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Brigadier is a rank which is used in different ways by different countries.
Officer rank in Commonwealth and Arab countries
In the British Army, Royal Marines, Australian Army, New Zealand Army, Pakistan Army and several other armies, Brigadier is the rank immediately above Colonel and immediately below Major-General. It was introduced into the British Army in 1928 to replace the short-lived appointment of Colonel-Commandant that had replaced the rank of Brigadier-General in 1922.
Brigadiers generally command brigades. Before 1922 the term "brigadier" was often used to refer to brigade commanders, and hence referred to Brigadier-Generals.
Brigadier is the most senior field rank and is therefore basically a senior Colonel, very much as a Commodore is to a Captain in the navy. Until shortly after the Second World War, it was only an appointment conferred on Colonels (as Commodore was an appointment conferred on naval Captains) and not a substantive rank. Although it is not a general officer rank, it is equivalent to Brigadier General in services which use that rank.
In Commonwealth and most Arabic-speaking countries (in which the rank is called Amid) the rank insignia comprises a crown (or national/presidential emblem in republics) with three stars (sometimes called "pips"), which are in the Commonwealth arranged in a triangle. A Brigadier's uniform may also have red collar flashes. It is otherwise similar to that of a Colonel (Colonels have a crown/emblem with two stars).
Until 1788, a rank of Brigadier des armées ("Brigadier of the Armies") existed in the French Army, which was roughly the equivalent of a British Brigadier.
Officer rank in Argentina and Brazil
Both the Argentine Air Force and Brazilian Air Force use a curious system of variations on Brigadier for all (Argentina) or most (Brazil) general officers. The origin of this system is not clear, but most probably came out of the air force's desire to distinguish its seniormost officers from the army's generals and the navy's admirals.
In the Argentine Air Force these ranks are (most senior first):
- Brigadier-General (the highest, four-star rank, equivalent to the army's Lieutenant-General and the navy's Admiral)
- Brigadier-Mayor ("Brigadier-Major", a three-star rank equivalent to the army's General of Division and the navy's Vice-Admiral)
- Brigadier (a two-star rank, equivalent to the army's General of Brigade and the navy's Rear-Admiral)
In the Brazilian Air Force these ranks are (most senior first):
- Tenente-Brigadeiro ("Brigadier-Lieutenant") is a four-star rank, equivalent to Almirante-de-Esquadra (Admiral of Squadron) and General de Exército (General of Army).
- Major-Brigadeiro ("Brigadier-Major") is a three-star rank, equivalent to Vice-Almirante (Vice Admiral) and General de Divisão (General of Division)
- Brigadeiro ("Brigadier") is a two-star rank, equivalent to Contra-Almirante (Rear Admiral) and General de Brigada (General of Brigade)
Non-commissioned rank
In France, and many countries whose forces were based on those of France, some branches of the army (such as logistics or former cavalry units) and the gendarmerie use Brigadier for a rank equivalent to Caporal (Corporal), and Brigadier-chef for a rank equivalent to Caporal-chef. In the Police Nationale, variations (Sous-brigadier, Brigadier-chef and Brigadier-major) are used for all non-commissioned officers.
These usages derive from the use of "brigade" to denote a squad or team of cavalrymen, as in the occasional English civilian usage "work brigade". A similar usage exists in Italy. In Spain, a Brigadier (Brigada) has a NATO rank code of OR-8 (and is thus a much more senior NCO). This contrasts with the word Brigadier used in Spanish-speaking Argentina.
Salvation Army
Until 1973, the rank of Brigadier was also used in the Salvation Army. It ranked between Major and Lieutenant-Colonel.
See also
External link
Military ranks | Military ranks of the Commonwealth | Military ranks of Australia | Military ranks of Canada | Military ranks of India | Military ranks of the United Kingdom
Brigadier | Brigadier | Brigadier | Brigadier | Brigader | Brigader | Brigadeiro | Brigadir
"Brigadier"