In the United States armed forces, the term line officer or officer of the line refers to a Navy, Marine, Air Force or Coast Guard officer who exercises general command authority and is eligible for operational command positions, as opposed to officers who normally exercise authority within in a specialty.. The equivalent Army term is "competitive category".
Officers who are not line officers are those whose primary duties are in non-combat specialties including chaplains, attorneys, supply and civil engineering officers and medical, medical service, dental and nurse officers. The distinction between line and non-line officers often blur; line officers may be assigned non-combat roles, and non-line officers are often assigned to tasks normally performed by line officers. Also, non-line officers at the squadron or Group level (and higher) are also issued "G-Series" orders which gives them the same relative power of 'line officers' of equivalent rank. A line officer may even hold authority over a non-line officer of higher rank by the nature of their job, but is otherwise expected to observe normal customs and courtesies outside that role.
Read more about Line Officer: History, United States Forces, Other Forces
Famous quotes containing the words line and/or officer:
“The line of separation was very distinct, and the Indian immediately remarked, “I guess you and I go there,—I guess there’s room for my canoe there.” This was his common expression instead of saying “we.” He never addressed us by our names, though curious to know how they were spelled and what they meant, while we called him Polis. He had already guessed very accurately at our ages, and said that he was forty-eight.”
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