First Lieutenant
A junior commissioned officer of the US Army, O-2 and NATO OF-1, usually a senior platoon leader or company executive officer.
Overview
First Lieutenant wears a single silver bar and is promoted from second lieutenant after roughly eighteen to twenty-four months of rated service. The rank brings responsibility for more of the company machinery: executive officer duties, range and convoy planning, and mentoring the newest lieutenants. First lieutenants remain company officers, NATO OF-1, but their evaluations now weigh toward positions with initiative. Historically the first lieutenant of a company was its working deputy, a sense preserved in the modern executive officer role. Most officers reach captain within two further years.
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