Major General or
Major-General is a
military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of
Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of
Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of
Brigadier and
Brigadier General. "Major General" is generally considered to be a
2 star rank.
Insignia
Army insignia
Air Force insignia
Australia
Austria
In the old
Austro-Hungarian Army, the major general was called a
Generalmajor. Today's
Austrian Federal Army still uses the same term. (Collar insignias)
Canada
In the
Canadian Forces, the rank of
Major-General (MGen) (
Major-général or
Mgén in
French) is an
Army or
Air Force rank equal to a
Rear-Admiral of the
Navy. A Major-General is a
General Officer, the equivalent of a Naval
Flag Officer. A Major-General is senior to a
Brigadier-General or
Commodore, and junior to a
Lieutenant-General or
Vice-Admiral.
The rank insignia for a Major-General is two gold maple leaves beneath crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown. It is worn on the shoulder straps of the Service Dress tunic, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. The Service Dress tunic 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.
Major-Generals are initially addressed by rank and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am", as applicable. Major-Generals are normally entitled to
staff cars.Links
Canadian Forces ranks and insigniaEstonia
In the
Estonian military, the major general
rank is called
Kindralmajor.
Finland
The
Finnish military equivalent is
Kenraalimajuri, or
Generalmajor in Swedish.
France
In the French military,
Major général is not a rank but an appointment conferred on some generals, usually of
Général de corps d'armée rank, acting as head of staff of a branch of service. This should not be confused with the
chief of staff, who is usually a
Général d'armée, and the true commander of each service. The position of
major général can be considered the equivalent of a deputy chief of Staff. There are five Major Generals: the Major General of the Armies, head of the General Staff, the Major General of the
Army, the Major General of the
Navy, the Major General of the
Gendarmerie and the Major General of the
Air Force.
Historically, the French army had some
sergent-majors généraux, also called
sergents de bataille, whose task was to prepare the disposition of the army on the field before a battle. These
sergents-majors généraux became a new rank, the
maréchal de camp (not the same as a Field Marshal, in the French Army from antiquity called a
Maréchal de France), which was the equivalent of the rank of major general. However the term of
major général was not forgotten and used to describe the appointment of armies chiefs of staff. One well-known French
Major général was
Marshal Berthier, Major General of
Napoléon's
Grande armée.
The French equivalent to the rank of Major General is
Général de division.
Germany
The
German Army and
Luftwaffe refer to the rank as
Generalmajor. It was the lowest general officer rank used in German armies until the remilitarization of Germany in 1955 with West Germany's admission to NATO, when the rank of
Brigadegeneral was introduced as the lowest rank for the
Bundeswehr of West Germany and the former highest rank of
Generaloberst was not used. The change was likely made to avoid confusion over relative rank in NATO forces. The
Nationale Volksarmee of East Germany continued the use Generalmajor as the lowest general officer rank until reunification.
Iran
In Imperial Iranian army and air force, the rankings of the above Colonel are respectively Sar-teep (Brigadier General), Sar-Lashgar (Major General), Sepah-Boad (Lieutenant General), and Artesh-Boad (General)
Ireland
In the
Irish Defence Forces there are 4 Major Generals, each Commanding a Brigade. These are the 1st Southern Brigade, 2nd Eastern Brigade, the 4th Western Brigade and the Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC)
Israel
In the
Israel Defence Forces, a Major General is called an
Aluf and is the second highest rank, only outranked by
Rav Aluf (
Lieutenant General or
General), who is also the Chief of Staff.
Italy
In Italy exists the
Army rank of
Generale di Divisione. In the army the Generale di Divisione is the commander of a
division or as other duties in the various national or international staff, in the
Carabinieri or
Guardia di Finanza. He/she is usually the commander of the units in a zone of the country.
Korea
In
South Korea, the
rank of Major General is known as
Sojang (
Hangul: 소장,
Hanja: 少將).
The rank of
Sojang is also used in
North Korea, where it is the lowest general officer and flag officer rank, equivalent to a one star General and Admiral. The North Korean equivalent to a two star General is
Jungjang, which roughly translates as Lieutenant General.
New Zealand
In the
New Zealand Army,
Major-General is the rank held by the Chief of Army (formerly the Chief of General Staff). The more senior rank of
Lieutenant-General is reserved for when an Army officer holds the position of Chief of Defence Force, who commands all New Zealand's armed forces. This position is subject to rotation between the heads of the Air Force, Army, and Navy.
Pakistan
Major General in the
Pakistan Army is equivalent to
Rear Admiral in the
Pakistan Navy and
Air Vice Marshal in the
Pakistan Air Force and is the lowest of the general officer ranks, ranking between
Brigadier and
Lieutenant General. The Pakistan Army has two female Major Generals. The longest server is
Shahida Malik.
Portugal
The rank of
Major-General was reintroduced in the
Portuguese Army,
Air Force and
National Republican Guard in 1999 in place of the former rank of
brigadier. It was previously used in the Army, from 1862 to 1864. It is equivalent to
Contra-Almirante (
Rear-Admiral) in the
Portuguese Navy.
Sweden
In Sweden the rank of
Generalmajor (Genmj) is used in the
Army, the
Amphibious Corps and the
Air Force. It is the equivalent to
Konteramiral (
Counter Admiral) in the navy. It is typically held by the
Inspector Generals of the three
service branches and the head of the
Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service.
Turkey
The Turkish Army and Turkish Air Force refer to the rank as
Tümgeneral. The Turkish Navy equivalent is
Tümamiral. The name is derived from
tümen, the Turkish word for a military
division (
tümen itself is an older Turkish word meaning "10,000"). Thus, linguistically, it is similar to the French equivalent for a Major General,
Général de division.
United Kingdom
In the
British Army and
Royal Marines,
Major-General ranks below Lieutenant-General and above
Brigadier, and is thus the lowest of the general officer ranks, although always considered equivalent to Major-General in other countries.
Divisions are usually commanded by Major-Generals and they also hold a variety of staff positions. The professional head of the Royal Marines currently holds the rank of Major-General.
From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the
Royal Air Force maintained the rank of Major-General. It was superseded by the rank of Air Vice-Marshal on the following day.
Major-General is equivalent to
Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy and
Air Vice-Marshal in the
Royal Air Force.
United States
In the
United States Army, a major general commands a division of 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers and is capable of fully independent field operation.
Fictional references
- In the anime movie Robotech II: The Sentinels, the lead character, Rick Hunter, holds the rank of Major General.
- The third Judge Adovocate General of the show JAG (1995-2005) is a Major General: Major General Gordon "Biff" Cresswell USMC portrayed by David Andrews.
See also
