Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks:

Historical use of the rank

Czechoslovakia

In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, Staff Captain ( cs, štábní kapitán, sk, štábny kapitán) was a

senior captain Senior captain is a rank which is used in some countries' armed forces, navies, merchant marines, civil aviation and in the airline industry. Army In some armies of the world, the senior captain is a rank between a regular captain and a majo ...

rank, ranking between

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and

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 ...

Estonia

The rank of staff captain ( et, staabikapten) was adopted from the Russian Imperial Army and used briefly by the Estonian military right before the

German occupation of Estonia during World War I Estonia was under military occupation by the German Empire during the later stages of the First World War. On 11–21 October 1917, the Imperial German Army occupied the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), including the larger isl ...

. During the occupation, it was replaced with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Ireland

The rank of Staff Captain () was used by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

during the Irish revolutionary period (1917–23).

Prussia

Staff captain (''

Stabskapitän ''Stabskapitän'' (en: Staff captain), in the cavalry also ''Stabsrittmeister'' (en: "Staff riding master" or "Staff cavalry master"), or ''Kapitänleutnant'' (en: Captain lieutenant), was a historic military rank in the Prussian Army. In refer ...

'', also: ''Stabshauptmann'') is a historic military rank used in the Prussian army. It ranked between the

Premierleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

(later called

Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

) and

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

Rittmeister __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

in the Prussian army. Its holder represented the actual

and

company commander A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 250 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons. The exact organization of a company varies by country, ...

in his absence, frequently and often for long periods, should his (usually noble) Hauptmann show no interest in leading the company, though the Hauptmann would retain his rank, status and uniform. In the army of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

, a regiment's Regimentschef,

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

s and those of nearby rank received a far higher rank than the staff captains who ''actually'' led the company. From this difference later developed the salary difference between a first class "

Hauptleute first class is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

" and "

Hauptleute second class Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, Staff Captain ( cs, štábní kapitán, sk, štábny kapitán) was a senior captain rank ...

Russia

In the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

(RIA) the

OF-2 Ranks and insignia of NATO are combined military insignia used by the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The rank scale is used for specifying posts within NATO. Definitions NATO maintains a "standard rank scale" in ...

b rank of Stabs-kapitan (russian: штабс-капитан) counted as a lieutenant captain ("light" captain) or

senior lieutenant Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant. Finland ( sv, premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above ( sv, löjt ...

(ru: ''старший лейтенант; starshy leytenant'') who ranked between

poruchik The rank of lieutenant in Eastern Europe ( hr, poručnik, cs, poručík, pl, porucznik, russian: script=latn, poruchik, sr, script=latn, poručnik, sk, poručík) is one used in Slavophone armed forces. Depending on the country, it is either ...

(ru: ''пору́чик'' (OF-1a)) and captain (ru: капитан; kapitan (OF-2a)) and was in charge of a company-size

military unit Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation' ...

Sweden

Staff Captain was a rank in the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

from 1750 until 1833, ranking above Lieutenant but under Captain. A staff captain was the actual commander of one of the three companies in a foot regiment that had the field grade officers as formal commanding officers: the Colonel's Company, the Lieutenant Colonel's Company and the Major's Company. The corresponding rank before 1750 was ''kaptenlöjtnant''.

United Kingdom

In the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

the

master of the fleet In the Royal Navy, the rank of master of the fleet denoted the sailing master of a fleet flagship, or the senior sailing master in a fleet. History Examples include John Bowen (master of the fleet during the Glorious First of June 1794), Ian ...

was ranked as a "Staff Captain" after 1864, just below the

, but he was not considered an executive branch officer and was not eligible for further promotion. Some exceptions were made to this rule, such as transfer to the executive officers list and promotion to Captain of Sir Frederick Evans upon his retirement in 1872, in recognition of his hydrographic survey work and scientific merits.

Current use of the rank

Finland

A rank similar to Stabskapitän, ''

yliluutnantti Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant. Finland ( sv, premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above ( sv, lö ...

'', is in use in

Finnish military ranks The Military ranks of Finland are the military insignia used by the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks incorporates features from Swedish, German, and Russian armed forces. In addition, the system has some typically Finnish characteristics that are ...

Germany

Stabshauptmann Stabshauptmann (short: StHptm) meaning "Staff Captain", is a German Senior Captain rank and the highest military rank in the Bundeswehr for specialist officers (german: Offiziere des Militärfachlichen Dienstes (OffzMilFD)). Bundeswehr Inste ...

(StHptm) meaning "Staff Captain", is the highest

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 ...

in the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

for

limited duty officer A limited duty officer (LDO) is an officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who was selected for commissioning based on skill and expertise. They are the primary manpower source for technically specific billets not best s ...

s (''Offiziere des Militärfachlichen Dienstes'' (OffzMilFD)).

Bundeswehr

Staff Captain is the top rank for officers of the ''MilFD''-career. They have the same paygrade (A13) as Majors. It is one of the rarest ranks in the German military. Those are former

NCOs A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

who have accomplished a special training programme through which they are given the opportunity to become officers. The navy equivalent is ''

Stabskapitänleutnant Stabskapitänleutnant, short: StKptLt / in lists: SKL, () is the highest ''Fachdienstoffizier'' rank (en: specialist officer, comparable to US warrant officer) in the German Navy. The rank is rated OF-2a in NATO, and equivalent to '' Stabshaup ...

'' (Staff Lieutenant Captain (Navy)). Historically, a rank named "Stabshauptmann" (also: "

") existed in several German armies ( such as Prussia) in the 18th century. However, while the modern Stabshauptman is a

Senior Captain Senior captain is a rank which is used in some countries' armed forces, navies, merchant marines, civil aviation and in the airline industry. Army In some armies of the world, the senior captain is a rank between a regular captain and a majo ...

senior to a regular Hauptmann, the historical Stabshauptmann was a Junior captain, ranking below Hauptmann rank. In 18th century armies companies often were "owned" by a nobleman, who formally was the company's captain, but did not actually command the unit. Instead, the owner of the company appointed an officer from the company his "Stabshauptmann", who technically served as the Hauptmann's mere staff assistant, but actually led the unit in his place. The reversing in ranking of "Hauptmann" and "Stabshauptmann" in modern times is consequence of the practice in modern German military organisations (

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

) to name the highest rank of a rank group beginning with the prefix "Stabs-", indicating that the holder serves in staff position to officers of the next higher rank group, e.g. during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the highest NCO rank in the German army was

Stabsfeldwebel ''Stabsfeldwebel '' (StFw or SF; ) is the second highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR-8 in NATO, equivalent to a First Sergeant in the United States Army, and to Warrant Officer C ...

, who served as direct assistant to company-grade officers or in staff function. However, this is no longer represented in the Bundeswehr's post-World War II rank structure since the creation of rank levels senior to the "Stabs-" level of ranks, denoted by the prefix "Oberstabs-" ("Senior Staff-", e.g.

Oberstabsfeldwebel ''Oberstabsfeldwebel'' (OStFw or OSF, ) is the highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR9 in NATO, equivalent to a Sergeant Major in the United States Army and a Warrant Officer ...

). There are no plans to create the rank of "Oberstabshauptmann". German pay grade of Stabshauptmann is A13, same as of Major (Hauptmann: A11/A12). According to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

STANAG In NATO, a standardization agreement (STANAG, redundantly: STANAG agreement) defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO st ...

2116, the NATO rank code of Stabshauptmann is OF-2, same as for regular Hauptmann and therefore equal to Captain rank in other NATO armies. To express the seniority of Stabshauptmann, "OF-2a" or other modifications of the official NATO rank code are in use unofficially.

References

{{Estonian Military Military ranks of Germany Military ranks of Russia Prussian Army