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
<!-- Captain (U.S. Army)
links here using the anchors tag above. --> <!-- Captain (U.S. Air Force) links here using the anchors tag above. -->
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{{Infobox military rank
| image = US-O3 insignia.svg▼
| image_size = 145▼
| caption = [[United States Army|Army]] and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] metal garrison insignia of the rank of captain. ▼
| name = Captain
| native_name =
▲| image = US-O3 insignia.svg
▲| caption = [[United States Army|U.S. Army]],
| image2 = {{nobreak| [[File:US Army O3 (Army greens).svg|50px]] [[File:US Marine O3 shoulderboard vertical.svg|50px]] [[File:US Air Force O3 shoulderboard.svg|50px]] [[File:US Space-force O3.svg|50px]]}}
| image_size2 =
| alt2 =
| caption2 = Shoulder boards (USA, USMC, USAF, USSF)
| image3 =
| image_size3 =
| alt3 =
| caption3 =
| country = {{flagu|United States}}
| service branch =
| abbreviation = CPT {{small|(Army)}}<br />
| rank group = [[Officer (armed forces)|Company
|
|
|
| pay grade = [[Uniformed services pay grades of the United States|O-3]]
▲| abolished =
| formation =
| abolished =
| higher rank = [[Major (United States)|Major]]
| lower rank = [[
| equivalents = [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] ([[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]])
| history =
}}
[[File:American-black-sculptor-and-former-test-pilot-Edward-Joseph-Ed-391768059582.jpg|thumb|Captain [[Ed Dwight]] (USAF), with two-silver-bar insignia on his [[side cap]].]]
==History==▼
{{unsourced section|date=April 2021}}▼
The U.S. military inherited the rank of captain from its British Army forebears. In the British Army, the captain was designated as the appropriate rank for the commanding officer of infantry companies, artillery batteries, and cavalry troops, which were considered as equivalent-level units. Captains also served as staff officers in regimental and brigade headquarters and as aides-de-camp to brigadiers and general officers. British Marine battalions also utilized captain as the appropriate rank of their constituent Marine companies. Therefore, American colonial militia and Provincial Regular units (e.g., First and Second Virginia Regiments), as well as colonial Marines, mirrored British Army and Marine organization and rank structure.▼
On July 23, 1775, General Washington decreed that captains would wear a "yellow or buff" cockade in their hats as their badge of rank. In 1779, the rank insignia for captains was changed to an epaulette worn of the right shoulder. Infantry captains wore a silver epaulette while all other captains wore a gold epaulette. Both company-grade officers and non-commissioned officers began wearing chevrons as rank insignia in 1821. The captain wore a single chevron, point up, above the elbow on each sleeve; again, the color was silver for infantry captains and gold for all other captains. In 1832, company-grade officers ceased wearing chevrons and
▲In the [[United States Army]] ({{not a typo|USA}}), [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] (USMC), [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] (USAF), and [[United States Space Force|U.S. Space Force]] (USSF), '''captain''' (abbreviated "CPT" in the {{not a typo|USA}} and "Capt" in the USMC, USAF, and USSF) is a [[Company (military unit)|company]] grade officer rank, with the [[U.S. uniformed services pay grades|pay grade]] of O-3. It ranks above [[first lieutenant]] and below [[Major (United States)|major]]. It is equivalent to the rank of [[Lieutenant (naval)|lieutenant]] in the Navy/Coast Guard officer rank system. The insignia for the rank consists of two silver bars, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version.
==Description==
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An Army captain generally serves as a battalion/squadron (cavalry) or brigade staff officer and may have an opportunity to command a [[company (military)|company]]/[[Artillery battery|battery]] (field and air defense artillery)/[[troop]] (cavalry). When given such a command, they bear the title [[company commander|company/battery/troop commander]]. [[U.S. Army Special Forces]] (12-member) Operational Detachments Alpha are also commanded by a captain, who has the title of "detachment commander."
Marine captains are company grade officers. These captains generally serve as staff officers in battalions/squadrons (aviation), regiments/aviation groups (MAG or MACG), or in MAGTFs (MEU and MEB) and
An Air Force captain's authority varies by group assignment. In an operations group, senior captains may be flight commanders while more junior captains may be heads of departments. In the maintenance or logistics and mission support groups they are almost always flight commanders. In the medical group, captains usually have limited administrative and command responsibility as captain is frequently the entry-level rank for most medical officers and dental officers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.af.mil |title=The Official Home Page of the U.S. Air Force |website=www.af.mil}}</ref>
In the Space Force, a captain typically has authority over a [[Flight (military unit)|flight]], and is referred to as a flight commander.<ref>[https://www.military.com/space-force/officer-ranks.html Bushatz, Amy, "Space Force Officer Ranks," military.com Accessed 9 October 2022]</ref>
===Staff officers===
Captains of all
===Specialty branches===
In Army and Air Force [[medical]] units, captain is the entry-level rank for those possessing a medical degree, or a [[doctorate]] in a [[healthcare]] profession. Other health care professions
In Army and Air Force [[Judge Advocate General's Corps|Judge Advocate General]] Corps, [[lawyers]] with a [[Juris Doctor]] degree and [[Admission to the bar in the United States|membership in the bar]] of at least one U.S. state or territory are appointed captains, or first lieutenants promotable upon completion of initial entry training.
▲==History==
▲{{unsourced section|date=April 2021}}
▲The U.S. military inherited the rank of captain from its British Army forebears. In the British Army, the captain was designated as the appropriate rank for the commanding officer of infantry companies, artillery batteries, and cavalry troops, which were considered as equivalent-level units. Captains also served as staff officers in regimental and brigade headquarters and as aides-de-camp to brigadiers and general officers. British Marine battalions also utilized captain as the appropriate rank of their constituent Marine companies. Therefore, American colonial militia and Provincial Regular units (e.g., First and Second Virginia Regiments), as well as colonial Marines, mirrored British Army and Marine organization and rank structure.
However, in Marine Corps [[United States Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division|Judge Advocates]], after earning their commissions as unrestricted line officer second lieutenants, as well as earning an accredited Juris Doctor degree and passing a bar examination, enter active duty as first lieutenants and must complete the Marine Officer Basic Officer Course/The Basic School to qualify as rifle platoon commanders, before subsequently attending their MOS school prior to assignment to their first Marine Corps Judge Advocate billet and completing the minimum time in grade requirements for selection for and promotion to captain.
▲On July 23, 1775, General Washington decreed that captains would wear a "yellow or buff" cockade in their hats as their badge of rank. In 1779, the rank insignia for captains was changed to an epaulette worn of the right shoulder. Infantry captains wore a silver epaulette while all other captains wore a gold epaulette. Both company-grade officers and non-commissioned officers began wearing chevrons as rank insignia in 1821. The captain wore a single chevron, point up, above the elbow on each sleeve; again, the color was silver for infantry captains and gold for all other captains. In 1832, company-grade officers ceased wearing chevrons and went back to a system of epaulettes (again silver for infantry and gold for all others); captains wearing an epaulette on each shoulder, but smaller and less elaborate than the field grade officer versions. In 1836, captains began wearing an insignia of two bars (gold for infantry and silver for all others). Finally, in 1872, all captains, regardless of branch, began to wear two silver bars.
== See also ==
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* [[Police captain]]
* [[United States Army officer rank insignia]]
* [[United States Air Force
==References==
{{Reflist
==Further reading==
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[[Category:Military ranks of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Military ranks of the United States Marine Corps
[[Category:Officer ranks of the United States Air Force]]
[[Category:Officer ranks of the United States Space Force]]
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