line officer

American  

noun

1. a military or naval officer serving with combatant units or warships, as distinguished from a staff officer, supply officer, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of line officer

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

The Navy ultimately allowed Greitens to become a general unrestricted line officer at a support center in St. Louis at his current rank, lieutenant commander.

From Washington Post • May 31, 2019

I’ve been a line officer and a field officer, and those would not be easy decisions to make.

From Washington Times • Sep. 21, 2015

Howard J. Abbott, a line officer who had four years of submarine experience; Ensign Marks P. Wangsness, a 27-year-old reservist; and 31 crewmen, some of whom were youngsters just recruited.

From Time Magazine Archive

Polis countered, “She may have been a fine line officer and cop on the beat, but she’s a terrible agency head.”

From Washington Post

It was a field officer's command held by a line officer promoted from the ranks, where he had quietly served until "discovered."

From The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce — Volume 2: In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians by Bierce, Ambrose