O-3
Military abbreviation · Military Pay Grade
| Stands for | Officer pay grade 3 |
|---|---|
| Categories | Military |
O-3 stands for Officer pay grade 3, a military pay grade abbreviation.
Third officer pay grade: Captain in the Army, Air Force, Space Force and Marine Corps, and Lieutenant in the Navy and Coast Guard. Captains command companies and fly as aircraft commanders, and Navy lieutenants serve as division officers and department heads.
Example: At O-3 most aviators are aircraft commanders and flight instructors.
Usage notes
The same title signals different grades by service: an Army captain is an O-3, but a Navy captain is an O-6. Officers typically reach O-3 about four years after commissioning. NATO code OF-2.
Related abbreviations
More military pay grade abbreviations
- E-8 – Enlisted pay grade 8
- E-9 – Enlisted pay grade 9
- O-1 – Officer pay grade 1
- O-10 – Officer pay grade 10
- O-1E – Officer pay grade 1 with prior enlisted service
- O-2 – Officer pay grade 2
- O-4 – Officer pay grade 4
- O-5 – Officer pay grade 5
- O-6 – Officer pay grade 6
- O-7 – Officer pay grade 7
- O-8 – Officer pay grade 8
- O-9 – Officer pay grade 9