Officer grades up to lieutenant colonel reflect progression in training and organizational seniority, rather than command authority. Because of this, it is not uncommon for senior members commanding groups and squadrons to have members of superior grades serving under them. Current, retired and former members of the United States Armed Forces may be promoted directly to the CAP grade equivalent to their military grade, after completion of Level 2, Part one of Senior Member training, (Includes ICL 19-08 2 December 2019 and ICL 20-04 4 August 2020.) although some choose to follow the same standards as non-prior-service members. Except for a few exceptional cases, senior members are promoted to the grade of CAP colonel only upon appointment as a Region Commander, responsible for overseeing multiple states, or Wing Commander, responsible for the administration of CAP units across an entire state. Only the vice national commander holds the rank of brigadier general, and only the national commander holds the rank of major general.
