A company commaner is a military leader and officer who leads a company. Companies were originally led by their owners, but these men were unable to exercise executive functions themselves, and so came to delegate it to designated officers (as it still is in the British Guards Regiments, which have the equivalent of both Commanders and "Kompaniechef"s). Accordingly only the permanent leader of a company in Germany's Bundeswehr is designated a "chef", with a "Kompanieführer" or equivalent representing him during his holidays or sick leave. In the United States Army, company commanders are generally of Captain, although sometimes Majors will fill the company commander billet.