Which pay grade corresponds to Lieutenant Colonel/Commander?

• A. O-3
• B. O-4
• C. O-5
• D. O-6

Answer: (C)

Think about how officer ranks map to standardized pay grades across services. Lieutenant Colonel in the Army/Marine Corps/Air Force and Commander in the Navy/Coast Guard share the same pay grade, which is O-5. That makes the correct match the fifth officer pay grade, a senior field-grade level. At this level, officers typically command battalions or ships and serve in senior staff roles, depending on service. The other pay grades correspond to different ranks (O-3 and O-4 lower, O-6 higher), so they don’t fit this pairing.