Ranks in the French Army

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French Army
Components
Administration
Chief of Army Staff
Equipment
Modern Equipment
Personnel
History
Military history of France
Awards
See Ranks in the French Navy for more details about the naval ranks

Rank insignia in the French army are worn on the sleeve or on shoulder marks of uniforms, and range up to the highest rank of Marshal of France, a state honour denoted with a seven-star insignia that was last conferred posthumously on Marie Pierre Koenig in 1984.

Infantry arms and cavalry arms

Rank insignia in the French army depend on whether the soldier belongs to an infantry or cavalry unit. The infantry arms (armes à pied) include normal infantry, naval troops, the Foreign Legion and engineers; cavalry arms (armes à cheval) include armoured cavalry, artillery, maintenance and logistics. Sleeves are emblazoned with marks denoting either gold insignia for the infantry or silver/white for the cavalry. However, the artillery uses gold as the main colour, despite being a cavalry branch, and spahis use gold as the main colour despite being part of the cavalry, a distinction representing the armoured cavalry.

Marshals

Insignia of a marshal of France

The title of "marshal of France" (maréchal de France) is awarded as a distinction, rather than a rank. The marshals wear seven stars and carry a baton.

Famous examples include Turenne, Vauban, Joachim Murat, Michel Ney, Bazaine, Guillaume Brune, Louis Nicolas Davout, Duke de MacMahon, de Canrobert, André Masséna, de Hautecloque, de Tassigny, Marie Pierre Koenig and Alphonse Juin.

As a distinction rather than a rank, the title of Marshal is granted through a special law voted by the French Parliament. For this reason, it is impossible to demote a Marshal. The most famous example is Philippe Pétain, who became famous as Maréchal Pétain, chief of state of the Vichy France regime. When he was tried for high treason, the judges were empowered to demote his other ranks and titles, but due to the principle of separation of powers, the judges had no authority to cancel the law that had made Pétain a Marshal and it remained the only title he kept after being sentenced.

Six marshals of France have been given the even more exalted rank of "Marshal General of France" (Maréchal général de France): Duke de Biron, Duke de Lesdiguières, Viscount de Turenne, de Villars, Count de Saxe and de Dieu Soult.

Officers

Although they all wear the same insignia and titles, officers are divided into:

  • Regular officers of the army
  • Officers of the Armed Forces Commisariat Corps (formerly Army Commisariat Corps)
  • Officers of the technical and administrative corps of the armed forces (formerly of the Army)

Généraux - general officers

  • Général d'armée ("army general"); in command of an army.
  • Général de corps d'armée ("corps general", i.e. Lieutenant general); in command of an army corps.[1]
  • Général de division ("division general", i.e. Major general); in command of a division.
  • Général de brigade ("brigade general", i.e. Brigadier general); in command of a brigade, or of a région in the Gendarmerie. A famous général de brigade was Charles de Gaulle, who often wore military uniform whilst being President of the French Republic.

There is no distinction between infantry and cavalry generals, since they are all supposed to be able to command any type of unit. The rank was formerly designated as Lieutenant-General of the Armies until 1791. The official historic succession of the "Lieutenant-General of France" corresponded to Général de division for the French Army, and Vice-Amiral (Vice-Admiral) for the French Navy. The rank of Général de corps d'armée wasn't officially adopted until 1939, along with five other French Armed Forces ranks.

Officiers supérieurs - senior officers

In the below descriptions, "horse-mounted" does not refer to current units (the only remaining horse-mounted unit is a ceremonial unit in the Republican Guard) but to the traditional affiliation of the units.

Colonel

The word colonel originates in the medieval term capitaine colonel, "the head (officer) of a column" (=regiment). Lieutenant-colonel is the one who can "hold the place" of a colonel in his absence (lieu-tenant, from tenir lieu which means to hold the place). The word chef or "chief" in English comes from the Latin word caput meaning "head".

A colonel commands a regiment of the army or a groupement of the Gendarmerie. During the French Revolution, they were called chef de brigade. Cavalry arms wear silver. The origin of the difference in metal colour is that infantry officers once wore silver epaulettes, while those of the cavalry and other arms wore gold, and the colour of the rank badge had to differ from these metals in each case.[citation needed]

  • Infantry
    Infantry
  • Cavalry
    Cavalry

Lieutenant-colonel

The lieutenant-colonel has the same responsibilities as a colonel. They were called major during the First French Empire. Notice that the metal colours alternate silver and gold in each case, as opposed to those of the colonels. This characteristic goes back at least to alternating stripes on the uniforms of that empire in epaulettes.

  • Infantry
    Infantry
  • Cavalry
    Cavalry

Commandant

Commandant (also called chef de bataillon in the infantry, chef d'escadrons in the cavalry and chef d'escadron in the artillery and in the army light aviation) is equivalent to a major in most English-speaking countries.

  • Infantry
    Infantry
  • Cavalry
    Cavalry

Officiers subalternes - junior officers

Capitaine

A capitaine is in command of a company (compagnie) of infantry, a squadron (escadron) of cavalry or a battery (batterie) of artillery.

  • Infantry
    Infantry
  • Cavalry
    Cavalry

Lieutenant

A lieutenant (lieutenant or first lieutenant) commands a platoon (section) of infantry, a troop (peloton) of cavalry, or a brigade of the Gendarmerie.

  • Infantry
    Infantry
  • Cavalry
    Cavalry

Sous-lieutenant

A Sous-lieutenant (sub-lieutenant or second lieutenant) commands at the same level as a lieutenant, but is a more junior officer rank.

  • Infantry
    Infantry
  • Cavalry
    Cavalry

Aspirant

  • Aspirant An Officer Designate rank, it is used in the Armée de Terre (Army), the Armée de l'Air (Air Force), the Marine Nationale (Navy) and the Gendarmerie Nationale. Technically it is not a commissioned rank but it is still treated in all respects as one. Aspirants are either officers in training in military academies or voluntaries, serving as temporary officers. The aspirant must have been previously élève officier (Officer Cadet). S/He can afterwards be commissioned as a sous-lieutenant or enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe. The insignia is a single curl of gold lace, disrupted by "flashes" of wool. It was widely used during both World Wars for providing young educated people with an officer's authority.

Sous-officiers - sub-officers, i.e. non-commissioned officers

  • Major, the senior sub-officer rank since 1 January 2009 this grade is attached to the sous-officiers. Prior to this date it was an independent corps between the sous-officiers and the officiers. There are several Majors across the board of the French Armed Forces including the French Army, French Navy and French Air Force, typically at least one per regiment and several in a brigade.

Note the difference with many army rank systems of other countries where the term major is used for a rank above that of captain. For example, the rank of "major" in the US Army or British army is equivalent to the rank of "commandant" in the French army.

  • Adjudant-chef: "Chief Adjutant" or Chief Warrant Officer; often same responsibilities as the lieutenant.
    • adjudant-chef (infantry arms)
    • adjudant-chef (cavalry and transportation arms)
  • Adjudant: Adjutant or Warrant Officer; often same responsibilities as an adjutant-chef.
  • Sergeant-Major in France: Sergent-Major was a rank created in 1776 and was formally abolished in 1971, when it was renamed Sergent-Chef in 1928. The rank of Sergent-Major was not attributed since 1976, and was in between the ranks of Sergent-Chef and Adjudant. The last of Sergent-Major went on retirement in 1985.
  • Sergent-Chef (infantry) or maréchal des logis-chef (cavalry), addressed as "chef". Typically a platoon second-in-command (equivalent to a Commonwealth sergeant or a US sergeant first class).
    • Sergent-chef: Chief sergeant
    • Maréchal des logis-chef: Chief marshal of lodgings
  • Sergent (infantry) or maréchal-des-logis (cavalry): Typically in command of a "group" (i.e. squad; equivalent to a commonwealth corporal or US staff sergeant)
    • Sergent: Sergeant
    • Maréchal des logis: Marshal of lodgings
  • Élève sous-officier NCO candidates at the ENSOA.

Etymologically the adjudant is the adjoint ("joint (assistant)") of an officer, and the sergeant "serves" (Latin: serviens = English: servant).

Aspirants are cadet officers still in training. Sous-lieutenants are junior officers and are often aided by adjudants or adjudants-chefs, who are experienced NCOs/warrant officers.

Full lieutenants are experienced junior officers, served by sergeants when commanding their unit.

A four chevron sergent-chef-major rank existed until 1947. It was a ceremonial rank usually given to the most senior or experienced NCO in a unit, similar to a colour sergeant in the British Army. It was discontinued in the post-war army due to its redundancy.

Militaires du rang - Troop ranks

Junior enlisted grades have different cloth stripe and beret colour depending on the service they are assigned to. Troupes métropolitaines ("from the French mainland") units wear blue, Troupes de marine (the former troupes coloniales) wear red, and the Légion Étrangere (Foreign Legion) units wear green.

A red beret indicates a paratrooper, whether from the "troupes de marine" or not. A legionnaire paratrooper wears a green beret with the general parachutist badge on it, the same badge used by all French Army paratroopers who completed their training.

Senior grades' lace stripe metal depends on their arm of service, just like the officiers. Infantry and support units wear gold stripes and cavalry and technical services units wear silver stripes.

  • Caporal-chef de première classe. Distinction created in 1999.
  • Caporal-chef (infantry) or Brigadier-chef (cavalry): in command of an équipe (literally a team). Presently this size unit is a trinôme in the army.
  • Caporal (infantry) or brigadier (cavalry) : in command of an équipe.
  • Soldat de première classe. This is a distinction rather than a rank.
  • Soldat de deuxième classe: No rank insignia. Depending on the arm, they are called
    • Fantassin (infantry)
    • Légionnaire (French Foreign Legion)
    • Artilleur (artillery)
    • Sapeur (engineering, including the Paris Fire Brigade)
    • Chasseur ("hunter": light troops used for reconnaissance and harassment)
    • Dragon (dragoon: mounted infantry unit)
    • Cuirassier (heavy cavalry unit)
    • Hussard (light cavalry unit)
    • Transmetteur (signals corps)
    • Conducteur (trains)
    • Marsouin (literally "porpoise"; marines or naval infantry)
  • Slang
    • Bigor (artillerie de la marine; see Troupes de marine): A term either from the gunner's order to fire (Bigue de hors) or a term for a species of winkle (bigorneau) because they would stick to their emplacements and couldn't be removed easily.
    • Colo (French Colonial Forces): The former term for the troupes de la marine when they were colonial troops.
    • Para (troupes aéroportées): Airborne troops, short for "parachutist".
    • Gazier (troupes aéroportées): Airborne troops "grunt". Friendly nickname.
    • Poilu (infanterie): "Hairy one". A term that appeared during the First Empire and used to refer to the French soldiers as they often wore a beard and/or a moustache—and were represented that way on memorials. Nowadays, this term is used to refer to French soldiers who fought in the trenches of WW1, though it is seldom used to refer to WW2 soldiers. It is synonym of bravery and endurance.
    • Biffin slang used by troupes de marine and fusiliers marins to designate other infantry units. Probably comes from the fact that marsouins and naval riflemen used to own their uniform and were proud of it, whereas other units were dressed in rags (biffe is an old French word for rag). This word is not used to designate a legionnaire.

There are also distinctions to distinguish volunteers and conscripts, and bars for experience (one for five years, up to four can be obtained).

Engineer officer ranks

  • Ingénieur général de première classe (equivalent to général de division)
  • Ingénieur général de deuxième classe (equivalent to général de brigade)
  • Ingénieur en chef de première classe (equivalent to colonel)
  • Ingénieur en chef de deuxième classe (equivalent to lieutenant-colonel)
  • Ingénieur principal (equivalent to commandant)
  • Ingénieur de première classe (equivalent to capitaine)
  • Ingénieur de deuxième classe (equivalent to lieutenant)
  • Ingénieur de troisième classe (equivalent to sub-lieutenant)

Army Commissariat Service officer ranks

These ranks apply the word commissaire in light of their participation and role in the Commissariat Service of the army.

  • Commissaire général de corps d'armée (equivalent to Général de groupe d'armees)
  • Commissaire général de division (equivalent to général de division)
  • Commissaire général de brigade (equivalent to général de brigade)
  • Commissaire colonel (equivalent to colonel)
  • Commissaire lieutenant-colonel (equivalent to lieutenant-colonel)
  • Commissaire commandant (equivalent to commandant)
  • Commissaire capitaine (equivalent to capitaine)
  • Commissaire lieutenant (equivalent to lieutenant)
  • Commissaire sous-lieutenant (equivalent to sub-lieutenant)

Table of ranks

Maréchaux de France - Marshals of France
Maréchal de France
Marshal of France is not an actual rank, but a "state honour" for highly valorous generals in times of war
Officiers généraux - General officers
Général de brigade Général de division Général de corps d'armée Général d'armée
Commands a brigade Commands a division Commands a corps. Commands an army.
Officiers supérieurs - Senior officers
Infantry/Air Force (Armée de l'air)
Cavalry
Commandant (Chef d'escadron(s) in some arms) Lieutenant-colonel Colonel
Officiers subalternes - Junior officers
Aspirant Sous-lieutenant Lieutenant Capitaine
Major - Warrant Officer (until 2008), High Ranking Sub-officer (since 2009)
Major
Sous-officiers - Sub-officers
Élève sous-officier Sergent (infantry arms/air force) / Maréchal des logis (cavalry arms) Sergent-chef (infantry arms/air force) / Maréchal des logis-chef (cavalry arms) Adjudant Adjudant-chef
A four chevron sergent-chef major existed up till 1947
Militaires du rang - Rank and File
Soldat 1e classe Caporal (infantry arms/air force) / Brigadier (cavalry arms) Caporal-chef (infantry arms/air force) / Brigadier-chef (cavalry arms) Caporal-chef (1e classe) / Brigadier-chef (1e classe)

Ranks formerly used in the Army

  • Anspessade(archaic)
  • Brigadier (officer rank of the Ancien Régime Army)
  • Sergent appelés, Maréchal des logis appelés
  • Fourrier

Other armies

The following national armes use a similar rank structure and rank insignia to those used by the French Army of today:

Tables

Officers

NATO code OF-10 OF-9 OF-8 OF-7 OF-6 OF-5 OF-4 OF-3 OF-2 OF-1 OF(D) Student officer
 French Army[2]
Maréchal de France Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant Aspirant Élève-officier


Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
Benin Benin Army[3]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Ground Forces[4]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
 Royal Cambodian Army
នាយឧត្ដមសេនីយ៍ផុតលេខ
Néay ŭtdâmôséniy phŏt lékh 		នាយឧត្ដមសេនីយ៍
Néay ŭtdâmôséniy 		ឧត្ដមសេនីយ៍ឯក
Ŭtdâmôséniy êk 		ឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ទោ
Ŭtdâmôséniy toŭ 		ឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ត្រី
Ŭtdâmôséniy trei 		វរសេនីយ៍ឯក
Vôrôséniy êk 		វរសេនីយ៍ទោ
Vôrôséniy toŭ 		វរសេនីយ៍ត្រី
Vôrôséniy trei 		អនុសេនីយ៍ឯក
Ânŭséniy êk 		អនុសេនីយ៍ទោ
Ânŭséniy toŭ 		អនុសេនីយ៍ត្រី
Ânŭséniy trei 		នាយចំណង់
Néay châmnáng


Cameroon Ground Forces
Général d'armée Général de corps Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant
Central African Republic Central African Ground Forces
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant
 Chadian Ground Forces
Maréchal Général d'armée Général de corps Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant
Comorian Army
Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant
Congolese Ground Forces[5]
Général d'armée Général de corps Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
 Djiboutian Army
Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
 Gabonese Army
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant


Guinea Ground Forces
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant


Ivory Coast Ground Forces[6]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant Aspirant
Madagascar Ground Forces[7]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
 Malian Army[8]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
Mauritanian National Army[9]
فريق
Fariq 		لواء
Liwa 		عميد
Amid 		مقدم
Muqaddam 		رائد
Ra'id 		نقيب
Naqib 		ملازم أول
Mulazim awwal 		ملازم
Mulazim


 Royal Moroccan Army[10]
Maréchal Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
 Niger Army[11]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant Aspirant


Senegalese Army
Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant


Togolese Army[12]
Général de division Général de brigade Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant


 Tunisian Army[13]
فريق أول
Fariq 'awal 		فريق
Fariq 		أمير لواء
'amir liwa' 		عميد
Amid 		عقيد
Aqid 		مقدم
Muqaddam 		رائد
Ra'id 		نقيب
Naqib 		ملازم أول
Mulazim awwal 		ملازم
Mulazim
Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant
Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet

Enlisted

NATO code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1
 French Army[2]
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef BM2/
Maréchal-des-logis-chef de 1ere classe 		Sergent-chef/
Maréchal-des-logis-chef 		Sergent/
Maréchal-des-logis 		Caporal-chef de 1re classe Caporal-chef/
Brigadier-chef 		Caporal/
Brigadier 		Soldat de 1re classe Soldat


Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
Benin Benin Army[3]
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de 1ère classe Soldat de 2ème classe


Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Ground Forces[4][14]
Adjudant-chef major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef/
Maréchal des logis-chef 		Sergent/
Maréchal des logis 		Caporal-chef/
Brigadier-chef 		Caporal/
Brigadier 		Soldat de première classe Soldat de deuxeme classe


 Royal Cambodian Army
ព្រឹន្ទបាលឯក
Prœ̆ntôbal êk 		ព្រឹន្ទបាលទោ
Prœ̆ntôbal toŭ 		ពលបាលឯក
Pôlôbal êk 		ពលបាលទោ
Pôlôbal toŭ 		ពលបាលត្រី
Pôlôbal trei 		នាយឯក
Néay êk 		នាយទោ
Néay toŭ 		ពលឯក
Pôl êk 		ពលទោ
Pôl toŭ
Warrant Officer Command Sergeant Major Master Sergeant Staff Sergeant Sergeant Corporal Lance corporal Private 1st Class Private


Cameroon Cameroon Ground Forces
Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat Première Soldat


Central African Republic Central African Ground Forces
 No insignia
Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-major Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat première Soldat


 Chadian Ground Forces
 No insignia
Sergent major Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal Soldat première Soldat


Comorian Army
Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de 1ère classe Soldat
Congolese Ground Forces[5]
 No insignia
Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat 1ère classe Soldat 2e classe


 Djiboutian Army
Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat Première Soldat


 Gabonese Army
Adjudant-chef major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat première Soldat


Guinea Ground Forces
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de 1ère classe Soldat de 2ème classe


Ivory Coast Ground Forces[6]
Adjudant-chef major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de première classe Soldat de seconde classe


Madagascar Ground Forces[7]
 No insignia
Adjudant-major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-major Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat


 Malian Army[8]
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de première classe Soldat
Mauritanian National Army[15]
مساعد أول
Mosa'id awwal 		مساعد
Mosa'id 		رقيب أول
Raqib awwal 		رقيب
Raqib 		عريف
'arif 		جندي
Jundiun


 Royal Moroccan Army[10]
Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-major Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de première classe Soldat de deuxième classe


 Niger Army[11]
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de 1re classe Soldat de 2e classe


Senegalese Army
 No insignia
Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de première classe Soldat


Togolese Army[12]
 No insignia
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de 1ère classe Soldat de 2e classe


 Tunisian Army[13][16]
وكيل أعلى
Wakil 'aelaa 		وكيل أول
Wakil 'awal 		وكيل
Wakil 		عريف أول
Earif 'awal 		عريف
Earif 		رقيب أول
Raqib 'awal 		رقيب
Raqib 		جندي أول
Jundiun awwal 		جندي متطوع
Jundiun
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de 1re classe Soldat


Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted

See also

References

  1. ^ The Général de corps d'armée in the French Armed Forces, is the third ranking order of the general officer corps, based on the hierarchical order. The designation of a général de corps d'armée is situated above a général de division and underneath the designation of général d'armée. By regulation, the rank refers to an officer of the rank of « Général de division » who receives the « rank and designation » of a « Général de corps d'armée ». This rank would command an Army Corps, a unit composing several Divisions. The insignia is composed of 4 stars. A Presidential Decree on November 19, 1873 introduced for a first time the notion of "corps armée". A circular on March 17, 1921 depicted that generals commanding an Army Corps (French: corps d'armée) would wear a 4th star, forming with the first three, a diamond shape. The generals commanding the army and the members of the Superior War Council wore a 5th star, superposed in the first 4 stars. Finally a Law Decree of June 6, 1939 made official, the designations and ranks referrals of "Général d'armée", "Général de corps d'armée", "Amiral", "Vice-amiral d'escadre", "Général d'armée aérienne" et "Général de corps aérien".
  2. ^ a b Instruction N° 10300/DEF/EMAT/LOG/ASH (PDF) (in French). Staff of the French Army. 13 June 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "LOI N° 2005-43 DU 26 JUIN 2006" (PDF). ilo.org (in French). National Assembly (Benin). 26 June 2006. pp. 19–20, 35–36. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b "LOI N° 037-2016/AN PORTANT CONDITIONS D'AVANCEMENT DES PERSONNELS D'ACTIVE DES FORCES ARMEES NATIONALES" (PDF) (in French). 2015. pp. 17–21. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Grades appellations distinctions". defense.gouv.cg (in French). Ministry of National Defense (Republic of the Congo). Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b "GRADES / APPELLATIONS / DISTINCTIONS". defense.gouv.ci (in French). Ministère de la Défense. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  7. ^ a b "LOI N° 96-029 portant Statut Général des Militaires" (PDF). defense.gov.mg (in French). Ministry of Defence (Madagascar). 15 November 1996. p. 2. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b "2011 - Plaquette sur les insignes et blasons des Forces Armées du Mali" (in French). 23 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  9. ^ "رتب الضباط" [Officer ranks]. armee.mr/ (in Arabic). Armed Forces of Mauritania. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  10. ^ a b Ehrenreich, Frederich (1985). "National Security". In Nelson, Harold D. (ed.). Morocco: a country study. Area Handbook (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American University. pp. 350–351. LCCN 85600265. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  11. ^ a b Bureau international des droits des enfants (December 2012). "État des Lieux: Formation des forces de défense et de sécurité sur les droit de l'enfant au Niger" (PDF) (in French). p. 34. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Journal officiel de la république togolaise" (PDF) (in French). 12 February 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Décret n° 72-380 du 6 décembre 1972, portant Statut particulier des militaires". legislation-securite.tn (in French). Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance. 6 December 1972. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  14. ^ "LOI N° 019-2015/CNT PORTANT STATUT GENERAL DES PERSONNELS DES FORCES ARMEES NATIONALES" (PDF) (in French). 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  15. ^ "رتب الأفراد غير الضباط" [Ranks of Non-officers]. armee.mr/ (in Arabic). Armed Forces of Mauritania. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  16. ^ "أمر عدد 380 لسنة 1972 مؤرخ في 6 ديسمبر 1972 يتعلق بضبط النظام الأساسي الخاص بالعسكريين". legislation-securite.tn (in Arabic). Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance. 6 December 1972. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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