In 1913, staff captains of artillery in the British Army were re-styled as brigade majors to bring them into line with cavalry and infantry practice. In the 21st century, the title is no longer used except in the
Household Division and in divisional-level artillery headquarters. As of 2014 the title is still retained by HQ
London District. During
World War I, the brigade major was reportedly "a key personality who affected the health and happiness of the battalions." He was in most frequent contact with the front-line troops and was responsible for planning brigade operations. Many brigade majors held the rank of captain, e.g., the future
prime minister,
Anthony Eden, was a brigade major at the age of twenty-one. The practice of using brigade majors has continued in some
Commonwealth armies, such as that of India. The position was a standard fixture in the British Army and
Canadian Army until between 1982 and 1984 when the
NATO system was adopted and brigade G-3 (
Operations), also known as "Chief of Staff", replaced the brigade major. In the old system, the brigade major was a
Staff Officer 2 in charge of "G Branch", abbreviated "GSO2", General Staff Officer (Grade 2). The rank of brigade major was used in the
United States Army until the
War of 1812, with army regulations mentioning only brigade majors as necessary/required staff for a brigadier general.{{Cite book |url=https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/Brigade-AHistory.pdf == See also ==