A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation’s armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command.
The term is used differently in different countries:
A flag officer is a senior naval officer, particularly one who holds one of the admiral ranks; the term may or may not also include the rank of commodore.
It may be applicable to all armed forces in some nations, including the navy, including those in the United States, India, and Bangladesh. In light of this, flag officers also include generals.
In most Arab armies, liwa (There is a specific rank in Arabic that translates to “flag officer” and is equivalent to a major general. However, “ensign” is debatably a more exact translation of the word. In principle, a flag officer commands several units called “flags” (or “ensigns”) (i.e. brigades).
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General Usage
The generic title of flag officer is used in many modern navies and coast guards to denote those who hold the rank of rear admiral or its equivalent and above, also called “flag ranks”. This also applies to the commodore rank in some navies. The term “flag officer” is equivalent to the terms “general officer,” “air officer,” and “air marshal,” all of which are collective terms used by land and some air forces to refer to all grades of generals.
A flag adjutant, or flag lieutenant, is a junior officer who is occasionally attached as an aide-de-camp or personal adjutant.
Flag Officer In The United States
Since the United States Navy’s founding in 1775, the highest rank has been captain. However, in 1857, Congress instituted the temporary rank of flag officer, which was given to senior Navy captains who were tasked with overseeing a squadron of ships in addition to their own ship. In 1862, the temporary ranks of commodore and rear admiral were replaced by the permanent ones.
The term “flag officer” is still in use today, explicitly defined as an officer of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard serving in or having the grade of admiral, vice admiral, rear admiral, or rear admiral (lower half), equivalent to general officers of an army.
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, the term “flag officer” generally is applied to all general officers authorized to fly their own command flags—i.e., brigadier general, or pay grade Title 10 of the United States Code distinguishes between general officers and flag officers (general officer for the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force; flag officer for the Navy and Coast Guard). Non-naval officers typically only fly their flags from their headquarters, ships, or vehicles when the most senior officer present is present.
All flag and general officers in the United States must be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Every subsequent promotion needs to be renominated for and approved again. Each flag officer assignment in the Navy is typically only valid for two years at the most, after which the officer is either reassigned, promoted, or retires. See more about What Is A Patrol Officer?
Flag Officer In The United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the term is only used for the Royal Navy, with there being a more specific distinction being between a “flag officer” and an “officer of flag rank”. Formerly, all officers promoted to flag rank were considered to be “flag officers”. Any officer of flag rank is still frequently referred to by this term. Present usage is that rear admirals and above are officers of flag rank, but only those officers who are authorised to fly a flag are formally called “flag officers” and have different flags for different ranks of admiral.
Of the 39 officers of flag rank in the Royal Navy in 2006, very few were “flag officers” with entitlement to fly a flag. For example, a Commander-in-Chief Fleet flies an admiral’s flag whether ashore or afloat and is a “flag officer”. The chief of staff (support), a rear admiral, is not entitled to fly a flag and is an “officer of flag rank” rather than a “flag officer”. List of fleets and major commands of the Royal Navy lists most admirals who were “flag officers”. A flag officer’s junior officer is often known as “Flags”.[citation needed] Rear-Admirals and higher in the Royal Navy are regarded as flag officers.
Equivalent ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines, and Royal Air Force are referred to as air officers rather than flag officers, and those in the Royal Navy (as well as the rank of air commodore) are referred to as general officers. All of these ranks are nevertheless qualified to fly flags of rank.
conclusion
So, do you understand what is a flag officer?
It is an officer in certain navies of the rank of rear admiral or above and entitled to fly its flag at the head of a boat or yacht club.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment.
Thank you for your reading.
