Military or police rank
Commandant
(
,
,
;
French:
[k?m??d??]
) is a
military rank
used in many countries, where it is usually equivalent to the
rank of major
.
Canada
[
edit
]
Commandant d'aviation
was the Canadian French term for the air force rank of
squadron leader
(prior to the 2014 amendment of the
National 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.
Ireland
[
edit
]
Commandant (Comdt) (
Irish
:
Ceannfort
) is a military rank in both the
Irish Army
and
Irish Air Corps
.
[1]
It is equivalent to major and
squadron leader
. In the
Irish Naval Service
, the equivalent rank is
lieutenant commander
.
-
Irish Army commandant's subdued rank slide
-
Irish Air Corps rank insignia
-
Irish Air Corps rank insignia (green)
India
[
edit
]
Commandant is a rank in the
Central Armed Police Forces
of India (
BSF
,
CRPF
,
CISF
,
ITBP
,
SSB
). It is equivalent to the rank of
Colonel
/
Captain
/
Group Captain
. Commandant rank officers generally command battalions in the CAPFs. In the
Indian 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]
France
[
edit
]
Commandant is an officer-grade rank of the
Military of France
,
[3]
specifically the
French Army
and the
French Air and Space Force
, in both of which it has NATO level
OF-3
: equivalent to major or
lieutenant-commander
. In this context, it is shortened form of the previous rank
capitaine-commandant
: i.e. a "captain commanding (a battalion)".
The
commandant
is also styled
chef de bataillon
("battalion leader") in the
infantry
,
chef d'escadrons
("squadrons leader") in the
armoured cavalry
and
chef d'escadron
("squadron leader") in the
artillery
and the
Gendarmerie
.
In the
French Navy
,
commandant
is a appointment or operational command, rather than a rank, namely, the most senior officer of a ship, e.g.
capitaine de vaisseau
(vessel),
capitaine de fregate
(
frigate
),
capitaine de corvette
(
corvette
). As such, it can refer to the holders of several ranks.
Prior to the
French Revolution
, the
major
was the officer appointed by the
King
to keep track of the expenditures and readiness of a regiment. He could have a deputy (an
aide-major
) 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
chef de bataillon
or
chef d'escadron
.
Major
is now, however, the most senior
warrant officer
rank, above
adjudant-chef
.
Spain
[
edit
]
In the
Spanish Army
and
Spanish Air Force
, the rank of
comandante
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
[
edit
]
Comandante
("commandant") is a military officer rank used in some
Latin American
countries.
[
citation needed
]
The
Chilean Air Force
uses the rank of
comandante de escuadrilla
("squadron commandant") as a rank equivalent to the British rank of squadron leader. The
Peruvian Air Force
uses the rank of
comandante
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 numerous
paramilitary
organizations, such as the
Sandinistas
.
South Africa
[
edit
]
In South Africa, commandant was the title of the commanding officer of a
commando
(militia) unit, initially in the
Cape Colony
and later also in the
Boer republics
.
From 1950 to 1994 commandant was the official designation of the rank of
lieutenant-colonel
in the
South African Army
,
South African Air Force
, and
South African Medical Service
.
From 1950 to 1957, the rank insignia for a commandant (
Kommandant
in
Afrikaans
) was a crown over a five-pointed star.
[4]
[5]
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.
[5]
In 1994, the rank of commandant /
kommandant
reverted to lieutenant colonel.
[6]
From 1968 to 1970, a related rank, chief commandant (
hoofkommandant
), existed in the
Commando Forces
[the rural part-time, territorial reserve, roughly equivalent to a National Guard or Home Guard].
[7]
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
[
edit
]
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
(1895-1965). These ranks were also used in the
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
until December 1939, when they were replaced by squadron officer and wing officer (equating to
squadron leader
and
wing commander
) respectively. The rank was also used for senior commanders of the
Ulster Special Constabulary
(B Specials).
Gallery
[
edit
]
Army insignia
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]