Commanding officer

From the Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction - http://encyclopedia.wizards.pro

In military organizations, the commanding officer (CO) was the officer in charge of a military unit. Typically the commanding officer had ultimate authority over the unit, and was usually given wide latitude, within the bounds of law. In this respect, Commanding Officers have significant responsibilities,, duties and powers.

Commanding officers may be of any rank of officer; usually there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued, and in theory only goes to the best officers.

The commanding officer is often assisted by an executive officer (XO), who handles personnel and day-to-day matters. Larger units will have a whole collection of staff officers.