Rear admiral

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority Commodore is a Military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than For information specifically on the Royal Navy rank of captain see Captain (Royal Navy. Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority In most armed forces it is referred to as a two-star rank. An officer of 2 star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7.

It originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Each Naval Squadron would be assigned an admiral as its head, who would command from the centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron. Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships which would bear the brunt of a naval assault. Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority In the rear of the Naval Squadron, a third admiral would command the remaining ships and, as this section of the squadron was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of the rear would typically be the most junior of the squadron admirals. This has survived into the modern age, with the rank of rear admiral the first and most-junior of the admiralty ranks of many navies.

In some European navies, (eg that of France), and in the Canadian Forces French rank translations, the rank of rear admiral is known as counter admiral. The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale ( National Navy) and often called La Royale ( The Royal Navy) is the maritime arm Counter Admiral is an Anglicisation of a Naval rank found in most navies of the world In the Royal Netherlands Navy this rank is known as schout-bij-nacht, (lit: Supervisor during nighttime), denoting the role junior to the squadron admiral, and fleet admiral. The Koninklijke Marine ( Royal Netherlands Navy) is the Navy of the Netherlands.

1 Australia
2 Canada
3 United Kingdom
4 United States
5 References and notes
6 See also

Australia

RAN Rear Admiral shoulder board

The Royal Australian Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral; refer to Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia. The Royal Australian Navy ( RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. The following image shows the badges of rank and special insignia for officers and enlisted personnel in the Australian Defence Force

Since the mid 1990s, the insignia of a Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral is the crown of St. Edward above a crossed sword and baton, above two silver stars, above the word AUSTRALIA.

Note that unlike other Commonwealth countries, the sword has a closed handle.

The stars have eight points, unlike the four pointed Order of the Bath stars used by the army (which are often referred to as "pips". The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George )

Prior to 1995, the RAN shoulder board was identical to the UK shoulder board. Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. (The UK shoulder board changed in 2001. )

Canada

In the Canadian Forces, the rank of rear-admiral (RAdm) (contre-amiral or cam in French) is a Navy rank equal to a major-general of the Army or Air Force. The Canadian Forces (CF ( French: Forces canadiennes) are the unified Armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people "MARCOM" redirects here For the historical (1936–1950 U Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Land Force Command ( LFC) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces. Mission AIRCOM is responsible for all aircraft operations in the Canadian Forces enforcing the security of Canada's airspace and providing aircraft for supporting the missions of A rear-admiral is a flag officer, the naval equivalent of a general officer. A flag officer is a commissioned officer who is senior enough to be entitled to fly a Flag to represent where he exercises command A rear-admiral is senior to a commodore or brigadier-general, and junior to a vice-admiral or lieutenant-general. Commodore is a Military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. 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

The rank insignia for a rear-admiral is two gold maple leaves beneath crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St. Edward's Crown, worn on the shoulder straps of the Service Dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels. The Service Dress tunic also features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves.

Rear-admirals are initially addressed by rank and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am", as applicable. Rear-admirals are normally entitled to staff cars. A staff car is a vehicle used by a senior Military officer, and is part of their country's White fleet.

Navy uniform variations
Dress uniform tunic	Uniform shirts	shoulder boards for short-sleeve shirt and tropical white tunic	CADPAT uniform

Links

Canadian Forces ranks and insignia

United Kingdom

The Royal Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral. This is a table of the ranks and insignia of the Canadian Forces. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Note that the rank of rear admiral is quite different from the honorary office Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom. The Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is a now honorary office generally held by a senior (possibly retired Royal Navy Admiral.