An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
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In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant (Russian: Генерал-адъютант) was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue. General-Adjutant was not a rank but rather an honorary title.
The early Table of Ranks included a similarly named army officer position, a general's adjutant with a rank of colonel.
In the United Kingdom, the Adjutant-General to the Forces (AG) is the head of the British Army's infrastructure and administration and is the second most senior staff general in the army after the Chief of the General Staff. He used to generally hold the rank of general, but is now usually a lieutenant general.
Chief administrative officers in other formations are entitled Deputy Adjutant-General, Assistant Adjutant-General, or Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General, depending on the size of the formation.
The Adjutant General's Corps is tasked with personnel management, financial management, general administration, military education, legal services, and provost (military policing and prison) services.
In the United States, there are three definitions for this term:
The Adjutant General is the chief of the Queen's Military Household. Usually the Adjutant General holds the rank of a lieutenant general or vice admiral. The Adjutant General heads the staff of aides-de-camp, who prepare public appearances by members of the Royal House and assist with major events.
The aides-de-camp are members of the armed forces or the Royal Military Constabulary who have attained the rank of commander or lieutenant colonel. The various branches of the armed forces second these officers to the court for a period of three years.
The Queen can appoint aides-de-camp extraordinary from among aides-de-camp who have completed their term of service. This means they can be recalled for temporary service in special circumstances.
The Adjutant General and the aides-de-camp wear a gold aiguillette (a decoration consisting of intertwined cords) on the right shoulder of their uniforms. On their lapels is the letter B (for Beatrix) and above it a crown.
In the Sri Lanka, the Adjutant General is a senior general in the Sri Lanka Army General Staff, who heads the Adjutant General's Branch which is responsible for personal administration, welfare, medical services and rehabilitation with the Sri Lanka Army.
Coming under the preview of the Adjutant General's Branch are the following Directorates;