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For other uses, see Colonel (disambiguation).
Common military ranks
Navies1 Armies2 Air Forces3
Admiral of
the Fleet		 Field Marshal Marshal of
the Air Force
Admiral General Air Chief Marshal
Vice Admiral Lt. General Air Marshal
Rear Admiral Major General Air Vice-Marshal
Commodore Brigadier Air Commodore
Captain Colonel Group Captain
Commander Lt. Colonel Wing Commander
Lt. Commander Major Squadron Leader
Lieutenant Captain Flight Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant Lieutenant Flying Officer
Warrant Officer Sergeant Major Warrant Officer
Petty Officer Sergeant Sergeant
Leading Rate Corporal Corporal
Seaman Private Aircraftman
1 in the English-speaking world          2 also some Air Forces
3 In many Commonwealth countries

Colonel (IPA: /ˈkɜ:nəl/) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in Armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is a military Naval officer of the highest rank For other meanings see Field Marshal (disambiguation Field marshal is a military officer rank Marshal of the Air Force may be used as a generic term for a rank in some Air forces which use a similar title with their air force's name inserted as their most senior rank Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers Air Chief Marshal ( Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a senior Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force (RAF Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority Lieutenant General is a Military rank used in many countries The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the This article is about the air force rank Air marshal (or Sky marshal) is also the term given to federal security agents who travel undercover aboard commercial Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Air Vice-Marshal ( AVM) is an Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. Commodore is a Military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than This article refers to the military rank For the Doctor Who character known as the Brigadier see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Air Commodore ( Air Cdre in the RAF, AIRCDRE in the RNZAF and RAAF, A/C in the former RCAF) is a rank in For information specifically on the Royal Navy rank of captain see Captain (Royal Navy. Group Captain ( Gp Capt in the RAF and Indian Air Force, GPCAPT in the RNZAF and RAAF, G/C in the former Commander is a Military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Wing Commander ( Wg Cdr in the RAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, W/C in the former RCAF) is a commissioned Lieutenant Commander ( Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy) is a Commissioned officer rank in many navies Superior Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Flight Lieutenant ( Flt Lt in the RAF; FLTLT in the RAAF and RNZAF, F/L in the former RCAF) is a junior Sub-Lieutenant is a military rank It is normally a junior officer rank Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Flying Officer ( Fg Off in the RAF FLGOFF in the RAAF FGOFF in the RNZAF F/O in the former RCAF and frequently in the RAF is a junior commissioned A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies. Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Leading Rating (or Leading Rate) is the most senior of the junior rates in the British Royal Navy. Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Seaman as a rate refers to one of the lowest rates in a Navy. A Private is a Soldier of the lowest Military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in Aircraftman ( AC) or Aircraftwoman ( ACW) is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force and the Air forces of several other Commonwealth Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in Armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority The rank of colonel is one of the oldest in existence, dating as far back as the time of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial It is also used in some police forces and other non-military rank structures. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force

Today, a colonel is usually a military title rated as the highest, or the second-highest field rank below the general, or "star" grades. In some small military forces, it can be the highest rank held.

Contents


History and origins

The term colonel derives from Latin columnella 'small column'. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. However, it was never actually a Roman rank. The system of ranks in the Roman military was quite different. Commonwealth English! -->The military of ancient Rome relates to the combined military forces of Ancient Rome from the founding of the city As a rank the term arose in the late sixteenth century Italy where it referred to the officer in charge of a column (Italian colonna, plural colonne) or field force. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The term is first attested as colonnello, but it is perhaps a truncation of something like capitano colonnello 'captain of the column, the captain designated to command the column'. In this context colonna seems to refer to a force marching in column, rather than to a battle formation — a battle or battlation of pike.

As the office of colonel became an established practice, the colonel became the senior captain in a group of companies which were all sworn to observe his personal authority — to be ruled or regimented by him. This regiment was to some extent embodied in a contract and set of written rules, his regiment or standing regulation(s). A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. By extension, the group of companies subject to a colonel's regiment came to be referred to as his regiment as well. A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary

With the shift from primarily mercenary to primarily national armies in the course of the seventeenth century, a colonel (normally a member of the aristocracy) became a holder (German Inhaber) or proprietor of a military contract with a sovereign. The colonel purchased the regimental contract — the right to hold the regiment — from the previous holder of that right or direct from the sovereign when a new regiment was formed or an incumbent was killed.

In French usage of this period the senior colonel in the army or in a field force — the senior military contractor — was the colonel general and, in the absence of the sovereign or his designate, the colonel general might serve as the commander of a force. Colonel General is a senior Military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries The position, however, was primarily contractual and it became progressively more of a functionless sinecure. A sinecure (from Latin sine, without and cura, care means an office which requires or involves little or no responsibility labour or active service (The head of a single regiment or demi brigade would be called a mestre de camp or, after the Revolution, a chef de brigade. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. The Demi-brigade (Half-brigade was a military formation first used by the French Army during the French Revolutionary Wars. Mestre de camp (French - master of the camp was a military rank in the Ancien Régime of France, equivalent to Colonel. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Chef de brigade was a military rank equivalent to Colonel, in the French Revolutionary army in command of a Demi-brigade. )

By the late 19th century, colonel was a professional military rank though still held typically by an officer in command of a regiment or equivalent unit. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. Along with other ranks it has become progressively more a matter of ranked duties, qualifications and experience and of corresponding titles and pay scale than of functional office in a particular organization.

As European military influence has expanded throughout the world, the rank of colonel became adopted by nearly every nation in existence under a variety of names.

With the rise of communism, some of the large Communist militaries saw fit to expand the Colonel rank into several grades, resulting in the unique senior colonel rank which was found and is still used in such nations as China and North Korea. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The People's Liberation Army has not always used ranks or insignia China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia,

In modern English, the word colonel is pronounced similarly to kernel (of grain) as a result of entering the language from Middle French in two competing forms, dissimilated coronel and colonel. For the chemical term see Catabolism In Phonology, particularly within Historical linguistics, dissimilation is a phenomenon The more conservative spelling colonel was favored in written use and eventually became the standard spelling even as it lost out in pronunciation to coronel.

Colonel-in-Chief

Main article: Colonel-in-Chief

In many modern armies the 'regiment' has more importance as a ceremonial unit or a focus of common loyalty amongst its members, rather than as an actual battle formation. In the British and other Commonwealth armies the Colonel-in-Chief of a Regiment is its (usually royal) Patron. Troops tend to be deployed in 'Battalions' (commanded by a lieutenant colonel) as a more convenient size of military unit, and as such colonels have tended to have a higher profile in specialist and command roles rather than as actual commanders of regiments. However, in Commonwealth armies the position of the colonel as the figurehead of a Regiment is maintained in the honorary role of colonel-in-chief, usually held by members of the Royal Family,[1] the nobility, or retired senior military officers. The Colonel-in-Chief wears a Colonel's uniform and encourages the members of the regiment, but takes no active part in the actual command structure or in any operational duties. [2]

Colonel and equivalent ranks by country

Colonel in individual military forces

The following articles deal with the rank of colonel as it is used in various national militaries.

Eastern European equivalent ranks

Since the 16th century, the rank of regimental commander was adopted by several Central and Eastern European armies, most notably the forces of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Cossacks and then Muscovy. Please see " Colonel " for other countries which use this rank In the Canadian Forces, the rank of Colonel (Col ( French: colonel Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Colonel is a rank of the British forces, ranking just below Brigadier. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located See also Colonel In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, colonel The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Hispanic (hispano hispánico hispânico Hispānus adjective from ''Hispānia'', the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically Kolonel is a rank of the Netherlands which corresponds to the rank of Colonel in other countries The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Kolonel is a rank of the Netherlands which corresponds to the rank of Colonel in other countries This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. Pakistan Army has followed British Army rank system since its independence from British Empire in 1947 Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and In countries with slavic languages, the exact name of the rank maintains a variety of spellings, all descendant from the Old Slavonic word plk or polk meaning unit of standing army (see The Tale of Igor's Campaign), and include the following:

The Hungarian equivalent ezredes literally means "leader of a thousand" (i. The Tale of Igor's Campaign ( Old East Slavic: Слово о плъку Игоревѣ Slovo o plŭku Igorevě; Слово о полку Ігоревім Plukovník is a rank in the Czech Republic and Slovakia which corresponds to Colonel in the militaries of other nations The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million Pułkownik (literarily Regimentary ' abbrev płk) is a rank of Poland which corresponds to a Colonel in english-speaking countries Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Polkovnik (полко́вник universally treated as Colonel, began as a commander of a distinct group of troops Old Slavonic Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Polkovnyk (полковник was a high military rank among the Ukrainian Cossack Starshyna ( officers) Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic e. of a regiment) .

Western European equivalent ranks

Other national equivalent ranks

Colonel as highest ranking officer

Some military forces have a colonel as their highest ranking officer, with no 'general' ranks, and no superior authority (except, perhaps, the head of state as a titular commander-in-chief) other than the respective national government. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional History and related ranks 1600 - 1700 Commander of a regiment that consisted of 1200 troops split into eight companies held this rank "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Syntagmatarkhis (Συνταγματάρχης (Σχης is used in the Greek language to mean " Colonel " Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The Italian Army (Esercito Italiano is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. The Carabinieri (Italian for Carabiniers are the national-level Gendarmerie of Italy who also perform Military police duties Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Xiao (校 (Wade-Giles Hsiao) is the rank held by Field officers in the military of both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, Sangchwa is a Korean military rank used by the armed forces of North Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Taeryong (sometimes spelled as Tae-Ryong is a Korean military rank used by the armed forces of South Korea. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army (กองทัพบกไทย - RTGS Kong Thap Bok Thai - kɔːŋ tháp bòk thaj is the land based part of the Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Examples include the following (arranged alphabetically by country name):

Rank insignia for a COLONEL in several nations which have no higher military rank. The Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force is the Armed force of Antigua and Barbuda. The military of Benin constitutes the army navy air force and national gendarmerie of Benin. On December 1, 1948, President José Figueres Ferrer of Costa Rica abolished the country's army after victory in the civil war in The '''Gambian National Army numbers about 1900 The army consists of infantry battalions the national guard and the navy all under the authority of the Department of State for The Icelandic Crisis Response Unit ( ICRU) or Íslenska Friðargæslan, is an 100-person expeditionary The military of Luxembourg consists of a solitary branch the Army, which was formerly commanded by a colonel but as of 2008 is commanded by a General; Luxembourg The Principality of Monaco, which is the world's second smallest nation (after the Vatican City State) has a very limited military capability and would depend entirely upon The Niger Armed Forces ( FAN) comprises both the military and national police services of the West African nation of Niger, totaling around 12000 History After the creation of the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Army was entrusted with the defense of Suriname while the Vatican City lies entirely within Rome, the capital of Italy. Swiss Guards Swiss mercenary is the name given to those soldiers who have served as Bodyguards, ceremonial guards and palace guards at foreign European courts since
Colonel
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica		 Colonel
Flag of Iceland Iceland		 Colonel
Flag of Luxembourg Luxembourg		 Colonel CCP
Flag of Monaco Monaco		 Colonel CSP
Flag of Monaco Monaco		 Colonel
Flag of the Vatican City Vatican City

Other uses of Colonel ranks

Schutzstaffel

As a mascot

The "Colonel" is the mascot of various organisations. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica,) is a Country in Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque Vatican City, officially the State of the Vatican City (Stato della Città del Vaticano is a Landlocked sovereign City-state whose territory Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in both the S The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945

References

  1. ^ See this list of colonel-in-chief appointments held by HRH The Prince of Wales.
  2. ^ A webpage by a Scottish regiment concerning their Colonel-in-Chief.
Cecil Adams is a name possibly a Pseudonym, which designates the Author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published The Straight Dope is a popular question-and-answer Newspaper column published in the Chicago Reader, syndicated in thirty Newspapers

Dictionary

colonel

-noun

  1. A commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps. In U.S. military, it ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general.
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