Information about General
military rank. The term is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called General.
Old European system
This system uses five ranks. Some countries (like the United States) have a brigadier rank, and some countries (like Russia) have a colonel general rank, but countries usually don't have both. (i.e. Excluding one of the italicised ranks.)
In some nations (particularly in the Commonwealth), the equivalent to Brigadier General is Brigadier, which is not always considered by these armies to be a general officer rank a part entiere, although it is always treated as equivalent to the rank of Brigadier General for comparative purposes.
French (Revolutionary) system
The rank of General came about as a "Captain-General", the captain of an army in general, i.e. the whole army. The rank of Captain-General began appearing around the time of the organization of professional armies in the 17th century. In most countries "Captain-General" contracted to just "General".
In most navies of the world, Flag Officers are the equivalent of General Officers. And the naval rank of Admiral is equivalent to the specific army rank of General. However a noteworthy historical exception was the Cromwellian naval rank General at sea. In recent years in the American service there is a tendency to use "Flag Officer" and "Flag Rank" to refer to generals and admirals of the services collectively.
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Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world.
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Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world.
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All General officer ranks
The various grades of general officer are at the top of the rank structure. The General Officer ranks came about by adding General as an adjective to existing names of ranks. Although in some countries the highest general officers are titled Field Marshal or Marshal. All officers who commanded more than a single regiment (the most significant level of unit) came to be known as a "general officer".Common systems
There are two common systems of using general ranks. One form, used in the United Kingdom, eventually spread to the Commonwealth and the United States. The system is not particularly British in origin, and variations of this system were once used throughout Europe. The other is derived from the French Revolution, where generals' ranks are named according to the unit they (theoretically) command.Old European system
| Field Marshal |
| Colonel General |
| General |
| Lieutenant General |
| Major General |
| Brigadier (General) |
This system uses five ranks. Some countries (like the United States) have a brigadier rank, and some countries (like Russia) have a colonel general rank, but countries usually don't have both. (i.e. Excluding one of the italicised ranks.)
In some nations (particularly in the Commonwealth), the equivalent to Brigadier General is Brigadier, which is not always considered by these armies to be a general officer rank a part entiere, although it is always treated as equivalent to the rank of Brigadier General for comparative purposes.
French (Revolutionary) system
| Marshal |
| Army General |
| Corps General |
| Divisional General |
| Brigade General |
Other versions
Other versions of general include:- Adjutant General
- Commandant-General
- Inspector General
- Captain General
- General of the Army (used in the USA and Liberia) (not to be confused with the common rank of Army General)
- General of the Air Force (USA only)
- General of the Armies of the United States (exclusive to the United States Army), a title created for General John J. Pershing, and subsequently granted posthumously to George Washington.
- Admiral General (or General Admiral) (German Navy)
- Air General and Aviation General (Chilean Air Force; roughly equivalent to Air Chief Marshal and Air Vice-Marshal respectively)
- Wing General and Group General (Mexican Air Force; roughly equivalent to Air Commodore and Acting Air Commodore respectively)
- Director General (a common admistrative term, but rare in military services)
- Director General of National Defence (most senior rank in the Mexican Armed Forces)
- Controller General (general officer rank in the French National Police)
- Prefect General (the most senior rank of the Argentine Naval Prefecture)
- Master-General of Ordnance
The specific General rank
In the old system, a General, without prefix or suffix (and sometimes referred to informally as a "full general"), is usually the most senior type of general, above Lieutenant General and directly below Field Marshal. In some armies, however, the rank of Captain General, General of the Army, Army General or Colonel General occupied or occupies this position. These ranks may be considered to be equivalent to a full General or to a Field Marshal, depending on the army in question.The rank of General came about as a "Captain-General", the captain of an army in general, i.e. the whole army. The rank of Captain-General began appearing around the time of the organization of professional armies in the 17th century. In most countries "Captain-General" contracted to just "General".
General ranks by country
The following articles deal with the rank of General as it is employed in the militaries of various countries.- General (Australia)
- General (Brazil)
- General (France)
- General (Germany)
- General (Indonesia)
- General (Mexico)
- General (Pakistan)
- General (Poland)
- General (Russia)
- General (Switzerland)
- General (Turkey)
- General (United Kingdom)
- General (United States)
General equivalent ranks
- Aluf (Israel)
- Daejang (South Korea)
- Strategos (Greece)
- Shang Jiang (China)
- Panglima (Malaysian Royal Army)
- Bogyoke Kyi (Myanmar Army)
- Lewa'a (Egyptian Military)
Other General ranks
Air Force and Navy Equivalents
Some countries (such as the United States) use the General Officer ranks for both the army and the air force. But some countries only use the General Officer ranks for the army, while in the air force they use Air Officers as the equivalent of General Officers. They use the air force rank of Air Marshal as the equivalent of the specific army rank of General. This latter group includes the British Royal Air Force and those based on it (e.g. India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Nigeria etc.).In most navies of the world, Flag Officers are the equivalent of General Officers. And the naval rank of Admiral is equivalent to the specific army rank of General. However a noteworthy historical exception was the Cromwellian naval rank General at sea. In recent years in the American service there is a tendency to use "Flag Officer" and "Flag Rank" to refer to generals and admirals of the services collectively.
See also
- Generalissimo
- Shogun
- Comparative military ranks
- U.S. Army officer rank insignia
- British Army officer rank insignia
- Polish Armed Forces rank insignia
External links
- Generals of World War II
- Schema-root.org: US Generals News feeds for US Generals in the news
- Marines.mil: General Officer Biographies Biographies of United States Marine Corps General Officers
worldwide view of the subject.
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This article is about the use of the term rank. For other uses, see Rank.
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An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral, is a military naval officer of the highest rank. The rank of Fleet Admiral has been reserved for war time use only. The last Fleet Admirals were in World War II. It is usually a rank ranking above Admiral.
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A field marshal is a military officer rank.
Today it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general. Historically, however, several armies used field marshal as a divisional command rank, notably Spain, Mexico,
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Today it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general. Historically, however, several armies used field marshal as a divisional command rank, notably Spain, Mexico,
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Marshal of the Air Force is both a generic term for the most senior rank in an air force, equivalent to Field Marshal or Fleet Admiral and, in some air forces, a rank title.
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Generic use
Marshal of the Air Force corresponds to several different rank titles...... Click the link for more information.
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral (equivalent to full general) and four-star rank above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral.
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Air Chief Marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a senior air officer rank in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom as well as in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and in the air forces of many Commonwealth nations.
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Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a captain, but is less than that of an admiral. It is sometimes abbreviated as Cdre or COMO.
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Brigadier (IPA pronunciation: /brɪgə'diːr/) is a military rank, the meaning of which has a considerable variation.
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Air Commodore (Air Cdre in the RAF, AIRCDRE in the RNZAF and RAAF, A/C in the former RCAF) is a rank in the Royal Air Force. It ranks above Group Captain and immediately below Air Vice-Marshal, and also exists in some other Commonwealth air forces, including
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Captain is the name most often given in naval circles to the NATO rank code of OF-5. This reflects the fact that command of a ship is most often given to the naval rank (equivalent to a commissioned officer between commander (OF-4) and commodore or rear admiral (OF-6).
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Colonel (IPA: /ˈkɜrnəl/) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world.
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Group Captain (Gp Capt in the RAF, GPCAPT in the RNZAF and RAAF, G/C in the former RCAF) is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries.
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Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.
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Lieutenant Colonel (Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade's spelling) is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine corps and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a Major and below a Colonel.
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Wing Commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, W/C in the former RCAF) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Squadron Leader and immediately below Group Captain.
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Lieutenant Commander (Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy)[1] is a commissioned officer rank in many navies superior to a Lieutenant and subordinate to a Commander.
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Major is a military rank the use of which varies according to country. Moreover, Major frequently denotes a mid-level command status officer (immediately superior to the rank of Captain and immediately subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel), however in some armies
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Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. In these cases a Squadron Leader ranks above Flight Lieutenant and immediately below Wing Commander.
Various abbreviations are used, including Sqn Ldr (RAF), SQNLDR (RAAF and RNZAF) and S/L
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Various abbreviations are used, including Sqn Ldr (RAF), SQNLDR (RAAF and RNZAF) and S/L
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Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank.
Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organizations with a codified command structure.
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Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organizations with a codified command structure.
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Captain in armies, air forces and marine forces, is a rank with a NATO rank code of OF-2. It means a commissioned officer one rank above a lieutenant and one below a major. It should not be confused with a naval captain, which has a NATO rank code of OF-5.
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Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt in the RAF; FLTLT in the RAAF and RNZAF, F/L in the former RCAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries.
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Sub-Lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.
In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a Lieutenant.
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In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a Lieutenant.
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Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank.
Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organizations with a codified command structure.
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Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organizations with a codified command structure.
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Flying Officer (Fg Off in the RAF; FLGOFF in the RAAF; FGOFF in the RNZAF; F/O in the former RCAF and frequently in the RAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries.
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Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. In most countries they are effectively senior non-commissioned officers, although technically in a class of their own between NCOs and commissioned officers.
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Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. In most countries they are effectively senior non-commissioned officers, although technically in a class of their own between NCOs and commissioned officers.
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Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. In most countries they are effectively senior non-commissioned officers, although technically in a class of their own between NCOs and commissioned officers.
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A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies.
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Canada
There are two Petty Officer ranks in the Canadian Navy. Petty Officer 2nd Class (PO2) (Maître de deuxième classe or m2..... Click the link for more information.
For other uses, see Sergeant (disambiguation).
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world.
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For other uses, see Sergeant (disambiguation).
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world.
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