Major general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general.
In English-speaking countries, when appointed to a field command, a major general is typically in command of a division consisting of around 6,000 to 25,000 troops (several or ). It is a rank that is subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the rank of brigadier or brigadier general. In the Commonwealth, major general is equivalent to the navy rank of rear admiral. In air forces with a separate rank structure (Commonwealth), major general is equivalent to air vice-marshal.
In some countries including much of Eastern Europe, major general is the lowest of the general officer ranks without brigadier general rank.
Countries
Major general ranks by country
Australia
Bangladesh
Brunei
In the sultanate of
Brunei, the rank of Major general () is used by the Royal Brunei Land Force and the Royal Brunei Air Force. The rank is held by the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
Canada
In the Canadian Armed Forces, the rank of major-general (MGen) () is both a
Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force rank equivalent to the Royal Canadian Navy's rank of
rear-admiral. A major-general is a
general officer, the equivalent of a naval
flag officer. The major-general rank is senior to the ranks of brigadier general and commodore, and junior to lieutenant-general and
vice admiral. Prior to 1968, the Air Force used the rank of
air vice-marshal, instead.
The rank insignia for a major-general in the Royal Canadian Air Force is a wide braid under a single narrow braid on the cuff, as well as two silver maple leaves beneath a crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown. In the Canadian Army, the rank insignia is a wide braid on the cuff, as well as two gold maple leaves beneath a crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown. It is worn on the shoulder straps of the service dress tunic, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves.
Major-generals are initially addressed as 'general' and name, as are all general officers; thereafter by subordinates as 'sir' or 'ma'am' as applicable in English (). Major-generals are normally entitled to .
India
Myanmar
In Myanmar, a Major General rank is usually held by someone that is a Regional Military Command General Officer Commanding (Regional Commander or တိုင်းမှူး) or a Director such as Director of Defence Service Intelligence (
Khin Nyunt for example)
New Zealand
In the New Zealand Army, major-general is the rank held by the chief of army (formerly the chief of general staff). The more senior rank of lieutenant-general is reserved for when an army officer holds the position of chief of defence force, who commands all of New Zealand's armed forces. This position is subject to rotation between the heads of the New Zealand Air Force, New Zealand Army, and New Zealand Navy.
Pakistan
Major general in the
Pakistan Army is equivalent to rear admiral in the
Pakistan Navy and air vice marshal in the Pakistan Air Force. It is the lowest of the general officer ranks, ranking between brigadier and lieutenant general.
Portugal
The rank of major-general was reintroduced in the
Portuguese Army, Portuguese Air Force, and Portuguese National Republican Guard in 1999, replacing the former rank of
brigadier in the role of brigade commander. As a rank, it had previously been used in the Army only for a brief period (from 1862 to 1864). It is equivalent to the rank of
contra-almirante (rear-admiral) in the
Portuguese Navy. In 2015, the rank of major-general was moved up one level, with the role of brigade commander being assumed by the below rank of brigadier-general.
In most of the 19th and first half of the 20th century, major-general was not used as a rank in the Portuguese military, but as an appointment title conferred to the general officer that acted as the military head of a service branch. The roles of Major-General of the Navy ( Major-General da Armada) and Major-General of the Army ( Major-General do Exército) became extinct in 1950, with their roles being unified in the then created Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Russia
In the
Russian Army, the rank 'major general' is known as . It is equivalent to a British brigadier or an American brigadier general.
Sri Lanka
Turkey
The Turkish Army and Air Force refer to the rank as tümgeneral. The Turkish Navy equivalent is tümamiral. The name is derived from tümen, the Turkish word for a military division (tümen itself is an older Turkish word meaning 10,000). Thus, linguistically, it is similar to the French equivalent for a major general, .
United Kingdom
United States
In the
United States, the rank of major general exists in the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Space Force.
Generalmajor
Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of
Central Europe and
countries, including
Austria,
Belgium,
Denmark,
Finland,
Germany,
Norway, and
Sweden.
Insignia
Army
File:ALB-Army-OF-7.svg|Gjeneral major
(Albanian Land Force)
(Algerian Land Forces)
General-mayor
(Armenian Ground Forces)
(Australian Army)
(Austrian Land Forces)
(Azerbaijani Land Forces)
(Barbados Regiment)
File:Bangladesh-army-OF-7.svg|Major general
(Bangladesh Army)
G̀jeneral-major
(Belarusian Ground Forces)
(Belgian Land Component)
(Belize Defence Force)
File:14.Bhutan Army-MG.svg|Major general
(Royal Bhutan Army)
(Bosnian Ground Forces)
(Botswana Ground Force)
(Royal Brunei Land Force)
General-mayor
(Bulgarian Land Forces)
(Burundi Army)
(Canadian Army)
(Cape Verdean National Guard)
(Colombian National Army)
(Land Forces of the DR Congo)
File:Army-HRV-OF-07.svg|General bojnik
(Croatian Army)
(Czech Land Forces)
(Royal Danish Army)
(Dominican Army)
(Eritrean Army)
File:Estonia-Army-OF-7.svg|Kindralmajor
(Estonian Land Forces)
(Eswatini Army)
File:16.EA-MG.svg|ሜጄር ጄኔራል
Mējēri jēnērali
(Ethiopian Ground Forces)
(Fiji Infantry Regiment)
File:Kenraalimajuri M05.svg|Kenraalimajuri
(Finnish Army)
(Gambian National Army)
File:Georgia-Army-OF-7.svg|გენერალ-მაიორი
General-maiori
(Georgian Land Forces)
(German Army)
(Ghana Army)
File:13. Guinea-Bissau MG.svg|Major-general
(Army of Guinea-Bissau)
File:Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major General rank insignia.svg|Major general
(Guyana Army)
(Indian Army)
(Indonesian Army)
(Irish Army)
(Jamaican Army)
General-mayor
(Kazakh Ground Forces)
(Kenya Army)
(Kosovo Security Force)
General-mayor
(Kyrgyz Army)
(Latvian Land Forces)
(Lithuanian Land Forces)
(Lesotho Army)
(Liberian Ground Forces)
(Malawi Army)
File:Malaysia-army-OF-7.svg|Mejar jeneral
(Malaysian Army)
(Maldivian Marine Corps)
Khoshuuch gyenyeral
(Mongolian Ground Force)
(Montenegrin Ground Army)
(Mozambican Army)
File:14-Namibia Army-MG.svg|Major general
(Namibian Army)
File:Netherlands-Army-OF-7.svg|Generaal-majoor
(Royal Netherlands Army)
(New Zealand Army)
(Nicaraguan Army)
(Nigerian Army)
General major
(North Macedonian Ground Forces)
(Norwegian Army)
Major general
(Pakistan Army)
(Papua New Guinea Land Element)
File:PA Maj. Gen.png|Major general
(Philippine Army)
(Portuguese Army)
(Romanian Land Forces)
Generál-mayór
(Russian Ground Forces)
(Rwandan Land Forces)
General-major
(Serbian Army)
(Sierra Leone Army)
File:09-RSA-OF07.svg|Major general
(Singapore Army)
(Slovak Ground Forces)
(Slovenian Ground Force)
(Somali National Army)
(South African Army)
(Sri Lanka Army)
(Swedish Army)
General-mayor
(Tajik Ground Forces)
(Tanzanian Army)
File:Timor-Leste-Army-OF-7.svg|Major-general
(Timor-Leste Army)
File:TaT-Army-OF-7.svg|Major general
(Trinidad and Tobago Regiment)
(Turkmen Ground Forces)
(Ugandan Land Forces)
Heneral-maior
(Ukrainian Ground Forces)
(British Army)
(United States Army)
(National Army of Uruguay)
(Uzbek Ground Forces)
(Venezuelan Army)
(Zambian Army)
File:Zimbabwe-Army-OF-7.svg|Major general
(Zimbabwe National Army)
See also
-
List of comparative military ranks
-
Major-General's Song
-
Military organization
Citations
Sources
-
Boatner, Mark M., III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1959. .
-
Bowden, Scotty & Tarbox, Charlie. Armies on the Danube 1809. Arlington, TX: Empire Games Press, 1980. .
-
Foote, Shelby. The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol. 2. New York: Random House, 1986. .
External links
