NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Senior Colonel

Senior Colonel is a field grade officer rank placed between a regular Colonel and a Major General. The rank typically exists in militaries which do not maintain a rank of Brigadier General. Image File history File links North Korean Senior Naval Captain Boards File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links North Korean Senior Naval Captain Boards File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Comparative military ranks of Korea refer to the ranks and insignia maintained by the three primary military powers on the Korean Peninsula, those being the South Korean military, the armed forces of North Korea, and the military forces of the United States. ... Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

The origins of the Senior Colonel position began in the military and naval forces of Germany which maintained the Senior Colonel ranks of Oberführer and Kommodore. The rank also first appeared in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. SS-OberfÃ¼hrer Collar Patch SA-OberfÃ¼hrer Collar Patch OberfÃ¼hrer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. ... Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a Captain, but is less than that of a flag officer. ...

After World War II, nations in the Communist sphere began establishing Senior Colonel ranks of their own. Today, the rank of Senior Colonel may be found in the militaries of China and North Korea. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United States United Kingdom France and others Axis Powers: Germany Japan Italy and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II, also known as the... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

Most western militaries tend to equate a Senior Colonel as a "Brigadier General in disguise", however this is often not the case. Nations which maintain senior Colonel ranks typically also have five General ranks (most such nations also having the rank of Colonel General). A Senior Colonel is also not befitted honors of a General or Flag Officer and is simply seen as the highest field officer rank before the General grades. In this sense, the rank may be seen as comparable to the rank of Brigadier in the British and some other Commonwealth armies, similarly a senior field rank. (In modern China the rank of Senior Colonel is intended as a way to promote distinguished Colonels, without unnecessarily swelling the numbers of general officers.) Most Senior Colonels serve as the Commander, Political Commissar, or Deputy Commanders of a division. A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries. ... Flag Officer is both a historic naval rank and a modern day navy title. ... Brigadier is a rank which is used in different ways by different countries. ... The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth, is an association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ...

A similar title to Senior Colonel is that of Senior Captain, also used in most Communist countries however it may also be found in some western militaries as a staff rank appointed to a regular Captain. Insignia of a modern day Senior Captain Senior Captain is a rare military rank which is used in some countries armed forces as a rank between a regular Captain and a Major. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ...

The term Senior Colonel is also used informally and unofficially in the U.S. military for Colonels who have either been selected for promotion to Brigadier General but not actually promoted yet, or for veteran Colonels who are particularly experienced and influential.