VGS_Phantasm
Spaceman
Having spent my entire first enlistment in carrier aviation, I'm confused by the chain of command and rank structure in Wing Commander, as well as the inter-service relationships, patricularly in WC3 and 4, so I'm hoping you big reader types who have all of the supplementary material memorized can help me out
In modern carrier aviation, the CAG who is commander of the Carrier Air Wing, occupies a parrallel postion in the chain of command next to the "Captain" or the commander of the Carrier, and both are subordinate to the Group Commander.
Both the CAG and the Captain are typical O-5 paygrades, which is true of the WC3-4 if we assume that Blair and Eisen are a Colonel and a Captain respectively (in the Navy the commander of a vessel is addressed as Captain regardless of Rank, but there's certainly no indication that Eisen is not by rank and positon a Captain). The fact that they are of equal rank certainly does not preclude Blair from being subordinate to Eisen based on the positions they hold, but it's an odd relationship that the CAG would be subordinate to the Captain, who presumably must be operational command of the Battle Group.
It's especially odd considering the chain of command in WC2 and WCP is more like what I'm used to, which is to say the CAGs on board Concordia and Midway occupy positions alongside the Captains of said vessels below the group commanders Admiral Tolwyn and Commodore Blair respectively.
Presumably this has to do with the Midway and Concordia having much big Air Wings than the Victory or Interpid, but then wouldn't Lexington have had a full Air Wing?
Which brings up another question... how is the rank structure arranged such that Blair as a fighter pilot hold Air-Force (or Space Force in the case) ranks until he becomes a flag officer, after which he holds a Navy rank? In fact, in the instructor ending of WC4, Paladin actually mentions "General" as one of the possibilities Blair passed up to be an instructor, which of course would be the rank after Colonel.
My interpretation of the rank structure is this:
Confed Navy
Fleet / Space Force
Ensign / 2nd Liutenant
2 Liutenant / Liutenant
Liutenant / Captain
Lt. Commander / Major
Commander / Lt. Colonel
Captain / Colonel
Commodore
Rear Admiral
Vice Admiral
Admiral
Space Marshall
Anyway, any discussion from Wingnuts would be quite appriciated. Thanks!
In modern carrier aviation, the CAG who is commander of the Carrier Air Wing, occupies a parrallel postion in the chain of command next to the "Captain" or the commander of the Carrier, and both are subordinate to the Group Commander.
Both the CAG and the Captain are typical O-5 paygrades, which is true of the WC3-4 if we assume that Blair and Eisen are a Colonel and a Captain respectively (in the Navy the commander of a vessel is addressed as Captain regardless of Rank, but there's certainly no indication that Eisen is not by rank and positon a Captain). The fact that they are of equal rank certainly does not preclude Blair from being subordinate to Eisen based on the positions they hold, but it's an odd relationship that the CAG would be subordinate to the Captain, who presumably must be operational command of the Battle Group.
It's especially odd considering the chain of command in WC2 and WCP is more like what I'm used to, which is to say the CAGs on board Concordia and Midway occupy positions alongside the Captains of said vessels below the group commanders Admiral Tolwyn and Commodore Blair respectively.
Presumably this has to do with the Midway and Concordia having much big Air Wings than the Victory or Interpid, but then wouldn't Lexington have had a full Air Wing?
Which brings up another question... how is the rank structure arranged such that Blair as a fighter pilot hold Air-Force (or Space Force in the case) ranks until he becomes a flag officer, after which he holds a Navy rank? In fact, in the instructor ending of WC4, Paladin actually mentions "General" as one of the possibilities Blair passed up to be an instructor, which of course would be the rank after Colonel.
My interpretation of the rank structure is this:
Confed Navy
Fleet / Space Force
Ensign / 2nd Liutenant
2 Liutenant / Liutenant
Liutenant / Captain
Lt. Commander / Major
Commander / Lt. Colonel
Captain / Colonel
Commodore
Rear Admiral
Vice Admiral
Admiral
Space Marshall
Anyway, any discussion from Wingnuts would be quite appriciated. Thanks!