CAP Constitution and Bylaws (1 Oct 2012, Amended 22 Jan 2015)

[Eclipse]

Air Force operational squadrons don't have deputy commanders, only groups do. That's why the operations officer is second in command. Someone has to be.

This is Operations Support - not the same thing.

[lordmonar]

XO's usually have command authority in the absence of the commander, and Ops officer doesn't.

Are you talking USAF organizations?   Because you are wrong wrong wrong on that one.

[Eclipse]

XO's usually have command authority in the absence of the commander, and Ops officer doesn't.

Are you talking USAF organizations?

No.

I realize that the USAF and Army doesn't use XO for second in command, which is why it is inappropriate as a role in CAP.
XO for the Army and USAF is generally akin to administrative assistant or adjutant.

I always found it odd that XO was included in encampment staff orgs, and am glad to see it being officially
listed as optional now in the curriculum.

[Shuman 14]

In the Army only Brigades and higher have Deputy Commanders, Executive Officer are the second in command for Groups, Regiments and Battalions. Even some companies have XO positions.

Chief of Staff normally exist at the Division level and higher in the Army as well.

[JK657]

In the Army only Brigades and higher have Deputy Commanders, Executive Officer are the second in command for Groups, Regiments and Battalions. Even some companies have XO positions.

Chief of Staff normally exist at the Division level and higher in the Army as well.

Regiments have Deputy Commanders

[wacapgh]

In the Army only Brigades and higher have Deputy Commanders, Executive Officer are the second in command for Groups, Regiments and Battalions. Even some companies have XO positions.

Chief of Staff normally exist at the Division level and higher in the Army as well.

And even then, the XO may or may not be in the Chain. WIWOADS* in a rifle company, the second in command was the Senior Platoon Leader. The XO was admin/logistics support working closely with the 1st Sgt. In my ASA Detachment, the XO was next in command.

*When I Was On Active Drill Status 

[Shuman 14]

In the Army only Brigades and higher have Deputy Commanders, Executive Officer are the second in command for Groups, Regiments and Battalions. Even some companies have XO positions.

Chief of Staff normally exist at the Division level and higher in the Army as well.

Regiments have Deputy Commanders

Depends on the type of regiment, if it's an ACR (Armored Cavalry regiment), it's really an Armored Brigade and only called a "Regiment" for historical lineages purposes. As I'm sure you know, for the most part, regiments ceased to be a functioning tactical unit a long time ago.

In Combat Arms units they exist mainly to trace lineages and to determine which DUI a given unit wears on its uniform. They have no headquarters, a commander or staff.

In non-combat arms units, they exist as the "schoolhouse" for the Branch. For example, the Commandant of the USAMPS (US Army Military Police School) is also the MP Regiment "Regimental Commander".

Other than that regiments that exist as any type of functional unit are few and far between. Seen them as training units in the USAR and those have a commander and XO.

[Shuman 14]

In the Army only Brigades and higher have Deputy Commanders, Executive Officer are the second in command for Groups, Regiments and Battalions. Even some companies have XO positions.

Chief of Staff normally exist at the Division level and higher in the Army as well.

And even then, the XO may or may not be in the Chain. WIWOADS* in a rifle company, the second in command was the Senior Platoon Leader. The XO was admin/logistics support working closely with the 1st Sgt. In my ASA Detachment, the XO was next in command.

*When I Was On Active Drill Status 

I haven't been assigned to an Infantry unit since I was an ROTC SMP Cadet, which was the early 1990's. That being said, my company XO back then was the second in command, did most of the admin/logistics, and was not a platoon leader. 

[wacapgh]

Different units, different MTO&E, different times, etc. It's by no way a "hard and fast" situation across the armed forces.