Commandant is an officer-grade rank of the
Military of France, specifically the
French Army and the
French Air and Space Force, in both of which it has NATO level
OF-3: equivalent to major or
lieutenant-commander. In this context, it is shortened form of the previous rank : i.e. a "captain commanding (a battalion)". The is also styled ("battalion leader") in the
infantry, ("squadrons leader") in the
armoured cavalry and ("squadron leader") in the
artillery and the . They are all addressed as either
Mon commandant, or
Commandant.
French Army The French Army is divided into "horse troops" (troupes à cheval, with silver braids) and "foot troops" (troupes à pied - with golden braids) •
Troupes à cheval (horse troops): • cavalry, tanks : chef d'escadrons • transportation units, artillery : chef d'escadron •
Troupes à pied (foot units): • infantry, combat engineers : chef de bataillon
Gendarmerie The Gendarmerie, while not part of the Army, uses a comparable rank system • Gendarmerie line officers: chef d'escadron - four silver (white) braids for the
Departmental Gendarmerie, four golden (yellow) braids for the
Mobile Gendarmerie and the
Republican Guard • Gendarmerie administrative corps: commandant - four silver (white) braids
Air and Space force • Air and Space force: commandant
Navy In the
French Navy, is an appointment or operational command, rather than a rank, namely, the commanding officer (CO) of a ship, e.g. (vessel), (
frigate), (
corvette) or . As such, it can refer to the holders of several ranks. They are all addressed as
commandant, regardless of rank or sex.
Note on Majors in the French armed forces While the most frequent equivalent of Commandant is Major in English-speaking courntries, the word
Major (France) has had - and still has - an entirely different meaning in the French Armed forces. Prior to the
French Revolution, the was the officer appointed by the
King to keep track of the expenditures and readiness of a regiment. He could have a deputy (an ) and could be either a commoner or a nobleman. A major was graded as a commissar, not an officer. Since the
lieutenant-colonel rank had been abolished by the Revolution, during the
Napoleonic Period, it was replaced by the rank of Major. The Major was second in command of a regiment and frequently in charge of the
bataillon de dépot or the
escadron de dépot training recruits in the rear. The officer at commandant rank level was the or . Nowadays, is the most senior
warrant officer rank, above .
Other uses Commandant is also a rank in the
National Police and in other civilian administrations. File:commandant.png |French infantry - chef de bataillon File:Commandant des armes à cheval.png |French cavalry - chef d'escadron(s) File:French Air Force-commandant.svg |French Air and Space Force commandant File:Ingénieur de l'AE 7-10e échelon.png |Commandant des Eaux et Forêts == Spain ==