Lieutenant colonel (O-5)
Lieutenant colonel (LtCol) is the fifth Marine Corps commissioned officer rank, pay grade O-5. Its insignia is a silver oak leaf.
Easily confused with
How to read it
Lieutenant colonel follows Major (O-4) (O-4) and comes before Colonel (O-6) (O-6); all three are field grade officers. The uniform regulations describe a seven-pointed, silver-colored oak leaf, raised and veined. The major wears the same leaf in gold.
Also searched as: LtCol.
Ranks and insignia as the Marine Corps’ own orders and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
One silver leaf in other services
The Navy’s O-5, commander, wears the same silver oak leaf on the collar.
Read next
- Next in Marine Corps ranksColonel (O-6)Colonel (Col) is the sixth Marine Corps commissioned officer rank, pay grade O-6. Its insignia is a silver eagle with spread wings.
- In Army ranksLieutenant colonel (O-5)A silver oak leaf is the insignia of a lieutenant colonel (LTC), pay grade O-5 in the US Army.
More marine Corps ranks
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves.
Sources
- Marine Corps Ranks, marines.mil, Ranks, United States Marine Corps, Officer
- Marine Corps Uniform Regulations (MCO 1020.34H), MCO 1020.34H, 1 May 2018, Commandant of the Marine Corps, para 4005.2.f–g, p. 1-99
- Officer Knowledge (Officer Development School), Officer Training Command Newport, ODS Knowledge Book, Naval Service Training Command, U.S. Navy, Navy and Marine Corps Officer Rank Structure
- U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Resources: U.S. Military Rank Insignia (enlisted and officer insignia by paygrade), U.S. Department of Defense (defense.gov), Officer insignia, O-5
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 29, 2026. How we research
Added .