Pay grades
O-5: lieutenant colonel and commander
Battalion commander in the Army, commander in the Navy. Titles, the silver oak leaf and the 2026 pay row.
O-5: rank in each service, insignia and 2026 pay
Army, O-5 · Commissioned officer
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)
Field grade officer
| Marine Corps | Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) |
| Navy | Commander (CDR) |
| Air Force | Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) |
| Space Force | Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) |
| Coast Guard | Commander (CDR) |
| 2026 basic pay, over 16 years | $11,391.30 a month |
Same pay grade means the same basic pay in every service. Basic pay only: housing, food and special pays are not included.
Everything about O-5O-5 is the fifth commissioned officer pay grade. It is lieutenant colonel in the Army (LTC), the Marine Corps (LtCol), the Air Force and the Space Force (Lt Col), and commander (CDR) in the Navy and the Coast Guard. The Army describes its lieutenant colonels as commanders of battalion-sized units of 300 to 1,000 Soldiers, "with a command sergeant major as the principal NCO assistant", and sometimes as brigade executive officers. The insignia is a silver oak leaf, which outranks the gold oak leaf of O-4. In 2026, basic pay at O-5 starts at $7,295.40 a month and reaches $12,394.80 over 22 years. The word "commander" also serves, in every service, for whoever leads a unit, whatever the grade, so the title alone does not give the rank.
What is a promotion worth in basic pay?
O-5 to O-6, over 16 years
+$1,088.40 / mo
| O-5 | $11,391.30 |
| O-6 | $12,479.70 |
| Over a year | +$13,061 |
Same years of service in both grades, 2026 DFAS table.
Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Rank and role
"Commander" is both the Navy's O-5 title and the common word for any officer in command. A Navy commander (CDR) is a lieutenant colonel's equal; an Army battalion commander is a lieutenant colonel. The abbreviation tells them apart, and so does the grade.
When does basic pay rise in this grade?
O-5: rate changes in the 2026 table
13 steps
| 2 or less | $7,295.40 |
| Over 2 | $8,218.20 |
| Over 3 | $8,787.00 |
| Over 4 | $8,894.10 |
| Over 22 | $12,394.80 |
8 more steps in between; the full row is in the table on this page.
Pay at O-5
The O-5 row rises at each step to over 22 years and then holds. Over twenty years, a typical length for the grade, the rate is $12,032.70 a month in 2026. Promotion to O-6 at the same years adds $1,718.40.
O-5 in the six services
| Service | Rank | Abbreviation | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Lieutenant Colonel | LTC | |
| Marine Corps | Lieutenant Colonel | LtCol |  |
| Navy | Commander | CDR |  |
| Air Force | Lieutenant Colonel | Lt Col |  |
| Space Force | Lieutenant Colonel | Lt Col | |
| Coast Guard | Commander | CDR |  |
O-5 basic pay in 2026, by years of service
| Years of service | Monthly basic pay | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $7,295.40 | $87,545 |
| Over 2 | $8,218.20 | $98,618 |
| Over 3 | $8,787.00 | $105,444 |
| Over 4 | $8,894.10 | $106,729 |
| Over 6 | $9,249.60 | $110,995 |
| Over 8 | $9,461.40 | $113,537 |
| Over 10 | $9,928.50 | $119,142 |
| Over 12 | $10,271.70 | $123,260 |
| Over 14 | $10,715.10 | $128,581 |
| Over 16 | $11,391.30 | $136,696 |
| Over 18 | $11,713.80 | $140,566 |
| Over 20 | $12,032.70 | $144,392 |
| Over 22 | $12,394.80 | $148,738 |