Subordinate officer

A subordinate officer, in many navies (and sometimes other services) in the English-speaking world, is an officer who has not finished their initial training. Such officers are not commissioned, but are treated for most intents and purposes as commissioned officers.

Canada

In the Canadian Forces, subordinate officers (French: "officiers subordonnés") as a group consist of the Army and Air Force ranks of Officer Cadet (OCdt) and the Navy's Naval Cadet (NCdt); the French language equivalents are "Élève-officier (élof)" and "Aspirant de marine (aspm)", respectively.

The subordinate officer's rank insignia is a single narrow strip of gold braid worn on the cuff of the Service Dress jacket, or on slip-ons on the shoulders of other uniforms. Unlike that of commissioned officers, the peak of the service dress cap (if worn) is plain, identical to that of non-commissioned members (NCMs). However, cap badges and other accoutrements are those of commissioned officers where different from those of NCMs.

Subordinate officers are addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am" by non-commissioned members, and by rank and name by superior officers. As they do not hold commissions they are not required to be saluted, however non-commissioned members may choose to Salute an Officer Cadet as a sign of respectdubious. They may however hold positions of authority, either in an acting capacity or for training purposes, such as second-in-command of a platoon, under the close supervision of a superior officer.

United Kingdom

In the Royal Navy and the Royal Naval Reserve, there are three ranks of subordinate officer, who hold their ranks by Admiralty Board orders:

* Acting Sub-Lieutenant
* Midshipman
* Cadet

Of these, only the rank of Midshipman is still in use in the Royal Navy. The substantive rank of Cadet is referred to in the Naval Discipline Act 1957, but is no longer in use. However, Midshipmen and Sub-Lieutenants while undergoing their first phase of training at Britannia Royal Naval College and Initial Sea Training do not use their substantive ranks, but the non-substantive rank of Officer Cadet.

The rank of Acting Sub-Lieutenant is used in the Royal Naval Reserve, but has not been used in the Royal Navy since c. 1993. Royal Navy Sub-Lieutenants still undergoing Initial Training, who formerly would have been Acting Sub-Lieutenants, do not receive their commission parchments until they join the trained strength (usually several years after passing out of Britannia Royal Naval College), but their commissions are backdated to the date when they were initially appointed Sub-Lieutenants, just as they were formerly backdated to the date when the officer was appointed an Acting Sub-Lieutenant.

The rank of Second Lieutenant, Royal Marines, is also a subordinate officer rank.

Subordinate officers are officers for the purposes of the Naval Discipline Act 1957 and the Queen's Regulations for the Royal Navy, and are entitled to be saluted and to be addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am" by warrant officers and ratings.

ee also

*Comparative military ranks
*Officer Designate