Editing Commanding officer

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Wikipedia}}
[[File:Thomas Lasky, 2557.png|thumb|250px|[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Thomas Lasky]], commanding officer of {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}]]
The '''commanding officer''' ('''CO''') is a billet position filled by officers that are in command of a particular duty, such as commanding a [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] starship or leading a [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] unit. The status of commanding officer is duly applied to all commissioned officers who hold lawful command over a military unit, ship, or installation. Before a Naval officer is given control of a starship, they usually are given the rank of Captain.

In the Navy, commanding officer is the official title of the commander of a ship, but they are usually referred to as "the Captain" regardless of their actual rank, or informally referred to as "skipper".<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo:Combat Evolved]]''' '''[[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]] (O.S.):''' "Bridge to Cryo 2, this is Captain Keyes. Send the Master Chief to the bridge immediately." / '''[[Thom Shephard|Tech Chief Thom Shephard]]:''' "Captain, we'll have to skip the weapons diagnostics and I-" / '''Captain Keyes (O.S.):''' "On the double, crewman." / '''Tech Chief Thom:''' "Aye aye sir. ''{Pause}'' The '''''Skipper''''' seems jumpy, we'd better get moving. We'll find your weapons later."</ref> However, there have been Navy COs that held the rank of [[Commander]], such as [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]] before his promotion to Captain during the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]].<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', page 161</ref> Marine Commanding Officers are issued orders by a higher ranking Naval Commanding Officer if on-board a starship. <ref name="HCE">'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'''</ref> Marine Battalion COs (known as Battalion commanders) are usually [[Lieutenant Colonel]]s, though [[Major]]s can fill this position if a Lieutenant Colonel is unavailable. Marine [[Platoon]] commanders are usually [[First Lieutenant]]s, and [[company commander]]s are usually [[Captain (ground forces)|Captains]].

Commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank. Usually there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued, and in theory only goes to the best officers. In a unit, the commanding officer is often assisted by an [[executive officer]] (XO) or Second-in-Command (2i/c), who handles personnel and day-to-day matters. Larger units may also have staff officers of various responsibilities. Commanding officers are one of many billet positions that are allowed into [[officer's quarters]].

In the UNSC Army, the commanding officer of a platoon is referred to as a Platoon Leader. The commanding officer of a company is referred to as a Company Commander, the commanding officer of a battalion is referred to as a Battalion Commander, and the commanding officer of a brigade is referred to as a Brigade Commander. At the division level and higher, however, the commanding officer is referred to as the Commanding General, as these officers are normally of general rank. 

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[[Category:Ranks]]