Editing Line officer (section)

{{Short description|Nonspecialized military officer}}
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A '''line officer''' or '''officer of the line''' is, opposed to [[staff officer]]s or [[reserve officer]]s, a [[military officer]] who is eligible for command of operational, tactical or combat units. The name most likely stems from the [[Early modern warfare]] tactics of fighting in a line, either as an [[Line (formation)|infantry]] or [[Line of battle|naval formation]].