Roving commission

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A roving commission details the duties of a commissioned officer or other official whose responsibilities are neither geographically nor functionally limited.

Officer (armed forces) member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority

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

Where an individual in an official position is given more freedom than would regularly be afforded to a person in the same role, they are described as having a roving commission.

Traditionally, a military officer receives a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position. A roving commission applies to military officers who are commissioned by their respective service without the requirement to serve at a specific military base or on a specific naval vessel. [1]

A commission is a formal document issued to appoint a named person to high office or as a commissioned officer in a territory's armed forces.

Military organized body primarily tasked with preparing for and conducting war

A military or an armed force is a professional organization formally authorized by a sovereign state to use lethal or deadly force and weapons to support the interests of the state. It typically consists of branches such as an Army, Navy, Air Force, and in certain countries, Marines and a Coast Guard. The task of the military is usually defined as defence of the state and of its citizens, and as the prosecution of war against other states. The military may also have additional sanctioned and non-sanctioned functions within a society, including, the promotion of a political agenda, protecting corporate economic interests, internal population control, construction, emergency services, social ceremonies, and guarding important areas. The military may also function as a discrete subculture within a larger civil society, through the development of separate infrastructures, which may include housing, schools, utilities, logistics, health and medical, law, food production, finance and banking.

Military base facility directly owned and operated by or for the military

A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a command center, training ground or proving ground. In most cases, military bases rely on outside help to operate. However, certain complex bases are able to endure on their own for long periods because they are able to provide food, water and other life support necessities for their inhabitants while under siege. Military bases for military aviation are called military air bases. Military bases for military ships are called naval bases.

Because officers with a roving commission are considered to have more freedom than other officers of a similar rank, they are often commissioned as such so that they can be moved between roles and responsibilities as a stop-gap measure. [2]

See also

Non-commissioned officer Military officer without a commission

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not earned a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually obtain their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers hold higher ranks than NCOs, have more legal responsibilities, are paid more, and often have more non-military training such as a university diploma. Commissioned officers usually earn their commissions without having risen through the enlisted ranks.

<i>My Early Life</i> literary work

My Early Life, also known in the USA as A Roving Commission: My Early Life, is a 1930 book by Winston Churchill. It is an autobiography from his birth in 1874 up to approximately 1902.

Winston Churchill Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a British politician, army officer, and writer. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, when he led Britain to victory in Europe in the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill represented five constituencies during his career as Member of Parliament (MP). Ideologically an economic liberal and British imperialist, for most of his parliamentary career he was a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955, but for twenty years from 1904 was instead a member of the Liberal Party.

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References

  1. ↑ New Zealand Electronic Text Centre – includes related description
  2. ↑ A roving commission: naval reminiscences by Crawford Pasco
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