Brigadier general

By country

Argentina

The Brigadier General was the highest rank in the Argentine Army until 1882, when it was replaced by Lieutenant General. In 1945, the Argentine Air Force was created and Brigadier General was established as its highest rank. Unlike other armed forces of the World, the rank of brigadier general is actually the highest rank in the Air Force. This is due to the use of the rank of brigadier and its derivatives to designate all general officers in the Air Force: brigadier (lowest general officer); brigadier-major (middle); and brigadier-general (highest). The rank of brigadier general is reserved for the Chief General Staff of the Air Force, as well as the Chief of the Joint General Staff if he should be an Air Force officer.

Australia

In the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, the rank of brigadier general was always temporary and held only while the officer was posted to a particular task, typically the command of a brigade. (Until 1915, Australian brigades were commanded by colonels.) When posted elsewhere, the rank would be relinquished and the former rank resumed. This policy prevented an accumulation of high-ranking general officers brought about by the relatively high turnover of brigade commanders. Brigadier general was also used as an honorary rank on retirement.

The rank insignia was like that of the current major general, but without the star/pip. Brigadier generals wore the same gorget patches (a line of gold oak leaf embroidery down the centre), cap badge (crossed sword and baton within a laurel wreath, surmounted by a crown in gold embroidery) and cap visor (two rows of gold oakleaf embroidery) as other generals.

As in the United Kingdom, the rank was later replaced by colonel commandant in 1922 and brigadier in 1928. However, those holding the rank of brigadier general continued to do so throughout the inter-war period, until the last of them retired or was promoted during the Second World War. A brigadier general was a general officer, but brigadiers were not generals, which is shown by the rank insignia being like that of a colonel, but with an extra (third) star/pip, and a brigadier wore the same gorget patches (scarlet cloth with a line of crimson gimp), cap badge (the Royal Crest in gold embroidery), and cap visor (one row of gold oakleaf embroidery) as a colonel.

Bangladesh

Prior to 2001, the Bangladesh Army rank was known as brigadier, in conformity with the rank structure of the Commonwealth Nations. In 2001, the Bangladesh Army rechristened the rank to brigadier general. It is the lowest flag officer order and classify as a "one-star rank". Brigadier general is equivalent to commodore of the Bangladesh Navy and air commodore of the Bangladesh Air Force.

Belgium

The Belgian Army uses the rank of général de brigade (French) and brigadegeneraal (Dutch, 'brigade general'). However, in this small military there are no permanent promotions to this rank, and it is only awarded as a temporary promotion to a full colonel who assumes a post requiring the rank, notably in an international context (e.g. as military attaché in a major embassy).

Brazil

General de brigada (Brigade general) is the lowest rank amongst general officers of the Brazilian Army; i.e. like in most British Commonwealth countries, the lowest general officer rank is a two-star rank, and a General de Brigada wears a two-star insignia. Hence, it is equivalent to the major general rank of many countries. In the Brazilian Air Force, all of the senior ranks include 'Brigadeiro'; the two-star rank is Brigadeiro (Brigadier), the three-star rank is Major-Brigadeiro (Major-Brigadier), and the four-star rank is Tenente-Brigadeiro-do-Ar (Lieutenant-Air-Brigadier).

Canada

In the Canadian Forces, the rank of brigadier-general (BGen) (brigadier-général or brigadière-générale in French) is a rank for members who wear army or air force uniform, equal to a commodore for those in navy uniform. A brigadier-general is the lowest rank of general officer. A brigadier-general is senior to a colonel or naval captain, and junior to a major-general or rear-admiral.

The rank title brigadier-general is still used notwithstanding that brigades in the army are now commanded by colonels. Until the late 1990s brigades were commanded by brigadier-generals. In the air force context, brigadier-generals used to command air force groups until these bodies were abolished in the late 1990s.

The rank insignia for a brigadier-general on air force uniforms is a single wide braid on the cuff, as well as a single silver maple leaf beneath crossed sabre and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown, worn on the shoulder straps of the service dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. The rank insignia on army uniforms is a gold maple leaf beneath crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown, on the shoulder straps. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves; the air force wedge cap features silver braid on the edges of the ear flaps. The cap insignia for a general officer is a modified version of the Canadian Forces insignia. Army brigadier-generals wear gorget patches on the collar of the service dress jacket or the service dress short-sleeved shirt.

Brigadier-generals are initially addressed verbally as "General" and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am" in English or "mon général" or "ma générale" in French. They are normally entitled to staff cars.

Until unification in 1968 of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Navy, rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern. This system of rank insignia was reinstated in 2013, but general officers reverted to the 1968 system in 2016. In army usage, the term "brigadier" was used to denote what is now known as a brigadier-general while the air force used the rank of air commodore.

Chile

In the Chilean Army, Brigadier is a one-star rank and General de Brigada is the immediately superior two-star rank. While the Chilean Air Force uses Comodoro for its one-star rank, two-star Air Force officers hold the rank of General de Brigada Aérea – literally 'air brigade general'.

Colombia

The rank of brigadier general was established in 1953 by decree 1325 on the 21st of May. With this decree, the ranks of lieutenant general and general were replaced by brigadier general and lieutenant general establishing brigadier as the first grade for generals. In the 60s these ranks were reformed once again creating a third rank, brigadier general, Major general, and general in the Fuerzas Militares, and the National Police.

France

France uses the rank of "brigade general" (général de brigade). The rank contrasts with the French sub-officer rank of brigadier. As with all French general officers, a French brigade general is titled "general" without any implication that he is an army general; for instance General Charles de Gaulle never rose higher than brigade general.

Until 1793, the rank of brigadier des armées ("brigadier of the armies") existed in the French Army, which could be described as a senior colonel or junior brigade commander. The normal brigade command rank was maréchal de camp (literally "camp marshal"). When rank insignia were introduced, brigadier des armées wore one star and a maréchal de camp wore two stars. During the French Revolution, the revolutionaries' drive to rationalise the state led to a change in the system of ranks. The rank of brigadier des armées was abolished and the normal brigade command rank, maréchal de camp, was replaced by brigade general. The rank of brigade general inherited the two stars of the rank of maréchal de camp, explaining the absence since 1793 of a French rank with only one star. For this reason, in France, the rank corresponding to brigade general was changed to brigadier general after NATO was established on April 4, 1949, and before that, it corresponded to major general.

Nowadays, a French général de brigade generally commands a brigade. The rank can also be awarded in an honorary fashion to retiring colonels. The insignia are two stars, worn on the shoulder or at the sleeve of the uniform, depending on the order of dress. Two different kepis are issued: the service kepi sports the two stars, while the formal kepi features a large band of oak leaves (the kepi of a division general has two smaller such bands).

Charles de Gaulle held the rank of brigade general. He was given a temporary promotion to this rank in May 1940 as commander of the 4th Armoured Division (4^e division cuirassée). However his initial authority as head of the Free French really came from being the only cabinet member (Under-Secretary of State for National Defence and War) outside occupied France, not from his military rank. As a reminder of his war position, he refused any further promotion.

Ireland

The country is divided into two areas for administrative and operational reasons, and in each area there is an infantry brigade. The two brigade group structure envisages distinct operational areas of responsibility for each of the brigades and is supported in its responsibilities by the Naval Service and Air Corps. Each of the brigade formations and the Air Corps is commanded by a brigadier general, while the Naval Service is commanded by a commodore.

Italy

In the Italian Armed Forces the rank has different denominations. In the Army, the rank for combat arms officers is generale di brigata whilst for the logistics and technical corps is called brigadier generale. In 1926, the brigadiere generale and maggior generale in comando di brigata were merged and renamed with their current rank designation.The rank is also present in the other armed forces, police corps and other services of Italy, with different denominations, and it is associated with the lowest level within the government top management.

Mexico

Within the Mexican Armed Forces, there exists two grades of brigadier general. The lowest general officer is General brigadier, with the second lowest being General de brigada. The general officer rank higher than the two brigadier generals is Divisional general.

Philippines

In the Philippines, Brigadier General (Philippine Army Philippine Air Force and Philippine Marines)/ Commodore (Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard)/ Chief Superintendent (Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) / Police Brigadier General (Chief Superintendent before) (Philippine National Police) / Gial De Brigada (1890–1902) (Philippine Revolutionary Army) is the lowest rank of generals but already eligible in the promotion to become Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or PNP Chief of the Philippine National Police surpassing the Major General and Lieutenant General ranks.

Poland

Brigadier General (Polish: Generał brygady, abbreviated gen. bryg.) is the lowest-ranking general in the Polish Land Forces and Air Force.

Portugal

In the Portuguese Army and Air Force, brigadeiro-general is a temporary general rank for the colonels that have to exercise a special command. It is the equivalent of the commodore rank in the Portuguese Navy.

The rank was reintroduced in 1999. Before that, simply as brigadeiro, it existed from 1707 to 1864 and again from 1929 to 1947, not being considered a general rank. From 1947 to 1999, brigadeiro become the two-star general rank in the Portuguese Army. As two-star rank, it was substituted by the rank of major-general in 1999.

Spain

In the Spanish Army, Spanish Air Force, and Spanish Marine Infantry (Infantería de Marina, a branch of the Armada) general de brigada is the lowest rank of general officers. Its equivalent in the Navy (Armada) is contraalmirante.

Thailand

In the Royal Thai Army, the rank brigadier general (พลจัตวา) is the lowest rank of general-grade officers. The rank was first mentioned in 1888, upon the promotion of Prince Sukhasvasti, Prince Adisorn Udomdej. In 1963, advancement to this rank was discontinued, and no further officers were promoted, though the rank remains de jure extant. The rank was substituted by two-star major general and 'senior colonel' (colonels with pays equivalent to general-grade officers).

Turkey

In the Turkish Army and the Turkish Air Force, the equivalent rank is tuğgeneral (the Turkish Navy equivalent is tuğamiral). The name is derived from tugay, the Turkish word for a brigade. Both tugay and tuğ- as military terms may owe their origins to the older Turkish word tuğ, meaning horsetail, which was used as a symbol of authority and rank in Ottoman and pre-Ottoman times.

United Kingdom

Brigadier-general was formerly a rank or appointment in the British Army and Royal Marines, and briefly in the Royal Air Force. The appointment was abolished in the Army and the Marines in 1921; the equivalent rank today is Brigadier.

United States

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States Space Force, a brigadier general is a one-star general officer. It is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral (lower half) in the other uniformed services.

Uruguay

In the Uruguayan Air Force, a brigadier general is the second highest rank in its hierarchy, behind the air general, and the first of the general officers to be achieved. It is equivalent to the rank of general in the Army and counter admiral in the Navy. Each brigadier general is appointed by the Executive with the approval of the Senate, in accordance with Article 168 of the Constitution of the Republic.

Insignia

Army insignia