Officer In Charge
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An Officer in Charge (abbreviated OIC) signifies a commissioned officer who has limited command authority of a unit assigned to him/her. OICs derive their authority from senior officers of rank who place them in charge. They may also obtain it from losses in the command structure above them, such as that which occurs during combat and sickness. Officers may be placed in command of units they are unfamiliar with or of departments they are not normally associated with, depending on the situation.
Typically, officers are only placed in charge of situations they have experience with or have exercised control over before. For example, an ensign might be OIC of an simple away team. But if it is a First Contact situation, then a senior officer would be expected to handle that personally. Junior officers may be given command of a runabout, but never a major vessel unless the circumstances are extreme. Most senior officers can gauge the attributes of their juniors and appoint them accordingly.
See Also
Support Craft Officer in Charge