 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Commandant" rank – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Commandant (/ˌkɒmənˈdɑːnt/,/ˌkɒmənˈdænt/,/ˈkʌmədənt/;French:[kɔmɑ̃dɑ̃]) is amilitary rank used in many - typicallyFrancophone orHispanophone - countries, where it is usually equivalent to therank of major.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(March 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Commandant d'aviation was the Canadian French term for the air force rank ofsquadron leader (prior to the 2014 amendment of theNational Defence Act).[citation needed] 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.
Commandant (Comdt) (Irish:Ceannfort) is a military rank in both theIrish Army andIrish Air Corps.[1] It is equivalent to major andsquadron leader. In theIrish Naval Service, the equivalent rank islieutenant commander.
Commandant is a rank in theCentral Armed Police Forces of 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.[2]
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| 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,[3] specifically theFrench Army and 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)".
Thecommandant is also styledchef de bataillon ("battalion leader") in theinfantry,chef d'escadrons ("squadrons leader")[a] in thearmoured cavalry andchef d'escadron ("squadron leader") in theartillery and theGendarmerie. They are all addressed as eitherMon commandant, orCommandant.[b]
The French Army is divided into "horse troops" (troupes à cheval, with silver braids)[c] and "foot troops" (troupes à pied - with golden braids)
The Gendarmerie, while not part of the Army, uses a comparable rank system
In theFrench Navy,commandant is a appointment or operational command, rather than a rank, namely, the commanding officer (CO) of a ship, e.g.capitaine de vaisseau (vessel),capitaine de frégate (frigate),capitaine de corvette (corvette) orlieutenant de vaisseau. As such, it can refer to the holders of several ranks. They are all adressed ascommandant, regardless of rank or sex.
While the most frequent equivalent of Commandant is Major in English-speaking courntries, the wordMajor (France) has had - and still has - an entirely different meaning in the French Armed forces.
Prior to theFrench Revolution, themajor was the officer appointed by theKing to 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.
Since thelieutenant-colonel rank had been abolished by the Revolution, during theNapoleonic Period, it was replaced by the rank of Major. The Major was second in command of a regiment and frequently in charge of thebataillon de dépot or theescadron de dépot training recruits in the rear.[4] The officer at commandant rank level was thechef de bataillon orchef d'escadron.
Nowadays,Major is the most seniorwarrant officer rank, aboveadjudant-chef.
Commandant is also a rank in theNational Police and in other civilian administrations.
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In theSpanish Army andSpanish Air Force, the rank ofcomandante is 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.
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Comandante ("commandant") is a military officer rank used in someLatin American countries.[citation needed] TheChilean Air Force uses the rank ofcomandante de escuadrilla ("squadron commandant") as a rank equivalent to the British rank of squadron leader. ThePeruvian Air Force uses the rank ofcomandante as an equivalent to lieutenant-colonel or wing commander.
Comandante can be translated into English either as "commandant" or as "commander". The rank may also be found in numerousparamilitary andguerrilla organizations, such as theSandinistas and theCuban Revolutionary Armed Forces.
.png)
In South Africa, commandant was the title of the commanding officer of acommando (militia) unit, initially in theCape Colony and later also in theBoer republics.
From 1950 to 1994 commandant was the official designation of the rank oflieutenant-colonel in theSouth African Army,South African Air Force, andSouth African Medical Service.
From 1950 to 1957, the rank insignia for a commandant (Kommandant inAfrikaans) was a crown over a five-pointed star.[5][6] In 1957 the crown was replaced by a pentagonal castle device based on the floor plan of theCastle of Good Hope in Cape Town, South Africa's oldest military building.[6] In 1994, the rank of commandant /kommandant reverted to lieutenant colonel.[7]
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].[8] 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).
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In the United Kingdom the termcommandant usually 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 Service ranks 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 Force until December 1939, when they were replaced by squadron officer and wing officer (equating tosquadron leader andwing commander) respectively. The rank was also used for senior commanders of theUlster Special Constabulary (B Specials).
![Commandant Arabic: رائد, romanized: Ra'id) (Algerian Land Forces)[9]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a10.AlgA-MAJ.svg)
![Commandant (Benin Army)[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBenin_Army_OF-3.svg)
![Commandant (Burkina Faso Ground Forces)[11]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a11._Burkina_Faso_Army_-_MAJ.svg)
![Commandant (Congolese Ground Forces)[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a11-ROCongo_Army-MAJ.svg)
![Commandant (Irish: Ceannfort) (Irish Army)[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIreland-Army-OF-3.svg)
![Commandant (Ivory Coast Ground Forces)[13]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIvory_Coast-Army-OF-3.svg)
![Commandant (Madagascar Ground Forces)[14]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMadagascar-Army-OF-3.svg)
![Commandant (Mali Army)[15]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a09.Mali_Army-MAJ.svg)
![Commandant (Royal Moroccan Army)[16]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a13-Moroccan_Army-MAJ.svg)
![Commandant (Niger Army)[17]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBlank.svg)
![Comandante (Spanish Army)[18]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSpain-Army-OF-3.svg)
![Commandant (Togolese Army)[19]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTogo-Army-OF-3.svg)
![Commandant (Arabic: رائد, romanized: Ra'id) (Tunisian Army)[20]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGrade_Terre_tunisienne_O4.png)
{{cite journal}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)