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Officer (armed forces)

Person in a position of authority / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

British_army_Lt._Col._Alistair_Aitken%2C_commanding_officer%2C_Combined_Forces_Lashkar_Gah%2C_and_Warrant_Officer_Evan_Philbin%2C_with_Alpha_Company%2C_4th_Battalion%2C_Royal_Regiment_of_Scotland%2C_discuss_mission_objectives_110716-M-SM240-701.jpg
A commissioned officer (left) and a non-commissioned officer of the British Army prepare for a mission in Afghanistan.

Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent contextual qualification, the term typically refers only to a force's commissioned officers, the more senior members who derive their authority from a commission from the head of state.