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Brigadier general orbrigade general is amilitary rank used in many countries. The rank is usually above acolonel, and below amajor general ordivisional general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of abrigade consisting of around 4,000 troops (two regiments or fourbattalions).
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Brigadier general (Brig. Gen.) is amilitary rank used in many countries. The rank originates from theOld European System. It is the lowest rankinggeneral officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks ofcolonel andmajor general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of abrigade consisting of around 4,000 troops (fourbattalions).
In some countries, this rank is given the name ofbrigadier, which is usually equivalent tobrigadier 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.
In the first quarter of the 20th century, British andCommonwealth 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 was not classed as a general officer.
Brigade general is the rank of a brigade commander in countries where theFrench Revolutionary System's general 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 general because it is used for the designated rank of the general officers that the country stipulates as brigade commanders' class by law.
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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 general is actually thehighest rank in the Air Force. This is due to the use of the rank ofbrigadier and its derivatives to designate allgeneral 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 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 Army does 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).
In theAustralian Imperial Force duringWorld War I, the rank ofbrigadier general was 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 general was 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 commandant in 1922 andbrigadier in 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.
Prior to 2001, theBangladesh Army rank was known asbrigadier, in conformity with the rank structure of theCommonwealth Nations. In 2001, the Bangladesh Army rechristened the rank to brigadier general. It is the lowestflag officer order and classify as a "one-star rank". Brigadier general is equivalent tocommodore of theBangladesh Navy andair commodore of theBangladesh Air Force.
TheBelgian Army uses 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 attaché in a major embassy).
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 Brigada wears a two-star insignia. Hence, it is equivalent to themajor general rank of many countries. In theBrazilian Air Force, all of the senior ranks include 'Brigadeiro'; thetwo-star rank isBrigadeiro (Brigadier), thethree-star rank isMajor-Brigadeiro (Major-Brigadier), and thefour-star rank isTenente-Brigadeiro-do-Ar (Lieutenant-Air-Brigadier).
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In theCanadian Forces, the rank ofbrigadier-general (BGen) (brigadier-général orbgén in 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-general orrear-admiral.
The rank titlebrigadier-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 commandair force groups until 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 straps of 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 patches on the collar of the service dress jacket or the service dress short-sleeved shirt.
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 tostaff cars.
Until unification in 1968 of theRoyal Canadian Air Force,Canadian Army, and theRoyal Canadian Navy, rank structure and insignia followed theBritish pattern. This system of rank insignia was reinstated in 2013, but general officers reverted to the 1968 system in 2016. 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.
In theChilean Army,Brigadier is aone-star rank andGeneral de Brigada is the immediately superiortwo-star rank. While theChilean Air Force usesComodoro for its one-star rank, two-star Air Force officers hold the rank ofGeneral de Brigada Aérea – literally 'air brigade general'.
The rank ofbrigadier general was 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]
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France uses the rank of "brigade general" (général de brigade). The rank contrasts with the Frenchsub-officer rank 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 Gaulle never 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 armées wore one star and amaréchal de camp wore 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 armées was 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 brigade generally 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 differentkepis are 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 Gaulle held the rank of brigade general. He was given a temporary promotion to this rank in May 1940 as commander of the4th Armoured Division (4e division cuirassée). However his initial authority as head of theFree French really 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.
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.
In theItalian Armed Forces the rank has different denominations. In theArmy, therank for combat arms officers isgenerale di brigata whilst for thelogistics and technical corps is calledbrigadier generale. In 1926, thebrigadiere generale andmaggior generale in comando di brigata were 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.
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]
In the Philippines,Brigadier General (Philippine ArmyPhilippine Air Force andPhilippine Marines)/Commodore (Philippine Navy andPhilippine Coast Guard)/Chief Superintendent (Bureau of Fire Protection andBureau 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 Staff of theArmed Forces of the Philippines orPNP Chief of the Philippine National Police surpassing theMajor General andLieutenant General ranks.[6]
Brigadier General (Polish:Generał brygady, abbreviatedgen. bryg.) is the lowest-ranking general in thePolish Land Forces andAir Force.
In thePortuguese Army andAir 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 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,brigadeiro become the two-star general rank in the Portuguese Army. As two-star rank, it was substituted by the rank ofmajor-general in 1999.
In theSpanish Army,Spanish Air Force, andSpanish Marine Infantry (Infantería de Marina, a branch of theArmada)general de brigada is the lowest rank of general officers. Its equivalent in the Navy (Armada) iscontraalmirante.
In theTurkish Army and theTurkish Air Force, the equivalent rank istuğgeneral (theTurkish Navy equivalent istuğamiral). The name is derived fromtugay, the Turkish word for a brigade. Bothtugay andtuğ- 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.
Brigadier-general was formerly a rank or appointment in theBritish Army andRoyal Marines, and briefly in theRoyal Air Force. The appointment was abolished in the Army and the Marines in 1921; the equivalent rank today isBrigadier.
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.
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 theArmy andcounter admiral in 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]
![General de brigada (Argentine Army)[9]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aArgentina-Army-OF-7.svg)
![Brigadier general (Bengali: ব্রিগেডিয়ার জেনারেল, romanized: Brigēḍiẏāra jēnārēla) (Bangladesh Army)[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBangladesh-army-OF-6.svg)
![Général de brigade (Benin Army)[11]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBlank.svg)
![General de brigada (Bolivian Army)[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGenBrigEB.svg)
![Brigadni general (Bosnian Ground Forces)[13]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBosnia%2526Herzegovina-Army-OF-6.svg)
![General de brigada (Brazilian Army)[14]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBrazil-Army-OF-7.svg)
![Brigedier jeneral (Royal Brunei Land Force)[15]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a16.RBrLF-BG.svg)
![Général de brigade (Burkina Faso Ground Forces)[16]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a15._Burkina_Faso_Army_-_BG.svg)
![General de brigada (Chilean Army)[19]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aChile-Army-OF-7.svg)
![Brigadier general (Colombian National Army)[20]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aColombia-Army-OF-6.svg)
![Général de brigade (Congolese Ground Forces)[21]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a14-ROCongo_Army-BG.svg)
![General de brigada (Cuban Revolutionary Army)[22]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCuba-Army-OF-6.svg)
![General de brigada (Dominican Army)[23]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCapona_General_de_Brigada_Ejercito_Nacional.svg)
![General de brigada (Ecuadorian Army)[24]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a15.ECA-BG.svg)
![ብርጋዴር ጄኔራል Birigadēri jēnērali (Ethiopian Ground Forces)[25]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a15.EA-BG.svg)
![Général de brigade (French Army)[26]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFrance-Army-OF-6_Sleeve.svg)
![General de brigada (Guatemalan Army)[27]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGuatemala-army-OF-6.svg)
![General de brigada (Honduran Army)[28]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHON-army-OF-6.svg)
![Brigadir jenderal (Indonesian Army)[29]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a19-TNI_Army-BG.svg)
![Général de brigade (Ivory Coast Ground Forces)[30]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIvory_Coast-Army-OF-6.svg)
![Gjeneralbrigade (Kosovo Security Force)[31]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKosovo-Army-OF-6_2024.svg)
![Brigadier general (Liberian Ground Forces)[32]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLiberia-Army-OF-6.svg)
![Général de brigade (Madagascar Ground Forces)[33]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMadagascar-Army-OF-6.svg)
![Brigedier jeneral (Malaysian Army)[34]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMalaysia-army-OF-6.svg)
![Général de brigade (Mali Army)[35]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a13.Mali_Army-BG.svg)
![General brigadier (Mexican Army)[5]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMexico_army_OF6.svg)
![General de brigada (Mexican Army)[5]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMexico_army_OF7.svg)
![Бригадын генерал Brigadyn gyenyeral (Mongolian Ground Force)[36]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMongolian_Army-BRG-service.svg)
![Général de brigade (Royal Moroccan Army)[37]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a17-Moroccan_Army-BG.svg)
![Brigadier general (Nepali: सहायक रथी, romanized: Sahaayak rathee) (Nepalese Army)[38]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a17.Nepalese_Army-BG.svg)
![General de brigada (Nicaraguan Army)[39]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a14-Nicaragua_Army-BG.svg)
![Brigadier general (Nigerian Army)[41]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNigeria-Army-OF-6.svg)
![General de brigada (Paraguayan Army)[42]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aParaguay-Army-OF-7.svg)
![General de brigada (Peruvian Army)[43]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPeru-Army-OF-7.svg)
![Brigadier general (Philippine Army)[44]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPA_Brig._Gen.png)
![Generał brygady (Polish Land Forces)[45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aArmy-POL-OF-06.svg)
![Brigadier general (Rwandan Land Forces)[46]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a13-Rwanda_Army-BG.svg)
![General de brigada (Salvadoran Army)[47]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aE_4_16_GB.png)
![Brigadier general (Singapore Army)[48]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a08-RSA-OF06.svg)
![Brigadier general (South African Army)[49]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSAA-OF-6.svg)
![Général de brigade (Togolese Army)[50]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTogo-Army-OF-6.svg)
![Brigadier general (Trinidad and Tobago Regiment)[51]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTaT-Army-OF-6.svg)
![Brigadier general (Ugandan Land Forces)[52]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aUganda-Army-OF-8.svg)
![Brigadier general (United States Army)[53]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aUS_Army_O7_(Army_greens).svg)
![General de brigada (Venezuelan Army)[54]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGBEJB-GNB.png)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Bibliography
The dictionary definition ofbrigadier general at Wiktionary