Change of command (military)

For the M*A*S*H episode, please see Change of Command (M*A*S*H episode) and for the science fiction novel, please see Change of Command.

Col. Jim Jones (right) accepts the 55th Wing’s guidon from Eighth Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Robert J. Elder, Jr. (left) during a wing change of command ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USA.

A change of command is a military tradition that represents a formal transfer of authority and responsibility for a unit from one commanding or flag officer to another. The passing of colors, standards, or ensigns from an outgoing commander to an incoming one ensures that the unit and its soldiers is never without official leadership, a continuation of trust, and also signifies an allegiance of soldiers to their unit's commander.

Great symbolism is attached to the ceremonial aspects of a change of command. An inspection and review of soldiers, gun salutes, as well as a military band will often be incorporated into the ceremony.^[1]

See also

• 3-volley salute
• 21-gun salute
• Burial at sea
• Color guard
• Half-staff
• Honor guard
• Military funeral
• Military rites
• Missing man formation
• Riderless horse
• State funeral
• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Footnotes

1. ^ "Sequence of Events for Change of Command Ceremony". United States Army. http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/band/img/PDF/sample_ceremony.PDF.