Three steps ahead of C/Lieutenant Colonel in the chain yields which rank?

Three steps ahead of C/Lieutenant Colonel in the chain yields which rank?

• A. C/Major
• B. C/Second Lieutenant
• C. C/Caption
• D. C/First Lieutenant

Answer: (D)

Three steps toward the junior end of the cadet officer ladder from Lieutenant Colonel lands on First Lieutenant. Starting at Lieutenant Colonel, the next lower rank is Major (one step), then Captain (two steps), and then First Lieutenant (three steps). So the correct rank is First Lieutenant. To see why the others don’t fit: Major would be just one step down, Captain two steps down, and Second Lieutenant would be four steps down, so none of those match the three-step offset.

Three steps toward the junior end of the cadet officer ladder from Lieutenant Colonel lands on First Lieutenant. Starting at Lieutenant Colonel, the next lower rank is Major (one step), then Captain (two steps), and then First Lieutenant (three steps). So the correct rank is First Lieutenant.

To see why the others don’t fit: Major would be just one step down, Captain two steps down, and Second Lieutenant would be four steps down, so none of those match the three-step offset.