() in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, is a senior superior

military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...

(french: grade militaire) across various military and security institutions with history dating back well beyond the 18th century. Typically, the contemporary rank of Major is situated differently in the military hierarchy of each country and corresponds in general to the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, whose French official equivalent is in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

and French Air Force, Chef d'Escadron in the

National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minis ...

and

Capitaine de corvette Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, and United States is lieutenant commander. The Royal Canadian Navy us ...

in 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 ...

. The official rank and designation of Major of

(french: Major de France) is unique. While the rank functions of ''Major'' () in France, can be similarly compared to that of a

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

, it is higher (rank of Major) than a

Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

(), and similar to a Master Chief (depending on the service branch of the respective country); the rank of Major () is still different. Major was a senior superior

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

first, with a history of various military traditions in various corps, then recently in time became attached to the

sub-officer Sub-Officer, or the equivalent in other languages, is a term used in many armed forces used to indicate ranks below commissioned officers. Sub-officer is equivalent to the term warrant officer in the British Commonwealth and the United States. ...

(non-commissioned) corps as of 2009. The rank of Major () of the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. Franc ...

can be the closest equivalent in terms of authenticity, and even still different, to the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

referral of

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once- domesticated animals, the ...

officers, since the rank of "Major" was already a superior

() (a superior combat military officer rank ascended through the enlisted corps by service or promotions in combat units until 2009) which was part of the "Corps of Majors", situated between the French Officer Corps and the French Non-Commissioned Officer Corps. However, the history rank of the Majors of France () is still very different. In the

, the official rank and referral of Major ) included the same rank designation across the board, this time however as of 2009, attached to the non-commissioned ranks (sub-officer corps) of the

, the ranks of the

, the ranks of the French Air Force and ranks of the

. The title is also often associated with another rank, which can be that of the general () or a 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 mos ...

().

Types

Major General

In many armed forces, the rank of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

() or general-major () is the second rank of the

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

officer corps An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...

. The rank came from the abbreviation of the rank "Sergeant"-Major General (), the junior lower rank to that of "Lieutenant"-General, the latter referring also to the contemporary rank of

Général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

. The rank of Lieutenant-General () in France has also; similarly to Major, a long history dating back to the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

. Lieutenant General of the Armies Lieutenant General of the Naval Armies () and Major of France were military rank orders of senior authority of the

, including also the

which commanded over on behalf of the King or Governor.

History of the rank in France

Officiers Supérieurs, Superior Officer

In the Armies of

of the

, the Major () was the second of the

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

charged with the administrative works of the regiment, as well as the commandment of a strong influential position after the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

() and the Lieutenant of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

(). During the

Napoleonic Period The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative ...

, 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 colonel. ...

was replaced with the rank of Major (). The designation of Major or

Medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

Major (), with category rank sub-classes (1st Class Major (), 2nd Class Major (), Aide-Major (), Deputy Aide-Major ()) designated until 1928 a

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

Medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgra ...

. In the French War Navy () of the 18th century, a

of Major of the Vessel () existed briefly and was situated between the rank of Ship-of-the-line lieutenant () and

Ship-of-the-line captain Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

(). The position rank of Major also designated the general officer () in charge of maintaining the materials and security of a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that u ...

, the position was known as the "Major" General of the Arsenals (). In a squadron, the Squadron Major (), was a general officer as

, and upheld the function of the general staff headquarters of the squadron. The actual organization of the

Armies An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

instituted, first in the military hierarchy, a ''function'' (not a rank) of ''Major General'' for the ensemble of the

or each one of the: Major General of the

(), Major General of the

(), Major General of the French Air Force (), Major General of the

() (a Vice-Amiral since 1966,

Deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

French Naval Chief), Major General of the

(); these functions are respectively subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff Headquarters of the Armies () CEMA, subsequently, passing accordingly to the Chief of Staff of the French Army ()

CEMAT CEMAT (Italian acronym for ''Centri musicali attrezzati''—lit. "Equipped musical centers; thus, the Federation of Italian Electroacoustic Music Centers). CEMAT was founded in 1996 with the purpose of promoting the activity of Italian comput ...

, the

Chief of Staff of the French Navy The Chief of the Naval Staff (French: Chef d’état-major de la Marine, acronym: CEMM) is a French general officer, adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff for the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of the Armed Forces for preparin ...

()

CEMM CEMM, for Compaq Expanded Memory Manager was the first so-called PC " memory manager" for Intel 80386 CPUs, able to provide expanded memory (EMS) emulation by using the virtual memory features and the virtual 8086 mode of the CPU. It was present ...

, the Chief of Staff of the French Air Force () CEMAA, and to the Director General of the National Gendarmerie (). Equally, exposed here forth in the Sous-Officiers section, the rank of ''Major'' (), is heir to the former rank of ''Major-

Adjudant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commissioned ...

'' (), is the most elevated rank in the non-commissioned officers () of the

, the French Air Force,

, and

Gendarmerie Nationale Gendarmerie Nationale most commonly refers to: * Gendarmerie Nationale (France) * Gendarmerie Nationale (Belgium), merged with Belgian police in 2001 Gendarmerie Nationale may also refer to: *Gendarmerie Nationale (Algeria) * Gendarmerie National ...

. Until 2009, there existed the Corps of Majors () which was situated between the French Officers Corps () and the French Non-Commissioned Officer Corps (). In the

, this was related to the ''Corps of Majors'' of the Equipment of the

Fleet Fleet may refer to: Vehicles *Fishing fleet *Naval fleet *Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles *Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company Places Canada * Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet England * The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...

(), since the demotion (following a national political policy to reduce the number of corps in the public function...), a Major () in the

is no longer a Major of the Equipment of the Fleet, but became a Major in the

Petty Officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be super ...

Corps of the French Navy (). However, the insignia of the Major was kept and is represented by 2 crossed anchors, symbols of equipments of the Fleet.

Sous-Officers, Sub-Officers

The actual designation of "Major" () in the

() corresponds to a contraction of the composed term "Adjudant-Major": the rank is the most elevated rank in the Sub-officer corps; which existed since 1972. A rank of "

" () existed until 1971, under various form designations, and in certain cases, that rank could come close to the actual rank of ''Major''. The first Major of

() was Raymond Delaveau and the youngest Major of France would become his son, Thierry Delaveau.

Major of France

In 1972, simultaneously at the creation of the rank, was created the ''Corps of Majors'' in order to enable non-commissioned officers to occupy the equivalent posts of Officers () (An Officer Corps below the rank of

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

or equivalent across the member armed forces). This intermediary corps between the officers and that of the non-commissioned officers, actually included only one rank: that rank function was dissolved in 2009. Since this date, the rank of ''Major'' () is the most senior elevated rank, attached this time however to the non-commissioned officer corps of the

, the French Air Force, the

The Major of the

Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

, is the most elevated rank of Non-Commissioned Officer Corps () of the

. To ascend to the rank of ''Major'' (), the

Chief warrant officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

() or the Principal Master () must pass a series of professional selection tests dites "", ESP in abbreviation. Based on the rule and regulations of the Armies, it is possible for them to apply for the recruitment dits "" (at choice), on the condition of having sufficient years of senior service in their designated rank. The ''rank insignia'' () for the

, the

, the French Air Force feature a red border joined by a braid. For the arms dites ''à pied'' (on foot), the ''rank insignia'' and braid is yellow (accordingly retaking the insignia of Adjudant-Chef) as portrayed. For the mounted arms, heir to the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

corps, they are white. For the

, the ''rank insignia'' is that of a Principal Master surmounted by two golden anchors.

Majors of France

The Majors of France are officially addressed and designated as follows: *

** Major of the French Navy () *

** Major of the French Army () ** Major of the Foreign Legion () * French Air Force ** Major of the French Air Force () File:France-Navy-OR-9b Sleeve.svg, ''

'' in the French Navy, superior to Maître principal and inferior to Aspirant File:Army-FRA-OR-09a.svg, ''

'' in the French Army, superior to Adjudant-chef and inferior to Aspirant File:French Air Force-major.svg, ''

'' in the French Air Force, superior to Adjudant-chef and inferior to Aspirant *

including

Departmental ''Departmental'' is a 1980 Australian TV movie based on a play by Mervyn Rutherford. It was part of the ABC's Australian Theatre Festival.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p43 Reviews were poor ...

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

, the

French Republican Guard The Republican Guard (french: Garde républicaine) is part of the French National Gendarmerie. It is responsible for special security duties in the Paris area and for providing guards of honour at official ceremonies of the French Republic. Its ...

, main security branches,

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

and specialized formations such as the

GIGN The GIGN ( ; ) is the elite police tactical unit of the National Gendarmerie of France. Among its missions are counterterrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, critical site protection ( ...

. ** Major of the National Gendarmerie () File:Major gd.svg, ''

'' in the National Gendarmerie, superior to Adjudant-chef and inferior to Aspirant File:Major gm.svg File:Major gr.svg File:Major cstag.svg The same official designation applies to the subordinate ranks (except for subordinate ranks of

in the

) of Major, those of

() ( Principal Master in the French Navy) and

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 mos ...

(), particularly, specialized combatant units of the

. The rank ''Major'' () ceased to exist with the

Fire services in France The fire service in France is organised into local fire services which mostly cover the Departments of France, with a few exceptions. There are two types of fire service: *The Paris Fire Brigade (Army) and Marseille Naval Fire Battalion (Navy) ...

() since April 20, 2012.

Law enforcement

;Police * Major of the Police () (in the

French National Police The National Police (french: Police nationale), formerly known as the , is one of two national police forces of France, the other being the National Gendarmerie. The National Police is the country's main civil law enforcement agency, with prima ...

which includes several directorates, inspection,

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

, various security groups, and specialized

units Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * Unit (album), ...

such as the

RAID Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

). ;Prisons * Major of the Penitentiary Administration () (in the French Penitentiary Administration Directorate) ;Fire service *Decree Law n° 2012-519 of April 20, 2012 abolished the rank of Major in the

in other countries

File:blank.svg, ( Benin Army) File:Madagascar-Army-OR-9b.svg, ( Malagasy Army) File:053.Mali Army-MAJ.svg, (

Malian 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: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) a ...

) File:blank.svg, ( Togolese Army) File:Grade Marine tunisienne E8.png, )
(

Tunisian Army The Tunisian Land Army ( ar, جيش البر التونسي, Jaîsh el-Barr et'Tunsi, french: Armée de terre tunisienne) is the ground component of the Tunisian Armed Forces . The Land Forces Command is located in Bizerte. The TAF itself was cr ...

)

Notes

References

{{reflist, 30em Military ranks of France

Types

Major General

History of the rank in France

Officiers Supérieurs, Superior Officer

Sous-Officers, Sub-Officers

Major of France

Majors of France

Law enforcement

in other countries

See also

Notes

References