Brigadier general

See also Brigadier

Brigadier General is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. A Brigadier General is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 3,000 troops (three battalions).

Brigadier Generals at the Winnipeg Folk Festival

Dick was speechless. Not a word. We ran down the hill into the enormous crowd of thousands. Everybody I looked at glowed, and they were all beautiful. I wanted to laugh and cry all at once. My body was confused all to Hell. I looked at everybody in the eye, and I felt love radiate from them. It was communication without words. Each of these people was on some sort of drug, and yet there was no fighting. Nobody spiraling out of control. Nobody having a crisis. No emergencies. No problems. No disputes. No arguing. People were hugging each other and holding each other like it was going out of style. People were laying on the grass, tripping, talking, enjoying the stars and the sky. I looked up to the sky, raised my arms, and hugged the Universe. And, it hugged me back :) This was absolute insanity! All the combined energy of everyone in this field was flowing through me, keeping me alive. Not just alive, but human.

In some countries, this rank is given the name of Brigadier, which is often considered to not be a General Officer rank, but is usually equivalent to Brigadier General in 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. An alternative rank of "Brigade General" was first used in the French revolutionary armies.

In the first quarter of the 20th century, British and Commonwealth armies 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 is not classed as a general officer.

A few countries use Major General as the equivalent of Brigadier General; these are countries which then generally use a rank of Colonel General to make four general officer ranks.

The naval equivalent is usually Commodore.

Insignia

Army insignia

• Australian Army: (until 1922) Brigadier general
  Australian Army:
  (until 1922)
  Brigadier general
• Belgium: Général de brigade / Brigadegeneraal
  Belgium:
  Général de brigade /
  Brigadegeneraal
• 
  Canadian Forces:
  Brigadier general /
  Brigadier-général
• 
  Egyptian Armed Forces:
  Brigadier General
  (Arabic: عميد‎)
• 
  Estonia:
  Brigaadikindral
• 
  Germany:
  Brigadegeneral
• 
  Greece:
  Ταξίαρχος
  (Taxiarchos)
• 
  Hungary:
  Dandártábornok
• Indonesia: Brigadir Jenderal
  Indonesia:
  Brigadir Jenderal
• 
  Italy:
  Generale di brigata (Brigadiere generale)
• Lebanese Armed Forces: Amid (Arabic: عميد)
  Lebanese Armed Forces:
  Amid
  (Arabic: عميد)
• Lithuania: Brigados generolas
  Lithuania:
  Brigados generolas
• Netherlands: Brigadegeneraal
  Netherlands:
  Brigadegeneraal
• Poland: Generał brygady
  Poland:
  Generał brygady
• 
  Romania:
  General de brigadă
• 
  Serbia:
  Бригадни Генерал
• 
  Swedish Army:
  Brigadgeneral
• British Army: (until 1920) Brigadier general
  British Army:
  (until 1920)
  Brigadier general
• 
  U.S. Army:
  Brigadier general

Air Force insignia

This gallery displays Air Force brigadier general insignia if they are different from the Army brigadier general insignia. (They usually are.)
Note that in many Commonwealth countries, this rank is called Air Commodore. (And in the Netherlands, it is called Commodore.)

• 
  Denmark
• 
  France:
  général de brigade aérienne
• 
  Greece:
  Ταξίαρχος
• 
  Hungary:
  Dandártábornok
• 
  Italy:
  Generale di Brigata Aerea
• 
  Poland
• 
  Portugal
• 
  Romania:
  General de flotilă aeriană
• 
  Serbia:
  Бригадни Генерал
• 
  Spain
• 
  U.S. Air Force:
  Brigadier General

Brigadier general ranks by country

Argentina

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

The Argentine Army does not use the rank of brigadier-general, instead using the brigade 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 ). See also Argentine Army officer rank insignia.

Australia

In the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, the rank of brigadier general was always temporary and held only while the officer was posted to a particular task, typically the command of a brigade. 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 general was also used as an honorary rank on retirement. The rank insignia was like that of the current major general, but without the star/pip - example.

As in the United Kingdom, the rank was later replaced by brigadier. Hence, prior to 1922, a "brigadier general" was a "general officer"; subsequently, brigadiers were not "generals"; this is shown by the rank insignia being like that of a colonel, but with an extra (third) star/pip - example.

(See also Australian Army officer rank insignia and List of Australian generals and brigadiers.)

Bangladesh

The rank was known as Brigadier in conformity with the rank structure of the Commonwealth Nations prior to 2001 in the Bangladesh Army. It is the lowest ranking General Officer between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.

The Bangladesh Army introduced the rank of Brigadier General in 2001, however the grade stayed equivalent to Brigadier . Brigadier General is equivalent to Commodore of Bangladesh Navy & Air Commodore of Bangladesh Air Force. It is still more popularly called Brigadier (One Star General).

Belgium

The Belgian Army uses the rank of général de brigade (French) and brigadegeneraal (Dutch). 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. as Military Attaché in a major embassy).

Brazil

Brigadier General is the lowest rank amongst general officers of the Brazilian army. They wear two stars as this is the entry level for general officers in the Brazilian Army. In the Brazilian Air Force, the 2 star, 3 star and 4 star are known as Brigadeiro (Brigadier), Major-Brigadeiro (Major-Brigadier) and Tenente-Brigadeiro-do-Ar (Lieutenant-Air-Brigadier) respectively. See Military ranks of Brazil and Brigadier#Officer rank in Latin America for more information.

Canada

In the Canadian Forces, the rank of brigadier-general (BGen) (brigadier-général or bgén in French) is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a commodore of the Navy. A brigadier-general is the lowest rank of General Officer, the Army and Air Force equivalent of a Naval flag officer. A brigadier-general is senior to a colonel or naval captain, and junior to a major-general or rear admiral.

The rank title "brigadier-general" is 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 command air force "Groups" until these bodies were abolished in the late 1990s.

The rank insignia for a brigadier-general is a single gold maple leaf beneath crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown, worn on the shoulder straps of the service dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. The service dress jacket also features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves; the air force wedge cap features gold braid on the edges of the ear flaps. The cap insignia for a general officer is a modified version of the Canadian Forces insignia; the collar insignia (Army generals only) is two crossed sabres. Some brigadier-generals, by nature of holding a branch-specific appointment, may continue to wear the insignia of their personnel branch; for example, the chaplain-general wears the general officer's cap insignia with the collar insignia of the Chaplain Branch, while the surgeon-general continues to wear the cap and collar insignia of the Canadian Forces Medical Service.

• Army uniform variations
• 
  Dress uniform tunic
• Uniform shirts
  Uniform shirts
• CADPAT uniform
  CADPAT uniform
• arid-region CADPAT uniform
  arid-region CADPAT uniform

• Air Force uniform variations
• 
  Dress uniform tunic
• Uniform shirts
  Uniform shirts
• CADPAT uniform
  CADPAT uniform

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

Note: Before unification in 1968 of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Navy, rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern. 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 of Air Commodore.

See also: Canadian Forces ranks and insignia

China

Chinese rank of (Da-Xiao 大校) or Senior Colonel is a direct equivalent of a brigadier. It ranks above colonel (Shang-Xiao 上校) and below major general (Shao-Jiang 少将). A brigadier is commonly in command of a division(Shi 师) or a brigade(Lv 旅). Divisional commanders are seldom general officers.

Estonia

In the Estonian military, the rank is called Brigaadikindral

France

France uses the rank of Brigade General ("général de brigade"). It formerly used the historic rank, until 1793, of Brigadier des armées ("Brigadier of the Armies"). The rank contrasts with the French sub-officer rank of Brigadier. As with all French general officers, a French brigade general is titled "general" without any implication that he is an Army General; for instance General De Gaulle never rose higher than brigade general.

Until 1793, a rank of Brigadier des armées ("Brigadier of the Armies") existed in the French Army, which could be described as a senior colonel or junior brigade commander. The normal brigade command rank was Field Marshal (Maréchal de camp) (which elsewhere is a more senior rank). A "Brigadier of the Armies" wore one star and a "Field Marshal" wore two stars. During the French Revolution, the revolutionaries' drive to rationalise the state led to a change in the system of ranks. The rank of "Brigadier of the Armies" was abolished and the normal brigade command rank, Field Marshal, was replaced by Brigade General. The rank of Brigade General inherited the two stars of the rank of Field Marshal, explaining the absence since 1793 of a French rank with only one star.

Nowadays, a French général de brigade generally commands a brigade, which is the biggest permanent formation in the French army. The rank can also be awarded in an honorary fashion to retiring colonels. The insignias are two stars, worn on the shoulder are at the sleeve of the uniform, depending on the dress. Two different kepis are issued : the service kepi sports the two starts, while the formal kepi features a large band of oak leaves (the kepi of a division general has two smaller such bands).

Charles de Gaulle, held the rank of Brigade General. He was given a temporary promotion to this rank in May 1940 as commander of the 4th Armoured Reserve Division (4ème division cuirassée de réserve). However his authority as head of the Free French really came from being the only cabinet member outside occupied France, not from his military rank. As a reminder of his war position, he refused any further promotion.

• 
  Rank insignia of French Army a général de brigade and French Air Force général de brigade aérienne
• 
  Brigade General Charles de Gaulle, wearing the formal kepi.
• 
  Rank insignia of Gendarmerie a général de brigade
• 
  A French général de brigade

Germany

The equivalent modern German rank is Brigadegeneral. The concept of a brigadier general rank is relatively new, as prior to 1982 the lowest German general officer rank was Generalmajor, which was often considered equivalent to brigadier general in other armies.

• 
• 

Greece

Main article: Taxiarchos

Hungary

In Hungary the Brigadier General is a relatively new military rank used from 1992. The Army and the Air Force insignia are not different.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, Brigadir Jenderal (abbreviated as Brigjen) is the fourth highest rank and the lowest general rank both in Polri and TNI. The insignia is a gold star.

Iran

The equivalent rank for Brigadier General in Iranian army and air force is called Sar-Tip-Dovom. It is above the rank of Sar-Hang (colonel) and below the rank of Sar-Tip (major general).

Notice that Iranian Revolutionary Guards also use this rank. The difference is in salutation. One refers an army or air force brigadier general as "Amir Sar-Tip", while a revolutionary guard general is referred to as "Sardar Sar-Tip". As an unwritten rule which states the highest Iranian military rank to be the rank of a Majorgeneral the Brigadier General is considered to be second highest rank of Iranian military. Which is customly the rank of the commander of Airforce and equvalantly the Navy.

Israel

In the Israel Defense Forces, the rank of brigadier general is called Tat Aluf and is the third highest rank, below Aluf (major general) and Rav Aluf (lieutenant general or general), and above Aluf Mishne (colonel).

Jordan

In the Jordanian military, the rank of Brigadier general is known as "Amid", and it is higher than colonel "Akeed" and lower than Major general "Liwa"

Korea

The rank of brigadier general is known in South Korea as Junjang (Korean: 준장; hanja: 准將) and is a direct equivalent to the United States one star rank, with very similar insignia. The military of North Korea does not technically maintain a brigadier general rank, but the rank of senior colonel (대좌, Taejwa) which is above colonel (상좌, Sangjwa) and below major general (소장, Sojang) is the effective equivalent.

Mexico

In Mexico, brigade general is the rank below Divisional General and, confusingly, the rank above Brigadier General. A Mexican brigade general wears as rank insignia the arms of Mexico above two stars. (A Mexican brigadier general wears the arms of Mexico above one star.)

Myanmar (Burma)

The rank of brigadier general is known in Myanmar as Bo Mhu Gyoke and is often the deputy commander of one of Myanmar's Regional Military Commands (RMC), commander of the light infantry division (LID) or Military Operation Commands (MOC). In civil service, brigadier general often hold the office of deputy minister or director general of certain ministries.

Pakistan

The Pakistan Army has followed the British Army rank system since independence from the British Empire in 1947. However, the crown in the ranks has been replaced with a star and crescent, which symbolizes the sovereignty of the Government of Pakistan.

Brigadier General or Brigadier, is an equivalent rank to Commodore in the Pakistan Navy and Air Commodore in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). In Pakistan Army and Marines, the Marines and Army's some of its officers have been promoted to Brigadier Generals while others are promoted as Brigadier. However, Brigadier or Brigadier General are equivalent to each other. In Pakistan Defense Forces, a Brigadier (or Brigadier-General) is a one star rank general officer and are considered as one of the high-ranking military officers in Pakistan Armed Forces. Brigadiers or Brigadier Generals in Pakistan army, are the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Brigades which consists of approximately 3000-5000 men and women. Like other armies, Brigadier (General) rank is higher than colonel and but subordinated to 2 star Major General.

Poland

Prior to 2002, the Polish rank of Generał brygady was equivalent to both the ranks of major general and brigadier general.

Portugal

In the Portuguese Army and Air Force, Brigadeiro-General is a temporary general rank for the colonels that have to exercise a special command. It is the equivalent of the commodore rank in the Portuguese Navy.

The rank was reintroduced in 1999. Before that, it existed, simply as Brigadeiro, from 1707 to 1864 and, again, from 1929 to 1937. From 1937 to 1999, Brigadeiro become the 2-star general rank in the Portuguese Army. As 2-star rank it was substituted by the rank of Major-General.

Spain

In the Spanish Army and Spanish Air Force, General de Brigada is the lowest rank of general officers. Its equivalent on the Navy is Contraalmirante.

Sweden

In the Swedish Army and Swedish Air Force, Brigadgeneral is the lowest rank of general officers. Its equivalent on the Navy is Flottiljamiral.

Turkey

In the Turkish Army and the Turkish Air Force, the equivalent rank is Tuğgeneral (the Turkish Navy equivalent would be Tuğamiral). The name is derived from tugay, the Turkish word for a brigade. Both tugay and tuğ- as military terms may owe their origins to the older Turkish word tuğ, meaning horsetail, which was used as a symbol of authority and rank in Ottoman and pre-Ottoman times.

United Kingdom

See also: Brigadier (United Kingdom)

Brigadier-General was formerly a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines, and briefly in the Royal Air Force.

It first appeared in the army in the reign of James II, but did not exist in the Royal Marines until 1913.

It was abolished in both the army and the marines in 1922, being replaced in the army by the grade of Colonel Commandant (which already existed in the marines). Colonel Commandant was in turn replaced by the grade of Brigadier in the army in 1928, and at some time between World War II and 1957 in the marines.

From its formation on 1 April 1918 until 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the rank of brigadier general. It was superseded by the rank of air commodore on the following day.

Brigadier-General was a temporary rank only, bestowed on a colonel or lieutenant-colonel (or on a colonel commandant in the marines) for the duration of a specific command.

The insignia for the rank was a crossed sword and baton on its own; higher grades of general at the time and still consist of this device with the addition of a star, crown or both for a full general.

Brigadier is the highest field officer rank (hence absence of the word "general"), whereas brigadier-general was the lowest general officer rank. However, the two ranks are considered equal.

The equivalent naval rank is commodore and the equivalent Air Force rank is air commodore.

United States

Main article: Brigadier general (United States)

See also

• British Army officer rank insignia
• Comparative military ranks
• Military unit
• NATO Air Force officers
• NATO Army officers
• U.S. Army officer rank insignia
• United Kingdom and United States military ranks compared
• Wiktionary definition of General.