Executive Officer
An Executive Officer (abbrev. XO) is the second-in-command of a naval ship, reporting directly to the Commanding Officer (CO). It is common naval practice that the CO directs the ship in its mission, while the XO is responsible for ensuring that the ship and its crew are able to fulfill the mission as directed by the CO..
Many army and marine corps military units also have an officer who is second-in-command referred to as the executive officer.
In everyday parlance, the Executive Officer is sometimes referred to as "the exec."
Executive Officers in TRMN
In The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc. (TRMN), naval chapters are ships, and each is required to have a "command triad" consisting of:
- Commanding Officer (CO): Analogous to the chapter president. Sometimes called the "skipper" in club jargon.
- Executive Officer (XO): The chapter's second-in command.
- Bosun: The senior enlisted member of the chapter, who must have a minimum grade of E-7
Ranks for chapter Execs
The prescribed minimum rank for the XO is one grade lower than the rank of the CO:
| Code | Hull Type | Minimum crew | Minimum CO rank | Minimum XO rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAC | Light Attack Craft | 3 | Lieutenant Senior Grade | (no XO) |
| DD | Destroyer | 6 | Lieutenant Commander | Lieutenant (senior grade) |
| CL | Light Cruiser | 8 | Commander | Lieutenant Commander |
| CA | Heavy Cruiser | 10 | Captain Junior Grade | Commander |
| BC | Battlecruiser | 12 | Captain Junior Grade | Commander |
| DN | Dreadnought | 16 | Captain Junior Grade | Commander |
| SD | Superdreadnought | 20 | Captain Junior Grade | Commander |
| CLAC | Carrier, LAC | 15 | Captain Junior Grade | Commander |
Deputy Commanding Officer
The "triad" structure is also used for leadership of larger echelons formed of multiple ships as well as the bureaus and service branches which make up the organization.
In larger organizational levels within TRMN, the second-in-command is called the Deputy Commanding Officer, a position which is analogous to the chapter-level position of Executive Officer. Fleets have Deputy Commanders, and the bureaus, which are headed by Space Lords, have Deputy Space Lords as their second-in-commands.