Commandant (rank)

For the appointment, seeCommandant.

Commandant(/ˌkɒmənˈdɑːnt/,/ˌkɒmənˈdænt/,/ˈkʌmədənt/;French:[kɔmɑ̃dɑ̃]) is amilitary rankused in many countries, where it is usually equivalent to therank of major.

Canada

Commandant d'aviationwas the Canadian French term for the air force rank ofsquadron leader(prior to the 2014 amendment of theNational Defence Act).The rank of squadron leader itself had not been held by active duty personnel in the Canadian Forces since 1968 when it was replaced by major.

Ireland

Commandant (Comdt) (Irish:Ceannfort) is a military rank in both theIrish ArmyandIrish Air Corps.It is equivalent to major andsquadron leader.In theIrish Naval Service,the equivalent rank islieutenant commander.

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  Irish Army commandant's subdued rank slide
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  Irish Air Corps rank insignia
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  Irish Air Corps rank insignia (green)

India

Commandant is a rank in theCentral Armed Police Forcesof India (BSF,CRPF,CISF,ITBP,SSB). It is equivalent to the rank ofColonel/Captain/Group Captain.Commandant rank officers generally command battalions in the CAPFs. In theIndian Coast Guard,ranks of Commandant and Commandant (Junior grade) exist. While Commandant is equivalent to Colonel/Captain/Group Captain, Commandant (Junior grade) is equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel/Commander/Wing Commander.

France

Commandant Commandant
Army and air force insignia
Country	France
Service branch	Army Air Force Gendarmerie
Abbreviation	CDT
Rank group	Senior officer
NATOrank code	OF-3
Next higher rank	Lieutenant colonel
Next lower rank	Captain
Equivalent ranks	Corvette captain

Commandant is an officer-grade rank of theMilitary of France,specifically theFrench Armyand theFrench Air and Space Force,in both of which it has NATO levelOF-3:equivalent to major orlieutenant-commander.In this context, it is shortened form of the previous rankcapitaine-commandant:i.e. a "captain commanding (a battalion)".

Thecommandantis also styledchef de bataillon( "battalion leader" ) in theinfantry,chef d'escadrons( "squadrons leader" ) in thearmoured cavalryandchef d'escadron( "squadron leader" ) in theartilleryand theGendarmerie.

In theFrench Navy,commandantis a appointment or operational command, rather than a rank, namely, the most senior officer of a ship, e.g.capitaine de vaisseau(vessel),capitaine de frégate(frigate),capitaine de corvette(corvette). As such, it can refer to the holders of several ranks.

Prior to theFrench Revolution,themajorwas the officer appointed by theKingto keep track of the expenditures and readiness of a regiment. He could have a deputy (anaide-major) and could be either a commoner or a nobleman. A major was graded as a commissar, not an officer. The officer at commandant rank level was thechef de bataillonorchef d'escadron.

Majoris now, however, the most seniorwarrant officerrank, aboveadjudant-chef.

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  Commandant des Eaux et Forêts
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  French Air and Space Force commandant
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  French infantry
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  French cavalry

Spain

In theSpanish ArmyandSpanish Air Force,the rank ofcomandanteis senior to a captain and junior to a lieutenant colonel, making it equivalent to the rank of major or squadron leader in English-speaking countries.

Latin America

Comandante( "commandant" ) is a military officer rank used in someLatin Americancountries.TheChilean Air Forceuses the rank ofcomandante de escuadrilla( "squadron commandant" ) as a rank equivalent to the British rank of squadron leader. ThePeruvian Air Forceuses the rank ofcomandanteas an equivalent to lieutenant-colonel or wing commander.

Comandantecan be translated into English either as "commandant" or as "commander". The rank may also be found in numerousparamilitaryandguerrillaorganizations, such as theSandinistasand theCuban Revolutionary Armed Forces.

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  Chilean Air Force squadron commandant rank insignia (epaulette)
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  Chilean Air Force squadron commandant rank insignia (sleeve)

South Africa

South African army commandant insignia
1950-1994

In South Africa, commandant was the title of the commanding officer of acommando(militia) unit, initially in theCape Colonyand later also in theBoer republics.

From 1950 to 1994 commandant was the official designation of the rank oflieutenant-colonelin theSouth African Army,South African Air Force,andSouth African Medical Service.

From 1950 to 1957, the rank insignia for a commandant (KommandantinAfrikaans) was a crown over a five-pointed star.In 1957 the crown was replaced by a pentagonal castle device based on the floor plan of theCastle of Good Hopein Cape Town, South Africa's oldest military building.In 1994, the rank of commandant /kommandantreverted to lieutenant colonel.

From 1968 to 1970, a related rank, chief commandant (hoofkommandant), existed in theCommando Forces[the rural part-time, territorial reserve, roughly equivalent to a National Guard or Home Guard].This rank of chief commandant existed purely in the army and slotted in between commandant and colonel. The rank was only used by officers commanding commando groups (i.e. a small formation consisting of two or more commando units).

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom the termcommandantusually refers to an appointment, not a rank. However, between 1922 and 1928 the rank of brigadier-general was replaced by colonel-commandant. This was not well received, and was replaced by brigadier.

Later, senior commandant and chief commandant wereAuxiliary Territorial Serviceranks equivalent to major and lieutenant-colonel respectively used between 1939 and May 1941, when they were replaced by senior and chief commander. The Commanding Officers of individual battalions of the Brigade of Gurkhas was designated a Commandant, rather than a commanding officer; and so with theBermuda Militia Artillery(1895-1965). These ranks were also used in theWomen's Auxiliary Air Forceuntil December 1939, when they were replaced by squadron officer and wing officer (equating tosquadron leaderandwing commander) respectively. The rank was also used for senior commanders of theUlster Special Constabulary(B Specials).

Gallery

Army insignia

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  Commandant
  Arabic:رائد,romanized:Ra'id)
  (Algerian Land Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Benin Army)
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  Commandant
  (Burkina Faso Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Cameroon Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Central African Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Chadian Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Comorian Army)
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  Commandant
  (Congolese Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Djiboutian Army)
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  Comandante
  (Army of Equatorial Guinea)
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  Commandant
  (French Army)
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  Commandant
  (Gabonese Army)
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  Commandant
  (Guinea Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Irish:Ceannfort)
  (Irish Army)
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  Commandant
  (Ivory Coast Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Madagascar Ground Forces)
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  Commandant
  (Mali Army)
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  Commandant
  (Royal Moroccan Army)
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  Commandant
  (Niger Army)
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  Commandant
  (Senegalese Army)
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  Comandante
  (Spanish Army)
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  Commandant
  (Togolese Army)
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  Commandant
  (Arabic:رائد,romanized:Ra'id)
  (Tunisian Army)