Lieutenant (junior grade)

Junior commissioned officer naval rank
Naval officer ranks
Flag officers
  • Admiral of the fleet
  • Grand admiral
  • Admiral
  • General admiral
  • Vice admiral
  • Squadron vice-admiral
  • Lieutenant admiral
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  • Admiral-superintendent
  • Port admiral
  • Counter admiral
  • Divisional admiral
  • Commodore
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Senior officers
Junior officers
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Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies.

United States

Lieutenant (junior grade)
Navy and Coast Guard insignia
Public Health Service and NOAA insignia
Country United States
Service branch United States Navy
 United States Coast Guard
United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
Rank groupJunior officer
NATO rank codeOF-1
Pay gradeO-2
FormationMarch 3, 1883
Next higher rankLieutenant
Next lower rankEnsign
Equivalent ranksFirst lieutenant

Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is a junior commissioned officer rank of the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps). LTJG has a US military pay grade of O-2,[1][2] and a NATO rank code of OF-1. The rank is also used in the United States Maritime Service. The NOAA Corps's predecessors, the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps (1917–1965) and the Environmental Science Services Administration Corps or ESSA Corps (1965–1970), also used the rank.

Lieutenant (junior grade) ranks above ensign and below lieutenant and is equivalent to a first lieutenant in the other uniformed services (the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force) and sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and the navies of many Commonwealth countries.

Promotion to LTJG is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest all "fully qualified" ensigns should be promoted to LTJG. The time for promotion to LTJG is a minimum of two years after commissioning in the Navy or 18 months in the Coast Guard. Lieutenants, junior grade typically lead petty officers and non-rated personnel, unless assigned to small aircraft or on staff duty. A LTJG's usual shipboard billet is as a division officer.

Lieutenant, junior grade is often referred to colloquially as JG. Prior to March 3, 1883, this rank was known in the U.S. Navy as master.[3]

Notable LTJGs

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ 10 USC 5501. Navy: grades above chief warrant officer, W–5
  2. ^ 37 USC 201. Pay grades: assignment to; general rules
  3. ^ Mallory, John A. (1914). Compiled Statutes of the United States 1913. Vol. 1. St. Paul: Wast Publishing Company. p. 1062.
  4. ^ "G.I. Jobs -April 2008". Archived from the original on 2006-03-10.
  5. ^ Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force. "Paratus" (PDF). Regional Publications Ltd. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Defense Act of 2008" (PDF). 3 September 2008. p. 8. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  7. ^ "BADGES OF RANK". Official Jamaica Defence Force Website. 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  8. ^ "Government Notice" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. Vol. 4547. 20 August 2010. pp. 99–102. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  9. ^ a b "U.S. Military Rank Insignia". defense.gov. Department of Defense. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
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United States uniformed services commissioned officer and officer candidate ranks
Pay grade / branch of service Officer
candidate 		O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 Wartime
grade 		Special
grade
Insignia [1] alt=alt=Second lieutenant / Ensign alt=alt=First lieutenant / Lieutenant (junior grade) alt=alt=alt=Captain / Lieutenant alt=alt=Major / Lieutenant commander alt=alt=Lieutenant colonel / Commander alt=alt=Colonel / Captain alt=alt=Brigadier general / Rear admiral (lower half) alt=alt=Major General / Rear admiral alt=alt=Lieutenant general / Vice admiral alt=alt=General / Admiral alt=alt=General of the Air Force / General of the Army / Fleet Admiral [2]
Army CDT / OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA[3] GAS[2]
Marine Corps Midn / Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen [5] [5]
Navy MIDN / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM[3] [5]
Air Force Cdt / OT 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen GAF[3] [5]
Space Force Cdt / OT 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen [5] [5]
Coast Guard CDT / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM [5] [5]
PHS Corps OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM [5] [5]
NOAA Corps OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM [4] [5] [5]
[1] No universal insignia for officer candidate rank
[2] No official insignia and not currently listed by the Army as an obtainable rank. John J. Pershing's GAS insignia: General of the Armies (collar) General of the Armies (epaulettes)
[3] These ranks are reserved for wartime use only, and are still listed as ranks within their respective services
[4] Grade is authorized by the U.S. Code for use but has not been created
[5] Grade has never been created or authorized