Commander (O-5)
Commander is a US Navy commissioned officer rank, pay grade O-5. On khakis the insignia is a silver oak leaf.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The uniform regulations give a commander a silver oak leaf, worn with its stem away from the collar, and on the sleeve three 13 mm (½ in) gold stripes. It sits above Lieutenant commander (O-4) (gold oak leaf) and below Captain (O-6) (silver eagle). Navy.com says commanders lead major departments, aviation squadrons, submarines, destroyers and shore activities. The Army equivalent, also O-5, is a lieutenant colonel.
Also searched as: CDR.
Ranks and insignia as the US Navy’s own uniform regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
The three-striper
The Naval History and Heritage Command records that commanders began wearing silver oak leaves in 1862 and became “three-stripers” in 1869.
More navy ranks
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves.
Sources
- 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; officer introduction
- 37 U.S.C. § 201: Pay grades, 37 U.S. Code § 201, Pay grades: assignment to; general rules, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, § 201(a)
- Navy Uniform Regulations, article 4101: Officer sleeve insignia, United States Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 15665J), art. 4101, Navy Personnel Command (MyNavy HR), art. 4101.3a
- Navy Uniform Regulations, article 4103: Shoulder insignia, United States Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 15665J), art. 4103, Navy Personnel Command (MyNavy HR), art. 4103.2c, 4103.4a
- U.S. Navy Ranks & Insignia, U.S. Navy Ranks & Insignia (navy.com), U.S. Navy Recruiting Command (navy.com), Commissioned Officer Ranks
- Naval Traditions: Names of Rank, “Commander”, Naval Traditions: Names of Rank, Officer, “Commander”, Naval History and Heritage Command, para. 4
- Navy Uniform Regulations, article 4104: Collar grade insignia, United States Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 15665J), art. 4104, Navy Personnel Command (MyNavy HR), art. 4104.2–3
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research