Editing First lieutenant (section)

==United States==
{{Infobox military rank
| name           = First lieutenant
| native_name    = 
| image          = US-O2 insignia.svg
| image_size     = 50px
| alt            =
| caption        = [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]], [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]], and [[United States Space Force|U.S. Space Force]] insignia of the rank of first lieutenant. Style and method of wear vary between the services.
| image2         = {{nobreak| [[File:US Army O2 (Army greens).svg|50px]] [[File:US Marine O2 shoulderboard vertical.svg|50px]] [[File:US Air Force O2  shoulderboard.svg|50px]] [[File:US Space-force O2.svg|50px]] }}
| image_size2    = 
| alt2           =
| caption2       = Shoulder boards
| image3         = 
| image_size3    = 
| alt3           =
| caption3       = 
| country        = {{flag|United States}}
| service branch = {{army|United States|name=U.S. Army}}<br />{{marines|United States|name=U.S. Marine Corps}}<br />{{air force|United States|name=U.S. Air Force}}<br />{{space force|United States|name=U.S. Space Force}}
| abbreviation   = 1LT {{small|(Army)}}<br />1stLt {{small|(Marine Corps)}}<br />1st Lt {{small|(Air Force and Space Force)}}
| rank group     = [[Officer (armed forces)|Junior officer]]
| rank           = 
| NATO rank      = OF-1
| Non-NATO rank  = 
| pay grade      = [[Uniformed services pay grades of the United States|O-2]]
| formation      = 
| abolished      = 
| higher rank    = [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
| lower rank     = [[Second lieutenant#United States|Second lieutenant]]
| equivalents    = [[Lieutenant (junior grade)]]
| history        = 
}}

===U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2021}}
In the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]], [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]], and [[United States Space Force|U.S. Space Force]], a first lieutenant is a junior [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officer]]. It is just above the rank of [[second lieutenant]] and just below the rank of [[Captain (United States O-3)|captain]]. It is equivalent to the rank of [[lieutenant (junior grade)]] in the other [[Uniformed services of the United States|uniformed services]].

Promotion to first lieutenant is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the [[Defense Officer Personnel Management Act]] of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest all "fully qualified" officers should be promoted to first lieutenant. A second lieutenant ([[U.S. uniformed services pay grades|grade]] O-1) is usually promoted to first lieutenant (grade O-2) after 18 months in the Army or 24 months in the Marine Corps and Air Force. The difference between the two ranks is slight, primarily being experience and a higher pay grade. It is not uncommon to see officers moved to positions requiring more experience after promotion to first lieutenant. For example, in the Army and Marine Corps these positions can include leading a specialty [[platoon]], or assignment as the [[executive officer]] for a [[company (military unit)|company]]-sized unit (70–250 soldiers or marines). In the Air Force, a first lieutenant may be a flight commander or section's officer in charge with varied supervisory responsibilities, including supervision of as many as 100+ personnel, although in a flying unit, a first lieutenant is a rated officer (pilot, navigator, or air battle manager) who has just finished training for his career field and has few supervisory responsibilities.

===U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard===
In the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]], "first lieutenant" is the name of a [[billet]] and position title, rather than rank. Officers aboard early sailing ships were the captain and a number of lieutenants. The senior among those lieutenants was known as the first lieutenant, and would have assumed command if the captain were absent or incapacitated.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historicnavalfiction.com/general-hnf-info/naval-facts/ranks-duties |title=Ranks & Duties |last=Hayes |first=David |website=Historic Naval Fiction |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-date=23 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423034234/https://www.historicnavalfiction.com/general-hnf-info/naval-facts/ranks-duties |url-status=live }}</ref> As modern ships have become more complex, requiring specialized knowledge of engineering, communications, and weapons, the "first lieutenant" is the officer in command of the [[deck department]] responsible for [[rope|line]] handling during [[Mooring (watercraft)|mooring]] and [[underway replenishment]]. On smaller ships, the officer of the "first lieutenant" billet holds the rank of [[lieutenant, junior grade]] or [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]]. On larger vessels, the position of "first lieutenant" is held by a lieutenant or, in the case of extremely large warships such as cruisers or [[aircraft carrier]]s, the position of "first lieutenant" may be held by a [[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]] or even [[Commander (United States)|commander]]. However, on [[submarine]]s and in aircraft squadrons, where the deck department may only have a few junior sailors, the "first lieutenant" billet may be filled by a first-class [[petty officer]] or [[chief petty officer]]. What is known in the U.S. Navy as the "first lieutenant division" is usually composed of junior sailors (E-3 and below) who are completing their ninety days of temporary assigned duty, or TAD, that all enlisted personnel are required to perform when initially assigned to a command. The primary mission of the division is servicing, cleaning, organizing and inventorying items within a command.<ref name=Barnebey>Barnebey, Matthew; "1st Lieutenant Division plays significant role in supporting base", ''Jax Air News''</ref><ref name=Cutler90>Cutler and Cutler, p.90</ref>

===U.S. Revenue Cutter Service===
The term "first lieutenant" had a dual meaning in the [[United States Revenue Cutter Service]] (known until 1894 as the United States Revenue-Marine). The position title of first lieutenant was held by a junior officer who was in charge of deck operations and gunnery. The rank of first lieutenant was the equivalent of lieutenant in the current rank structure of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, [[United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps]], and [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps]]. The next senior officer ranking above first lieutenant was captain and the next two lower officer ranks were second and [[third lieutenant]], respectively. When the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the [[United States Life-Saving Service]] to form the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the rank of first lieutenant carried over into Coast Guard and remained in use until 1918, when the Coast Guard adopted the rank structure of the U.S. Navy.<ref name=USCG01>Cipra, Dave; "A History of Sea Service Ranks & Titles", ''Commandant's Bulletin'', (May, June, July 1985), U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office.</ref>