Commandant (, , ) is a military or police rank. In the French, Spanish, Irish and Monegasque armed forces it is a rank equivalent to
major while in Belgium ''
captain-commandant'' is a distinct rank, junior to major but sharing NATO rank-equivalence with it. In South Africa for most of the second half of the 20th century, commandant was a rank equivalent to
lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
.
Canada
was the Canadian French term for the air force rank of
squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
(prior to the 2014 amendment of the
National Defence Act). 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.
Ireland
Commandant (Comdt) ( ga, Ceannfort) is a military rank in both the
Irish Army and
Irish Air Corps.
It is equivalent to
major and
squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
. In the
Irish Naval Service
The Naval Service ( ga, An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork.
Though preceded by earlier ma ...
, the equivalent rank is
lieutenant commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...
.
Image:IE-Army-OF3.png, Irish Army commandant's subdued rank slide
File:Ireland-AirForce-OF-3.svg, Irish Air Corps rank insignia
File:IE-Aircorps-OF3.png, Irish Air Corps rank insignia (green)
France
Commandant (shortened from , i.e. a "captain commanding" (a battalion)), is an officer-grade rank of the
Military of France,
specifically the
French Army
History
Early history
The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...
and the
French Air and Space Force
The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Ar ...
, which is equivalent to
major.
The is also styled ("battalion leader") in the
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
, ("squadrons leader") in the
armoured cavalry and ("squadron leader") in the
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...
and the .
is also the style, but not the rank, of the senior officers of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
(, and ).
Prior to the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, the was the officer appointed by the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...
to keep track of the expenditures and readiness of a regiment. He could have a deputy (an ) and could be either a commoner or a nobleman. A major was graded as a commissar, not an officer. The officer at commandant rank level was the or .
is now, however, the most senior
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mo ...
rank, above .
File:Ingénieur de l'AE 7-10e échelon.png , Commandant des Eaux et Forêts
File:French Air Force-commandant.svg , French Air and Space Force commandant
File:commandant.png , French infantry
File:Commandant des armes à cheval.png , French cavalry
Spain
In the
Spanish Army and
Spanish Air Force, the rank of 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.
Latin America
("commandant") is a military officer rank used in some
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
n countries. The
Chilean Air Force uses the rank of ("squadron commandant") as a rank equivalent to the British rank of squadron leader. The
Peruvian Air Force uses the rank of as an equivalent to lieutenant-colonel or wing commander.
can be translated into English either as "commandant" or as "commander". The rank may also be found in numerous
paramilitary organizations, such as the
Sandinistas
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto ...
.
File:Fach escu.gif, Chilean Air Force squadron commandant rank insignia (epaulette)
File:Comandante de Escuadrilla (FACH).png, Chilean Air Force squadron commandant rank insignia (sleeve)
South Africa
In South Africa, commandant was the title of the commanding officer of a
commando (militia) unit, initially in the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with ...
and later also in the
Boer republics.
From 1950 to 1994 commandant was the official designation of the rank of
lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
in the
South African Army,
South African Air Force, and
South African Medical Service.
From 1950 to 1957, the rank insignia for a commandant ( in
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...
) was a crown over a five-pointed star.
In 1957 the crown was replaced by a pentagonal castle device based on the floor plan of the
Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, South Africa's oldest military building.
In 1994, the rank of commandant / reverted to lieutenant colonel.
From 1968 to 1970, a related rank, chief commandant (), existed in the
Commando Forces
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
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).
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom the term ''commandant'' 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 were
Auxiliary 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 the
Bermuda Militia Artillery
The Bermuda Militia Artillery was a unit of part-time soldiers organised in 1895 as a reserve for the Royal Garrison Artillery detachment of the Regular Army garrison in Bermuda. Militia Artillery units of the United Kingdom and Colonies were int ...
(1895-1965). These ranks were also used in the
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2 ...
until December 1939, when they were replaced by squadron officer and wing officer (equating to
squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
and
wing commander) respectively. The rank was also used for senior commanders of the
Ulster Special Constabulary (B Specials).
Gallery
Army insignia
File:10.AlgA-MAJ.svg,
)
( Algerian Land Forces)
File:Benin Army OF-3.svg,
( Benin Army)
File:11. Burkina Faso Army - MAJ.svg,
( Burkina Faso Ground Forces)
File:Cameroon-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Cameroon Ground Forces)
File:13.CAGF-MAJ.svg,
( Central African Ground Forces)
File:Chad-Army-OF-3.svg,
(Chadian Ground Forces The Chadian Ground Forces (french: Armée de terre tchadienne) are the main and largest component of the Chadian National Army (''Armée nationale tchadienne''). Historically Chad has had one of the strongest armies in the Sahara region, larger tha ...
)
File:Comoros-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Comorian Army)
File:11-ROCongo Army-MAJ.svg,
( Congolese Ground Forces)
File:Djibouti-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Djiboutian Army)
File:10. EGLF-MAJ.svg,
( Army of Equatorial Guinea)
File:Army-FRA-OF-03.svg,
(French Army
History
Early history
The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...
)
File:14.GLF-MAJ.svg,
( Gabonese Army)
File:Mali-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Guinea Ground Forces)
File:Ireland-Army-OF-3.svg, Commandant
)
( Irish Army)
File:Ivory Coast-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Ivory Coast Ground Forces)
File:Madagascar-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Madagascar Ground Forces)
File:09.Mali Army-MAJ.svg,
(Mali Army
The Malian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Forces Armées Maliennes) consists of the Army (french: Armée de Terre, links=no), Republic of Mali Air Force (french: Force Aérienne de la Republique du Mali, links=no), and National Guard (french: G ...
)
File:13-Moroccan Army-MAJ.svg,
( Royal Moroccan Army)
File:Blank.svg,
(Niger Army
The Niger Armed Forces (french: Forces armées nigériennes) (FAN) includes military armed force service branches ( Niger Army and Niger Air Force), paramilitary services branches ( National Gendarmerie of Niger and National Guard of Niger) an ...
)
File:Senegal-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Senegalese Army)
File:Spain-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Spanish Army)
File:Togo-Army-OF-3.svg,
( Togolese Army)
File:Grade Terre tunisienne O4.png,
)
( Tunisian Army)
References
{{reflist, 2
Military ranks
Military ranks of Ireland
Military ranks of France
Police ranks