Battlefield promotion

Last updated October 24, 2024

A battlefield promotion (or field promotion) is an advancement in military rank that occurs while deployed in combat. A standard field promotion is advancement from current rank to the next higher rank; a "jump-step" promotion allows the recipient to advance by two ranks.

A battlefield commission is a commission granting an enlisted soldier a battlefield promotion to the rank of commissioned officer. The granting of a battlefield commission has its historical precursor in the medieval practice of the knighting or ennoblement of a plebeian combatant on the battleground for demonstration of heroic qualities in an exceptional degree. In the medieval context, this martial achievement was often one of the main restricted pathways into the sword-bearing feudal aristocracy.

United Kingdom

The last person to receive a battlefield promotion in the United Kingdom was Rifleman Gigar Das. Das was given a field promotion to lance corporal in 2014 after serving eight years in the 1st Battalion The Rifles. Das had been deployed on three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. Das was promoted after Chief of the General Staff General Sir Peter Wall witnessed him giving a training session in marksmanship principles.^[1] General Wall was astonished that Das was still only a Rifleman, a rank equivalent to a private. He immediately promoted Das after consulting his company commander, Major Sam Cates. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the last previous field promotion was believed to have happened during the Korean War (1950–1953).^[1]

During the Burma campaign in March 1944, Havildar (Sergeant) Kulbahadur Gurung of the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was commissioned at the rank of captain in the field for an action wherein he personally killed several enemy Japanese combatants.^[2]

United States

A battlefield promotion is awarded to enlisted soldiers who are promoted to a higher enlisted rank during combat or combat conditions. The US Army discontinued this practice after the Vietnam War with the centralized promotion system, but in 2009 decided to again allow such promotions.^[3] "Battlefield promotions are predicated on extraordinary performance of duties while serving in combat or under combat conditions." It can be used to promote an individual soldier one grade, to at most staff sergeant, and has a variety of constraints.^[4] This promotion does not involve a promotion board and does not require the soldier meet time in service or time in grade requirements. Soldiers given a field promotion from corporal to sergeant must complete the Basic Leader Course or BLC. A sergeant field promoted to staff sergeant must complete the Advanced Leader Course (ALC). In either case, to retain their promotion they must complete the BLC or ALC within 270 days after redeployment to a home station.^[5] Extensions can be applied for but failure to complete the required courses will result in an administrative reduction in rank.^[6]

Normally, enlisted service members or non-commissioned officers cannot attain commissioned officer rank through regular promotion. Starting in 1917, during World War I, the United States Army started awarding battlefield commissions to soldiers to replace the "Brevet Officer" system (the promotion of an enlisted man to a commissioned officer without an increase in pay). The Marine Corps started awarding battlefield commissions in place of the Brevet Medal, which was second only to the Medal of Honor. From World War I to the Vietnam War, over 31,200 sailors, soldiers, Marines, and airmen had been awarded battlefield commissions. Such a commission is usually advancement from a position of non-commissioned officer to a commissioned officer, generally O-1 - Second Lieutenant, or ensign in the Navy and Coast Guard. The most significant aspect of a battlefield commission is that it is granted apart from the regular commission sources: Officer Training School/Officer Candidate School, Reserve Officer Training Corps or a service academy. Battlefield commissions are awarded on the basis of merit and demonstration of leadership, and bypass this step. The most notable recipient of a battlefield commission was Audie Murphy, who was promoted from staff sergeant to Second Lieutenant during World War II. Once on a peacetime footing, battlefield-commissioned officers are required to meet the normal requirements within a timeframe in order to be retained (e.g., a bachelor's degree^[7]^{[ page needed ]}).

History

From 1845 through 1918, enlisted men who were commissioned for outstanding leadership on the field of battle were referred to as Brevet Officers. The Marine Corps recognized the value of combat leaders who were commissioned in this manner and created a Brevet Medal which was second only to the Medal of Honor. In the wars following 1918, enlisted men and warrant officers, commissioned for the same reason, were referred to as battlefield commissioned.

World War I — From 1917 to 1918 approximately 6,000 non-commissioned officers were awarded battlefield commissions.
World War II — From 1941 to 1945 approximately 25,500 men were awarded battlefield commissions worldwide. The United States Marine Corps also awarded battlefield commissions during the same period but no records were kept of the total. At the conclusion of World War II a board of officers reporting to the Commanding General of the European Theater stated "The one sure method of determining whether any individual has qualities which make him a successful leader in combat is to observe that man in combat."^[8] Battlefield commissions were approved by the War Department.
Korean War — From 1950 to 1953 a system parallel to that of World War II was adopted. The Department of Defense cannot provide figures on the number promoted. The Marine Corps did not award battlefield commissions during the Korean War.
Vietnam War — From 1963 to 1973 the Marine Corps Commandant appointed a permanent Board with the mission of selecting those enlisted men of the Marine Corps whose performance under fire while serving in Vietnam merited a commission. A list of 62 enlisted men who were commissioned includes one man who was killed before he could accept his commission.
Operation Iraqi Freedom; From 2003 to 2011 the United States Army appointed the first female in a Battlefield Commission from Soldier to Officer, Michelle (Miller) Cherland.
The US Army has current regulations^[9]^[10] allowing battlefield commissions for Operation Enduring Freedom (technically "Battlefield Appointments")

India

Lieutenant Vikram Batra was given a field promotion to captain in 1999, during the Kargil War (Operation Vijay). During the war, the task of capturing Point 5140 was assigned to the "13 JAK RIF" under the command of (then) Lt. Col. Yogesh Kumar Joshi. On 27 June 1999, after the capture of Point 5140, Lt. Batra was promoted to the rank of "Captain". General Ved Prakash Malik, the then Chief of Army Staff, called to congratulate him.

Related Research Articles

Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies and other institutions organized along military lines. Responsibility for personnel, equipment and missions grow with each advancement. The military rank system defines dominance, authority and responsibility within a military hierarchy. It incorporates the principles of exercising power and authority into the military chain of command—the succession of commanders superior to subordinates through which command is exercised. The military chain of command is an important component for organized collective action.

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.

Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, serjeant, is used in The Rifles and other units that draw their heritage from the British light infantry. Its origin is the Latin serviens, 'one who serves', through the Old French term serjant.

Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corresponds to commanding a section or squad of soldiers.

Sergeant First Class (SFC) is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries.

During the American Civil War, the United States Army, the land force that fought to preserve the collective Union of the states, was often referred to as the Union Army, the Federal Army, or the Northern Army. It proved essential to the restoration and preservation of the United States as a working, viable republic.

A United States military occupation code, or a military occupational specialty code, is a nine-character code used in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a system of Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) is used. In the United States Navy, a system of naval ratings and designators are used along with the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system. A system of ratings is also used in the United States Coast Guard.

John William "Jack" Vessey Jr. was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of general, and was most notable for his service as the tenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Marine Corps Brevet Medal, also known as the Brevet Medal, was a military decoration of the United States Marine Corps; it was created in 1921 as a result of Marine Corps Order Number 26. The decoration was a one-time issuance and retroactively recognized living Marine Corps officers who had received a brevet rank. The similar practice of frocking continues in all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In the military, a brevet is a warrant that gives a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward, but which may not confer the authority and privileges of real rank.

A colonel in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, is the most senior field-grade military officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. Colonel is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services. By law, an officer previously required at least 22 years of cumulative service and a minimum of three years as a lieutenant colonel before being promoted to colonel. With the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, military services now have the authorization to directly commission new officers up to the rank of colonel. The pay grade for colonel is O-6.

In the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, lieutenant colonel is a field-grade officer rank, just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.

The ranks in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reflect an individual's level in the military.

Specialist is a military rank in some countries' armed forces. Two branches of the United States Armed Forces use the rank. It is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the United States Army, above private (PVT), private (PV2), and private first class and is equivalent in pay grade to corporal; in the United States Space Force, four grades of specialist comprise the four junior enlisted ranks below the rank of sergeant.

Mustang is a military slang term used in the United States Armed Forces to refer to a commissioned officer who began their career as an enlisted service member. A mustang officer is not a temporary or brevet promotion but is a commissioned officer who receives more pay according to their rank of O1-E, O2-E, etc., but has no more command responsibilities than those of any commissioned officer of the same grade.

All branches of the United States Armed Forces use the general term Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME) to describe the formal system of education which each branch provides to its enlisted personnel. Each branch has its own system and sequence of courses, with the overall focus on leadership and management. Education generally increases in intensity and level of knowledge as individuals progress in rank and assume broader leadership roles. EPME is distinct from the technical training which service members receive for their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC), or Navy Rating.

<i>Once an Eagle</i> Novel by Anton Myrer

Once an Eagle is a 1968 war novel by American author Anton Myrer. The novel takes place between the 1910s and 1960s, and covers many of the United States' military involvements during that period. Once an Eagle tells the story of Sam Damon, career Army officer, from his initial enlistment as a private to his rise to general officer rank. Damon is an honorable soldier who rises in rank by success in field command, and cares for the welfare of his troops. His career is contrasted with that of another soldier, Courtney Massengale, who has no honor, no concern for his troops, and rises in rank through staff positions by cunning and political connections. As the two rise in the ranks together, they frequently clash in their views.

An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.

Rising from the ranks,through the ranks or commissioned from the ranks refers to enlisted soldiers being commissioned as officers. In class-conscious societies of the past, such as Britain during the Napoleonic Wars, for example, this was a relatively rare occurrence.

References

1 2 "British soldier receives historic field promotion" (Press release). Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). 28 January 2014. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
↑ gurkha_museum (2020-08-18). "The untold story of the hero Gurkha Victoria Cross holders". The Gurkha Museum - Winchester. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
↑ http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/army_battlefield_062909w/ Battlefield-promotion pilot program now policy
↑ AR 600-8-19 Enlisted Promotions and Reductions (30 April 2010) See Chapter 11 Battlefield Promotions, page 152
↑ Battlefield promotion rules- Retrieved 2016-12-24
↑ Battlefield promotion criteria- Retrieved 2016-12-24
↑ Hackworth, David H. (2020). About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781982144043.
↑ Ochs, Stephen J. (2012). A Cause Greater than Self: The Journey of Captain Michael J. Daly. Texas A&M University Press. p. 88.
↑ AR 601-50 Appointment of Temporary Officers in the Army of the United States Upon Mobilization (4 December 1987) See Section VI Battlefield Appointments on page 3
↑ Crane, Conrad (2020). "Temporary Promotions of U.S. Army Officers: A Brief Overview" (PDF). U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. Retrieved 21 May 2021.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[MoD_UK-1] 1 2 "British soldier receives historic field promotion" (Press release). Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). 28 January 2014. Retrieved 2020-10-21.

[2] urkha_museum (2020-08-18). "The untold story of the hero Gurkha Victoria Cross holders". The Gurkha Museum - Winchester. Retrieved 2024-10-23.

[3] ttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/army_battlefield_062909w/ Battlefield-promotion pilot program now policy

[4] AR 600-8-19 Enlisted Promotions and Reductions (30 April 2010) See Chapter 11 Battlefield Promotions, page 152

[5] Battlefield promotion rules- Retrieved 2016-12-24

[6] Battlefield promotion criteria- Retrieved 2016-12-24

[7] Hackworth, David H. (2020). About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781982144043.

[8] Ochs, Stephen J. (2012). A Cause Greater than Self: The Journey of Captain Michael J. Daly. Texas A&M University Press. p. 88.

[9] AR 601-50 Appointment of Temporary Officers in the Army of the United States Upon Mobilization (4 December 1987) See Section VI Battlefield Appointments on page 3

[10] Crane, Conrad (2020). "Temporary Promotions of U.S. Army Officers: A Brief Overview" (PDF). U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. Retrieved 21 May 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]