Captain (United States O-3)
Captain (United States O-3)
!Captain [Ed Dwight (USAF), with two-silver-bar insignia on his side cap.](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/American-black-sculptor-and-former-test-pilot-Edward-Joseph-Ed-391768059582.jpg/250px-American-black-sculptor-and-former-test-pilot-Edward-Joseph-Ed-391768059582.jpg)
Captain (United States O-3)
Captain in the U.S. Army (USA), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), U.S. Air Force (USAF), and U.S. Space Force (USSF) (abbreviated "CPT" in the USA and "Capt" in the USMC, USAF, and USSF) is a company)-grade officer rank, with the pay grade of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major). It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant) in the Navy/Coast Guard officer rank system and is different from the higher Navy/Coast Guard rank of captain). 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.
History
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.
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