instance_of lieutenant commander
Major is a ___MASK46___ of commissioned officer status , with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world . When used unhyphenated , in conjunction with no other indicators , Major is one rank senior to that of an army Captain , and one rank subordinate or below the rank of Lieutenant colonel . It is considered the most junior of the field officer ranks . ___MASK68___ ( French : " Commandeur ") is a common naval and air force ___MASK59___ rank . ___MASK68___ is also used as a rank or title in other formal organisations , including several police forces . An ___MASK97___ ( from Latin " arma " " arms , weapons " via Old French " armée ", " armed " ( feminine )) or ground ___MASK6___ is a fighting ___MASK6___ that fights primarily on land . In the broadest sense , it is the land - based ___MASK38___ branch , service branch or armed service of a nation or state . It may also include other branches of the ___MASK38___ such as the air ___MASK6___ via means of aviation corps . Within a national ___MASK38___ ___MASK6___ , the word ___MASK97___ may also mean a field ___MASK97___ . They differ from ___MASK97___ reserves who are activated only during such times as war or natural disasters . A ___MASK76___ officer , ___MASK76___ grade officer , or senior officer is an army , marine , or air force commissioned officer senior in rank to a company officer but junior to a general officer . In most armies this corresponds to the ranks of major , lieutenant colonel and colonel , or their equivalents . Some countries also include brigadier in the definition . ___MASK38___ ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships in ___MASK85___ , police , intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along ___MASK38___ lines . Usually , uniforms denote the bearer ' s rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms . Ranking systems have been known for most of ___MASK38___ ___MASK27___ to be advantageous for ___MASK38___ operations , in particular with regards to logistics , ___MASK2___ , and coordination ; as time continued and ___MASK38___ operations became larger and more complex , ___MASK38___ ranks increased and ranking systems themselves became more complex . ___MASK20___ leader ( Sqn Ldr in the RAF and PAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF ; formerly sometimes S / L in all services ) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence . It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non - English air force - specific rank structure . The Central Powers , consisting of Germany , , the Ottoman ___MASK49___ and Bulgaria  hence also known as the Quadruple ___MASK37___  was one of the two main factions during World War I ( 1914  18 ). It faced and was defeated by the Allied Powers that had formed around the Triple Entente , after which it was dissolved . Lieutenant ___MASK68___ ( also hyphenated lieutenant - ___MASK68___ and abbreviated Lt Cdr , LtCdr . or LCDR ) is a commissioned ___MASK59___ rank in many navies . The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a ___MASK68___ . The corresponding rank in most armies ( armed services ) and air forces is major , and in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces is ___MASK20___ leader . The NATO rank code is mostly OF - 3 . A lieutenant ___MASK68___ is a senior department ___MASK59___ or the executive ___MASK59___ ( second - in - ___MASK2___ ) on many warships and smaller shore installation , or the commanding ___MASK59___ of a smaller ship / installation . They are also senior department officers in naval aviation squadrons . The ___MASK51___ of Britain ( German : " die Luftschlacht um England ", literally " Air ___MASK51___ for England ") was a combat of the Second World War , when the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) defended the United Kingdom ( UK ) against the German Air Force ( Luftwaffe ) attacks from the end of June 1940 . It is described as the first major campaign fought entirely by air forces . The British officially recognise its duration as from 10 July until 31 October 1940 that overlaps with the period of large - scale night attacks known as the Blitz , while German historians do not accept this subdivision and regard it as a campaign lasting from July 1940 to June 1941 . The ___MASK38___ , also called the ___MASK85___ , are forces authorized to use deadly force , and weapons , to support the interests of the state and some or all of its citizens . The task of the ___MASK38___ is usually defined as defense of the state and its citizens , and the prosecution of war against another state . The ___MASK38___ may also have additional sanctioned and non - sanctioned functions within a ___MASK1___ , including , the ___MASK19___ of a political agenda , protecting corporate economic interests , internal population control , construction , emergency services , social ceremonies , and guarding important areas . The ___MASK38___ can also function as a discrete subculture within a larger civil ___MASK1___ , through the development of separate infrastructures , which may include housing , schools , utilities , food production and banking . The Royal ___MASK55___ ( RAF ) is the United Kingdom ' s aerial warfare force . Formed towards the end of the First ___MASK10___ on ___MASK47___ April 1918 , it is the oldest independent air force in the world . Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as , at the ___MASK75___ , the largest air force in the world . Since its ___MASK80___ , the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history , in particular , playing a large part in the Second ___MASK10___ where it fought its most famous campaign , the Battle of Britain .