Brigadier General
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Brigadier_General_insignia.png
Insignia of a United States Air Force Brigadier General
A Brigadier General generally commands a brigade, although this is not always the case.
The rank of Brigadier-General was abolished in the British Army in 1922. It was replaced initially by the rank of Colonel-Commandant, but this was seen as rather un-British and in 1928 was replaced by the rank of Brigadier. The old rank of Brigadier General has since been reintroduced in Canada and some other Commonwealth countries.
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. 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.
Strictly speaking a Brigadier in the British Army is the highest field officer rank - hence the dropping of the word "general" from the rank - whereas a Brigadier General is the lowest general officer rank. In NATO rank equivalency, the ranks are considered equal.
In the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces that use similar ranks, the equivalent rank is Air Commodore.
In the Israeli Defense Forces, the rank of Brigadier General is called Tat Aluf and is the third highest rank, below Aluf (Major General) and Rav Aluf (Lieutenant General or General).
The equivalent modern German rank is Brigadegeneral. The concept of a Brigadier General rank is relatively new, as prior to 1950 the lowest German General Officer rank was Generalmajor.
Some notable Brigadier Generals
- Kit Carson (US Army)
- Martin Dempsey (US Army)
- Janis Karpinski (US Army)
- Lee Hsien Loong (Singapore Army)
See also
- wiktionary definition of General.
- Comparative military ranks
- U.S. Army officer rank insignia
- British Army officer rank insignia
- Military unit
Template:US officer ranksda:Brigadegeneral de:Brigadegeneral eo:Brigada generalo fr:Général de brigade no:Brigadegeneral