Lieutenant colonel

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	To oppose or discuss a nomination, please go to CZ:Proposed for deletion and follow the instructions. For the monthly nomination lists, see Category:Articles for deletion. Lieutenant colonel, abbreviated LTC in NATO usage, is a military rank, in the middle of the "field grade" system that divides officers into junior, field, and general/flag. In the NATO designation system (STANAG 2116), it is level OF-4, which is equivalent to the naval rank of commander. It is U.S. officer grade O-5. The next lower rank is commonly, but not exclusively, "major". The next higher, again depending on the specific military organization, is "[[colonel". In modern militaries, typical command assignments at this level would be a [[battalion. These are formations of 500-1000 troops, or smaller specialized units that require a high degree of responsibility for field operations. A lieutenant colonel might also be assigned to a head a staff section, such as a depiuty chief of staff (e.g., deputy chief of staff for intelligence (G-2)) for a [[division, or might be a specialist in higher staff. A lieutenant colonel also could be the executive officer (i.e., deputy commander) of a brigade. In the U.S. military, rising to this rank, or the naval equivalent, and retiring, is the mark of a successful but not outstanding career. Etymology The term "colonel" derives from Latin from Middle French modification of Old Italian colonnello column of soldiers: colonel, diminutive of colonna column, from Latin columna . "Lieutenant", in this case, is a prefix meaning "assistant" or "assistant to". Insignia Many countries follow U.S. or British usages. In the U.S. military, a lieutenant colonel wears a silver oak leaf. The British and widespread Commonwealth usage has a crown and one diamond. In the Russian system, a colonel (polkovnik) wears two small stars, much smaller than those of a general. Some other militaries use two diamonds. References