United States Army - O-5 Lieutenant Colonel
Yearly Base Pay $76,720 - $130,342
|
Monthly Base Pay $6,393.30 - $10,861.80
|
Hourly Base Pay *
$39.96 - $67.89
|
Army Lieutenant Colonel - Rank Details

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)
Classification | Field Officer |
---|---|
Abbreviation | LTC |
NATO Code | OF-4 |
Service | United States Army |
Address | Colonel (last name) |
What are a Lieutenant Colonel's Responsibilities?
Lieutenants Colonels are commissioned officers in the United States Army, serving in the grade of O-5. They receive their commission upon appointment by the Secretary of the Army.
Their primary function of Lieutenant Colonels is to serve as commanders of battalion-sized elements (around 800 soldiers). Although, they can also serve as staff officers at the brigade level or above, aiding in the planning, resourcing, and functioning of units.
Lieutenant Colonels serving as commanders of battalions are the final authority on everything that occurs in the battalion, recognized as responsible for everything the battalion does or fails to do.
A Command Sergeant Major (E-9), who is tasked with advising the commander and aiding him however possible, aids Lieutenant Colonels in their endeavors to command battalions and ensure they can achieve any mission set they are tasked with.
Lieutenant Colonels, as with Majors, are considered field-grade officers, meaning they do not actually conduct operations with soldiers like company-grade officers do (i.e. lieutenants and captains); rather, they overwatch the operations of all the units comprising their battalions and act to ensure they work together to achieve mission ends.
What is a Lieutenant Colonel's Paygrade?
A Lieutenant Colonel is considered a Field Officer, with a paygrade of O-5. The civilian equivalents of this military rank are roughly GS-13, GS-14 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.
On this page you can learn more about a Lieutenant Colonel's payscale, the process of becoming a Lieutenant Colonel, and the history of the rank in the United States Army.
Army Lieutenant Colonel Pay Calculator
Starting pay for a Lieutenant Colonel is $6,393.30 per month, with raises for experience resulting in a maximum base pay of $10,861.80 per month. You can use the simple calculator below to see basic and drill pay for a Lieutenant Colonel, or visit our Army pay calculator for a more detailed salary estimate.
Use the slider below to calculate the basic pay and drill pay for an O-5 Lieutenant Colonel at varying years in his or her military career.
2 or less years
Over 40 years
Equivalent Ranks to an Army Lieutenant Colonel
A Lieutenant Colonel is a Field Officer, with a military paygrade of O-5. The civilian equivalents of this military rank are roughly GS-13, GS-14 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.
The table below lists the equivalent ranks of an Army Lieutenant Colonel, and their insignia, in the other four branches of the United States' Armed Services.