Captain

**Captain** is a commissioned rank in the United States Air Force that those that come with a medical or legal degree generally obtain after joining, while First Lieutenants must be promoted to it.

## About

A captain in the U.S. Air Force is the typical rank achieved after four years of being an officer. It is the third lowest officer rank and is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy and Coast Guard. Captains are expected to be seasoned officers capable of leading large flights and ready to prepare for more administrative tasks or group-level work.

Very few professions also commission their officers as captains. Most of these officers are medical doctors in the Air Force. Due to the amount of schooling and the cost of medical education, doctors are granted a higher rank at commissioning. Some lawyers in the JAG (Judge Advocate General) corps are also commissioned as captains.

## Duties

Unlike the vast differences in responsibilities between the flying and non-flying career fields for lieutenants, those for captain are much more standardized. The responsibilities still marginally vary by group assignments though. In operations groups, senior captains are usually the flight commanders while junior captains only hold minor leadership roles. This is because junior captains are probably flying more than running a flight. Maintenance, logistics, and force support squadrons almost always have captains as flight commanders.

Captains are expected to be the senior leaders that enlisted personnel can approach. They should still be heavily involved in the daily functions and responsibilities of their enlisted personnel. Many captains will also prepare to take on field grade officer (FGO) responsibilities, especially those who are committed in stay in the Air Force longer.

Their authority varies by group assignment. In an operations group, senior captains may be flight commanders while more junior captains may be heads of departments. In the maintenance or logistics and mission support groups they are almost always flight commanders. In the medical group, captains usually have limited administrative and command responsibility as captain is frequently the entry-level rank for most medical officers and dental officers. They also routinely serve as instructors at service schools and combat training centers, aide-de-camps to general officers, liaison and exchange officers to other units, services, and foreign militaries, recruiting officers, students in advanced and graduate/post-graduate programs in Professional Military Education institutions and civilian universities, and on various types of special assignments.

As stated before this is the entry-level rank for those possessing a medical degree, or a doctorate in a healthcare profession (including nurse anesthetists, pharmacists, optometrists, veterinarians, physician assistants, and dentists, among others). In the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, lawyers with a Juris Doctor degree and membership in the bar of at least one U.S. state or territory are appointed captains, or first lieutenants promotable upon completion of initial entry training.

## Promotion

Promotion to captain is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest 95% of first lieutenants should be promoted to captain after serving a minimum of two years at their present rank.

## Demotion and Dismissal

Any superior officer may demote them for insubordination. Dismissal from service happens to those that can't hack it (honourable discharge) or to those that commit severe crimes (dishonorable discharge) while in service, a court martial is required for this.