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Brigadier general

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Comparative military ranks
Armies,
air forces
(non-Commonwealth)		 Navies,
coast guards		 Air forces
(Commonwealth system)
Flag commissioned officers
Field marshalorMarshal Admiral of the fleet Marshal of the air force
Generalor
colonel generalor
army general		 Admiral Air chief marshal
Lieutenant generalor
army corps general		 Vice admiral Air marshal
Major generalor
divisional general		 Rear admiralor
Counter admiral		 Air vice-marshal
Brigadieror
brigadier general		 Commodoreor
flotilla admiral		 Air commodore
Senior commissioned officers
Colonel (Ship-of-the-line)
Captain		 Group captain
Lieutenant colonel Frigate captainor
Commander		 Wing commander
Majoror
commandant		 Corvette captainorLieutenant
commander		 Squadron leader
Junior commissioned officers
Captain Lieutenant Flight lieutenant
First lieutenantor
lieutenant		 Lieutenant
junior gradeor
sub-lieutenant		 Flying officer
Second lieutenantor
junior lieutenant		 Ensignor
midshipman		 Pilot officer
Officer cadet Officer cadet Flight cadet
Non-commissioned officers
Warrant officeror
sergeant major		 Warrant officeror
chief petty officer		 Warrant officer
Sergeant Petty officer Sergeant
Enlisted ranks
Corporalor
bombardier		 Leading seaman Corporal
Lance corporalor
Lance bombardieror
Specialist		 Able seaman Leading aircraftman
Privateor
gunneror
trooperor
sapper		 Seaman Aircraftmanor
airmanor
aviator

Brigadier generalorbrigade generalis amilitary rankused in many countries. The rank is usually above acolonel,and below amajor generalordivisional general.When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of abrigadeconsisting of around 4,000 troops (two regiments or fourbattalions).

Variants[edit]

Brigadier general[edit]

Brigadier general(Brig. Gen.) is amilitary rankused in many countries. The rank originates from theOld European System.It is the lowest rankinggeneral officerin some countries, usually sitting between the ranks ofcolonelandmajor general.When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of abrigadeconsisting of around 4,000 troops (fourbattalions).

In some countries, this rank is given the name ofbrigadier,which is usually equivalent tobrigadier generalin the armies of nations that use the rank.

The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a "brigadier general", or simply a "brigadier", would command a brigade in the field.

In the first quarter of the 20th century, British andCommonwealtharmies used the rank of brigadier general as a temporary appointment, or as an honorary appointment on retirement; in the 1920s this practice changed to the use of brigadier, which was not classed as a general officer.

Brigade general[edit]

Brigade generalis the rank of a brigade commander in countries where theFrench Revolutionary System'sgeneral officer rank designation is used.

The rank namegénéral de brigade(transl. brigade general) was first used in the French revolutionary armies.

It used both brigadier general andmajor generalbecause it is used for the designated rank of the general officers that the country stipulates as brigade commanders' class by law.

By country[edit]

Argentina[edit]

See also:Military ranks of Argentina

The rank of brigadier general (with some local variations) is used in theArgentine Air Force.Unlike other armed forces of the World, the rank ofbrigadier generalis actually thehighestrank in the Air Force. This is due to the use of the rank ofbrigadierand its derivatives to designate allgeneral officersin the Air Force: brigadier (lowest general officer); brigadier-major (middle); and brigadier-general (highest). The rank of brigadier general is reserved for the Chief General Staff of the Air Force, as well as the Chief of the Joint General Staff if he should be an Air Force officer.

TheArgentine Armydoes not use the rank of brigadier-general, instead usingbrigade general(Spanish:General de brigada) which in turn is the lowest general officer before Divisional General (Spanish:General de Division) and Lieutenant General (Spanish:Teniente General).

Australia[edit]

See also:Australian Army officer rank insigniaandList of Australian generals and brigadiers
Australian Army Brigadier GeneralHarold Edward "Pompey" Elliott

In theAustralian Imperial ForceduringWorld War I,the rank ofbrigadier generalwas always temporary and held only while the officer was posted to a particular task, typically the command of a brigade. (Until 1915, Australian brigades were commanded by colonels.) When posted elsewhere, the rank would be relinquished and the former rank resumed. This policy prevented an accumulation of high-ranking general officers brought about by the relatively high turnover of brigade commanders.Brigadier generalwas also used as an honorary rank on retirement.

The rank insignia was like that of the currentmajor general,but without the star/pip.[note 1]Brigadier generals wore the samegorget patches(a line of gold oak leaf embroidery down the centre),cap badge(crossed sword and baton within a laurel wreath, surmounted by a crown in gold embroidery) andcap visor(two rows of gold oakleaf embroidery) as other generals.

As in the United Kingdom, the rank was later replaced bycolonel commandantin 1922 andbrigadierin 1928. However, those holding the rank of brigadier general continued to do so throughout the inter-war period, until the last of them retired or was promoted during the Second World War. A brigadier general was a general officer, but brigadiers were not generals, which is shown by the rank insignia being like that of a colonel, but with an extra (third) star/pip, and a brigadier wore the same gorget patches (scarlet cloth with a line of crimson gimp), cap badge (the Royal Crest in gold embroidery), and cap visor (one row of gold oakleaf embroidery) as a colonel.

Bangladesh[edit]

Prior to 2001, theBangladesh Armyrank was known asbrigadier,in conformity with the rank structure of theCommonwealth Nations.In 2001 the Bangladesh Army introduced the rank ofbrigadier general,however "the grade stayed equivalent to brigadier", and although classified as a "one-star rank", a brigadier general is not considered to be a general officer – the lowest ranking general officer isMajor General.Brigadier general is equivalent to commodore of theBangladesh Navyandair commodoreof theBangladesh Air Force.It is still more popularly calledbrigadier.

Belgium[edit]

TheBelgian Armyuses the rank ofgénéral de brigade(French) andbrigadegeneraal(Dutch,'brigade general'). However, in this small military there are no permanent promotions to this rank, and it is only awarded as a temporary promotion to a full colonel who assumes a post requiring the rank, notably in an international context (e.g. asmilitary attachéin a major embassy).

Brazil[edit]

See also:Military ranks of Brazil

General de brigada(Brigade general) is the lowest rank amongst general officers of theBrazilian Army;i.e. like in most British Commonwealth countries, the lowest general officer rank is atwo-star rank,and aGeneral de Brigadawears a two-star insignia. Hence, it is equivalent to themajor generalrank of many countries. In theBrazilian Air Force,all of the senior ranks include 'Brigadeiro'; thetwo-star rankisBrigadeiro(Brigadier), thethree-star rankisMajor-Brigadeiro(Major-Brigadier), and thefour-star rankisTenente-Brigadeiro-do-Ar(Lieutenant-Air-Brigadier).

Canada[edit]

See also:Canadian Forces ranks and insignia

In theCanadian Forces,the rank ofbrigadier-general(BGen) (brigadier-généralorbgénin French) is a rank for members who wear army or air force uniform, equal to a commodore for those in navy uniform. A brigadier-general is the lowest rank ofgeneral officer.A brigadier-general is senior to a colonel ornaval captain,and junior to amajor-generalorrear-admiral.

The rank titlebrigadier-generalis still used notwithstanding that brigades in the army are now commanded by colonels. Until the late 1990s brigades were commanded by brigadier-generals. In the air force context, brigadier-generals used to commandair force groupsuntil these bodies were abolished in the late 1990s.

The rank insignia for a brigadier-general on air force uniforms is a single wide braid on the cuff, as well as a single silver maple leaf beneath crossed sabre and baton, all surmounted bySt. Edward's Crown,worn on theshoulder strapsof the service dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. The rank insignia on army uniforms is a gold maple leaf beneath crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown, on the shoulder straps. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves; the air force wedge cap features silver braid on the edges of the ear flaps. The cap insignia for a general officer is a modified version of the Canadian Forces insignia. Army brigadier-generals weargorget patcheson the collar of the service uniform tunic.

Brigadier-generals are initially addressed verbally as "General" and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am" in English ormon généralin French. They are normally entitled tostaff cars.

Until unification in 1968 of theRoyal Canadian Air Force,Canadian Army,and theRoyal Canadian Navy,rank structure and insignia followed theBritishpattern. This system of rank insignia was reinstated in 2014. In army usage, the term "brigadier" was used to denote what is now known as a brigadier-general while the air force used the rank ofair commodore.

Chile[edit]

In theChilean Army,Brigadieris aone-star rankandGeneral de Brigadais the immediately superiortwo-star rank.While theChilean Air ForceusesComodorofor its one-star rank, two-star Air Force officers hold the rank ofGeneral de Brigada Aérea– literally 'air brigade general'.

Colombia[edit]

The rank ofbrigadier generalwas established in 1953 by decree 1325 on the 21st of May. With this decree, the ranks of lieutenant general and general were replaced by brigadier general and lieutenant general establishing brigadier as the first grade for generals. In the 60s these ranks were reformed once again creating a third rank, brigadier general, Major general, and general in theFuerzas Militares,[1]and theNational Police.[2]

France[edit]

Charles de Gaulleduring World War II in his uniform ofGénéral de Brigade

France uses the rank of "brigade general" (général de brigade). The rank contrasts with the Frenchsub-officerrank ofbrigadier.As with all French general officers, a French brigade general is titled "general" without any implication that he is anarmy general;for instance GeneralCharles de Gaullenever rose higher than brigade general.

Until 1793, the rank ofbrigadier des armées( "brigadier of the armies" ) existed in theFrench Army,which could be described as a senior colonel or junior brigade commander. The normal brigade command rank wasmaréchal de camp(literally "camp marshal" ). When rank insignia were introduced,brigadier des arméeswore one star and amaréchal de campwore two stars. During theFrench Revolution,the revolutionaries' drive to rationalise the state led to a change in the system of ranks. The rank ofbrigadier des arméeswas abolished and the normal brigade command rank,maréchal de camp,was replaced by brigade general. The rank of brigade general inherited the two stars of the rank ofmaréchal de camp,explaining the absence since 1793 of a French rank with only one star.[3]For this reason, in France, the rank corresponding to brigade general was changed to brigadier general after NATO was established on April 4, 1949, and before that, it corresponded to major general.[4][dubious–discuss]

Nowadays, a Frenchgénéral de brigadegenerally commands a brigade. The rank can also be awarded in an honorary fashion to retiring colonels. The insignia are two stars, worn on the shoulder or at the sleeve of the uniform, depending on the order of dress. Two differentkepisare issued: the service kepi sports the two stars, while the formal kepi features a large band of oak leaves (the kepi of a division general has two smaller such bands).

Charles de Gaulleheld the rank of brigade general. He was given a temporary promotion to this rank in May 1940 as commander of the4th Armoured Division(4edivision cuirassée). However his initial authority as head of theFree Frenchreally came from being the only cabinet member (Under-Secretary of State forNational Defence and War) outsideoccupied France,not from his military rank. As a reminder of his war position, he refused any further promotion.

Ireland[edit]

The country is divided into two areas for administrative and operational reasons, and in each area there is an infantry brigade. The two brigade group structure envisages distinct operational areas of responsibility for each of the brigades and is supported in its responsibilities by the Naval Service and Air Corps. Each of the brigade formations and the Air Corps is commanded by a brigadier general, while the Naval Service is commanded by a commodore.

Italy[edit]

In theItalian Armed Forcesthe rank has different denominations. In theArmy,therankfor combat arms officers isgenerale di brigatawhilst for thelogisticsand technical corps is calledbrigadier generale.In 1926, thebrigadiere generaleandmaggior generale in comando di brigatawere merged and renamed with their current rank designation.The rank is also present in the other armed forces, police corps and other services ofItaly,with different denominations, and it is associated with the lowest level within the government top management.

Mexico[edit]

Main article:Military ranks of Mexico

Within theMexican Armed Forces,there exists two grades of brigadier general. The lowest general officer isGeneral brigadier,with the second lowest beingGeneral de brigada.The general officer rank higher than the two brigadier generals isDivisional general.[5]

Philippines[edit]

In the Philippines,Brigadier General(Philippine ArmyPhilippine Air ForceandPhilippine Marines)/Commodore(Philippine NavyandPhilippine Coast Guard)/Chief Superintendent(Bureau of Fire ProtectionandBureau of Jail Management and Penology) /Police Brigadier General(Chief Superintendent before)(Philippine National Police)/Gial De Brigada(1890-1902)(Philippine Revolutionary Army) is the lowest rank of generals but already eligible in the promotion to becomeChief of Staffof theArmed Forces of the PhilippinesorPNP Chiefof the Philippine National Police surpassing theMajor GeneralandLieutenant Generalranks.[6]

Poland[edit]

Generał brygady(literally, "general of a brigade", abbreviatedgen. bryg.) is the lowest-ranking general in thePolish Land ForcesandAir Force.

Portugal[edit]

In thePortuguese ArmyandAir Force,brigadeiro-generalis a temporary general rank for the colonels that have to exercise a special command. It is the equivalent of the commodore rank in thePortuguese Navy.

The rank was reintroduced in 1999. Before that, simply asbrigadeiro,it existed from 1707 to 1864 and again from 1929 to 1947, not being considered a general rank. From 1947 to 1999,brigadeirobecome the two-star general rank in the Portuguese Army. As two-star rank, it was substituted by the rank ofmajor-generalin 1999.

Spain[edit]

In theSpanish Army,Spanish Air Force,andSpanish Marine Infantry(Infantería de Marina,a branch of theArmada)general de brigadais the lowest rank of general officers. Its equivalent in the Navy (Armada) iscontraalmirante.

Turkey[edit]

In theTurkish Armyand theTurkish Air Force,the equivalent rank istuğgeneral(theTurkish Navyequivalent istuğamiral). The name is derived fromtugay,the Turkish word for a brigade. Bothtugayandtuğ- as military terms may owe their origins to the older Turkish wordtuğ,meaning horsetail, which was used as a symbol of authority and rank in Ottoman and pre-Ottoman times.

United Kingdom[edit]

Main article:Brigadier-general (United Kingdom)

Brigadier-general was formerly a rank or appointment in theBritish ArmyandRoyal Marines,and briefly in theRoyal Air Force.The appointment was abolished in the Army and the Marines in 1921; the equivalent rank today isBrigadier.

United States[edit]

Main article:Brigadier general (United States)

In theUnited States Army,United States Air Force,United States Marine Corps,andUnited States Space Force,a brigadier general is aone-stargeneral officer.It is equivalent to the rank ofrear admiral (lower half)in the otheruniformed services.

Uruguay[edit]

In theUruguayan Air Force,a brigadier general is the second highest rank in its hierarchy, behind the air general, and the first of the general officers to be achieved.[7]It is equivalent to the rank of general in theArmyandcounter admiralin theNavy.Each brigadier general is appointed by the Executive with the approval of theSenate,in accordance with Article 168 of theConstitution of the Republic.[8]

Insignia[edit]

Army insignia[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Australian Army rank insignia for 2LT, LT, CAPT, LTCOL, COL, BRIG, MAJGEN and GEN use theOrder of the Bathstar, which is commonly referred to as a "pip".

References[edit]

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Bibliography
  • Takai, Mitsuo (2006).Consise guide to modern military terms in Japanese.Sanshūsha Co., ltd.ISBN4-384-04095-4.

External links[edit]

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