LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE (LTJG) — U.S. NAVY O-2
The second commissioned officer rank — division officers earning their warfare pin.
OVERVIEW
Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) is the second commissioned officer rank in the U.S. Navy at paygrade O-2. Most officers reach the grade approximately two years after commissioning as an Ensign and continue serving in the same division-officer billet aboard ship or as a winged aviator beginning fleet-replacement training.
The insignia is a single silver bar (the "butter bar" upgraded to silver), worn on collar devices and shoulder boards alongside one and a half stripes of gold lace on the sleeve of the service dress blue uniform. LTJGs typically continue to mature in their first sea tour, pursuing or completing warfare-pin qualifications such as the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) pin, Naval Aviator wings, Naval Flight Officer wings, or Submarine Warfare insignia ("dolphins").
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Continue Division Officer duties or transition to a more senior division
- Complete warfare-pin qualification (SWO, Aviator, NFO, Submarine, EOD, SEAL, etc.)
- Stand independent watches such as Officer of the Deck (Underway) or aircrew duties
- Mentor newly reporting Ensigns and lead division training programs
HISTORY
The grade of Lieutenant Junior Grade was created by Congress in 1883, replacing the older title "Master." The intent was to provide a clear intermediate grade between the entry-level Ensign and the more senior Lieutenant — a structure largely shared with the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The Navy is the only U.S. military service that uses the title "Lieutenant Junior Grade" rather than "First Lieutenant" for its O-2 grade.
The promotion from Ensign to LTJG, like LTJG to Lieutenant, is generally a fully-qualified ("running mate") promotion: officers who remain in good standing typically pin on O-2 after roughly two years of commissioned service.
PAY
- Approximately two years of satisfactory commissioned service as an Ensign
- Time-in-grade and time-in-service requirements per BUPERS instruction
- Senior Division Officer aboard surface combatants and amphibious ships
- Fleet Replacement Squadron student / first-tour aviator
- Junior Officer assigned to a submarine department
- Junior staff-corps officer in a fleet or shore billet