Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.
In British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ (lef-tenent), while in American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ (loo-tenent).
The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign (cornet in the cavalry), although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Fusi...
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Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.
In British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ (lef-tenent), while in American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ (loo-tenent).
The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign (cornet in the cavalry), although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Fusilier and Rifle regiments. At first the rank bore no distinct insignia. In 1902 a single bath star (now commonly referred to as a pip) was introduced; the ranks of lieutenant and captain had their number of stars increased by one to (respectively) two and three. The rank is also used by the Royal Marines.
In the Royal Air Force the comparable rank is pilot officer. The Royal Navy has no exactly equivalent rank, and a second lieutenant is senior to a Royal Navy midshipman but junior to a Sub-Lieutenant. The Royal New Zealand Navy – breaking with...
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