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Air Force Lieutenant ColonelO-5 Field Officer, U.S. Air Force |
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Air Force Ranks » Lieutenant Colonel Rank • Lt Co Pay • Lt Co Rank History
History of the Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Rank
A Lieutenant Colonel is a Field Officer in the United States Air Force at DoD paygrade O-5.
The rank of lieutenant colonel first appeared during the Revolutionary War. A colonel’s assistant was often referred to as “the lieutenant to the colonel.” However, the rank had existed in the British military for centuries earlier but the duties were different. For a long time, lieutenant colonel was a terminal rank for many officers. Only the best were selected for colonel. Modern-day promotions make it easier to become a lieutenant colonel or colonel.
Want to learn more? Read about the Air Force's Lieutenant Colonel rank on Military-Ranks.org.
History of the Air Force
The Air Force was founded in 1947, just after WWII. It was created using most of the existing Army Air Corps that had just made significant contributions to the war effort. The Air Force is the most technological of the branches, as well as the "most business-like" (least strict). There is a general concensus in the military that quality of life for servicemembers in the Air Force is highest. Just as the Army fights land wars and the Navy fights sea wars, the Air Force was originally envisioned to fight air wars. While wars in the past 70 years couldn't be fought with aircraft alone, the age of Drones and Artificial Intelligence may cause a paradigm shift where air-only wars are possible.