Origins The U.S. rank of colonel is a direct successor to the
same rank in the
British Army. The first colonels in the United States were appointed from
colonial militias maintained as
reserves to the British Army in the North American colonies. Upon the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War, colonial legislatures would grant commissions to men to raise a
regiment and serve as its colonel. Thus, the first U.S. colonels were usually respected men with ties in local communities and active in politics. Revolutionary War colonels generally raised a regiment of six to ten companies, with eight being normal. Each company would be full strength at 90 men and an 8-company regiment would have 728 men and officers. With the post-war reduction of the U.S. Army, the rank of colonel disappeared, and was not re-introduced until 1802. in 1775 and then gold
epaulettes worn on the blue uniform of the
Continental Army in 1780.
19th century The rank of colonel was relatively rare in the early 19th century, partly because the U.S. Army was very small, and the rank was usually obtained only after long years of service. In 1821 there were only 11 colonels in the Army. During the
War of 1812 the Army grew rapidly and many colonels were appointed to command regiments, but most of these colonels were discharged when their regiments were disbanded at the war's conclusion. A number of other colonels were appointed by brevet – an honorary promotion usually for distinguished service in combat. The
American Civil War saw a large influx of colonels as the rank was commonly held in both the
Confederate army and
Union Army by those who commanded a regiment. Since most U.S. regiments were state formations and were quickly raised, the colonels in command of the regiments were known by the title "Colonel of Volunteers", in contrast to
Regular Army colonels who held permanent commissions. Civil War colonels commanded regiments that were larger than their Revolutionary War predecessors. A new regiment started with 1,000 men and officers in 10 companies. During the Civil War, the Confederate army maintained a unique insignia for colonel, which comprised three yellow stars worn on the collar of a uniform.
Robert E. Lee wore this insignia due to his former rank in the United States Army and refused to wear the
insignia of a Confederate general, stating that he would only accept permanent promotion when the Confederacy had defeated the U.S. and achieved its independence. After the end of the Civil War, the rank of colonel again became rare as the forces of the United States Army downsized and became extremely small. However, many U.S. colonels were appointed in the volunteers during the
Spanish–American War, prominent among them
Theodore Roosevelt and
David Grant Colson.
20th century as Director of Women Marines.
World War I and
World War II saw the largest numbers of colonels ever appointed in the U.S. military. This was mostly due to the temporary ranks of the
National Army and the
Army of the United States, where those who would normally hold the rank of
Captain in the peacetime Regular Army were thrust into the rank of colonel during these two wars. The Military Promotion System was revised and standardized for all the services in 1980 as a result of passage of the
Defense Officer Personnel Management Act.
21st century Contemporary U.S. colonels usually command Army infantry, artillery, armor, aviation, special forces, or other types of
brigades or regiments as well as large installations; USMC
regiments,
Marine Expeditionary Units, Marine Aircraft Groups, or installations such as Marine Corps Bases or Marine Corps Air Stations; USAF
groups or
wings; and USSF
deltas. An Army colonel typically commands brigade-sized units (4,000 to 6,000 soldiers), with another colonel or a lieutenant colonel as deputy commander, a major as
executive officer, and a
command sergeant major as a senior
non-commissioned officer (NCO) advisor. Colonels are sometimes referred to (but not addressed as)
full colonels,
bird colonels, or
full bird colonels because lieutenant colonels are also referred to and addressed in correspondence as "colonel". Referring to an "O-6", a colonel's pay grade, (DoD FLIP GP). Most Army colonels have attended or otherwise completed via seminar or correspondence a war college or a senior staff college equivalent to study joint warfare and war itself. It is possible to make Colonel without war college if the board file is as strong or stronger than a war college graduate. Most Army colonels receive postgraduate level senior joint professional military education (JPME) at the
Army War College in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania prior to promotion. The 2009 graduating class was 336 including 198 army officers and the rest divided among other military branches, domestic inter-agency representatives and other foreign military leaders. A high concentration of USAF colonels graduate from the
Air War College (AWC) at
Maxwell AFB, Alabama via in-residence at Maxwell AFB, while other USAF colonels complete AWC via a non-resident seminar program paralleling the in-residence program or the AWC distance learning program. Still other USAF colonels a JPME program via the
National Defense University (i.e.,
National War College,
Eisenhower School) or the program of another service (e.g., Army War College, College of Naval Warfare at the
Naval War College,
Marine Corps War College). The AWC resident program includes participation by officers from various other branches of the U.S. armed forces and Allied nations. Completion of the AWC or an equivalent program is a
de facto requirement for promotion to colonel in the USAF, to include the
Air Force Reserve and the
Air National Guard. Marine colonels may graduate from the
Marine Corps War College or, like all other branches, may receive credit via non-resident attendance at another installation, via correspondence, or will be graduates of an equivalent senior JPME program sponsored by the
National Defense University or one of the other U.S. military services. ==Honorary colonels==