Brigade General
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Brigade General is a rank used in many armies to denote the lowest rank of general, corresponding to command of a brigade. The rank is mostly used in countries where it is used as a modern alternative to a previous older rank of Brigadier or Brigadier General. The rank was first used in the French revolutionary armies.
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[edit] Belgium
The Belgian Army uses the rank of Brigade General (French:Général de brigade, Dutch:Brigadegeneraal. 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 such as Washington, D.C.).
[edit] France
France uses the rank of Brigade General. It formerly used the historic rank, unitl 1793, of Brigadier des armées ("Brigadier of the Armies"). The rank contrasts with the French NCO rank of Brigadier.
Until 1793, a 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 Field Marshal (Maréchal de camp) (which elsewhere is a more senior rank). A "Brigadier of the Armies" wore one star and a "Field Marshal" 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 of the Armies" was abolished and the normal brigade command rank, Field Marshal, was replaced by Brigade General. The rank of Brigade General inherited the two stars of the rank of Field Marshal, explaining the absence since 1793 of a French rank with only one star.
Nowadays, a french général de brigade commmands a brigade, which is the biggest permanent formation in the French army. The rank can also be awarded in an honorary fashion to retiring colonels.
Charles de Gaulle, perhabs the most famous general in french history, was only a Brigade General. He was given a temporary promotion to this rank in May 1940 as commander of the 4th Armoured Reserve Division (4ème division cuirassée de réserve). However his authority as head of the Free French came from being the last cabinet member still pursuing the fight, not from his military rank. As a reminder of his war position, he refused any further promotion.
[edit] Germany
German uses the rank of Brigade General, in German Brigadegeneral. The concept of a Brigade General rank is relatively new, as prior to 1950 the lowest German General Officer rank was Major-General, reflecting German Colonels' former higher command responsibility than in many other armies.
[edit] Latin America
Most Latin American countries use the rank of Brigade General, for instance Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Guatemala, although some still use Brigadier or Brigadier General (e.g. Colombia).
[edit] Argentina
In the Argentine army, Brigade General is the lowest rank of general, equivalent to an air force Brigadier or a navy Rear-Admiral.
The Argentine rank of Brigade General is sometimes described as a "two-star" general, on the description of "Senior Colonel" as a "one-star" rank; however this overstates the responsibilities of Brigade Generals and "Senior Colonels" in the Argentine army in comparison to other armies. The Argentine rank of Brigade General is junior to the Argentine air force ranks of Brigadier-Major and Brigadier General.
[edit] Mexico
In Mexico, Brigade General is the rank above Brigadier General and below Divisional General.
[edit] See also
- wiktionary definition of General.
- Comparative military ranks
- Brigade
- Military unit
