Brigadier General Brigadier General is a senior rank in the Armed Forces . It is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries , usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General . A Brigadier General is typically in command of a Brigade consisting of around 3 , 000 troops ( three Battalions ) . In some countries , this rank is given the name of Brigadier , which is often considered to not be a General Officer rank , but is usually equivalent to Brigadier General in the armies of nations that use the rank . The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general , or simply a brigadier , would command a brigade in the field . The rank spread throughout the world after being adopted in the 18th century by the United States with simultaneous spreading of the rank by the British Empire . An alternative rank of " Brigade general " was first used in the French revolutionary armies . In the first quarter of the 20th century , British and Commonwealth Armies used the rank of Brigadier General as a temporary appointment , or as an honorary appointment on retirement ; in the 1920s this practice changed to the use of Brigadier , which was not classed as a General Officer . A few countries use Major General as the equivalent of Brigadier General , rather than as the rank above ; these are countries which then generally use a rank of Colonel General to make four general officer ranks . The naval equivalent is often Commodore or Rear admiral , but this depends on the rank system of the navy in question . Insignia . Air Force insignia . This gallery displays Air Force brigadier general insignia if they are different from the Army brigadier general insignia . ( They usually are . ) < br > Note that in many Commonwealth countries , this rank is called Air Commodore . ( And in the Netherlands , it is called Commodore . ) Brigadier general ranks by country . Argentina . The rank of brigadier general ( with some local variations ) is used in the Argentine Air Force . The use of the rank is different from that of other military forces of the world . Unlike other armed forces , the rank of " brigadier general " is actually the " highest " rank in the Argentine Air Force . This is due to the use of the rank of " brigadier " and its derivatives to designate all general officers in the Air Force : brigadier ( lowest general officer ) brigadier - major ( middle ) and brigadier - general ( highest ) . The rank of brigadier general is reserved for the Chief of the General Staff of the Air Force , as well as the Chief of the Joint General Staff if he should be an Air Force officer . The Argentine Army does not use the rank of brigadier - general , instead using the equivalent rank of brigade general ( in Spanish " general de brigada " ) . Australia . In the Australian Imperial Force during World War I , the rank of brigadier general was always temporary and held only while the officer was posted to a particular task , typically the command of a brigade . When posted elsewhere , the rank would be relinquished and the former rank resumed . This policy prevented an accumulation of high - ranking general officers brought about by the relatively high turnover of brigade commanders . Brigadier general was also used as an honorary rank on retirement . The rank insignia was like that of the current major general , but without the pip - . As in the United Kingdom , the rank was later replaced by brigadier . Hence , prior to 1922 , a " brigadier general " was a " general officer " ; subsequently , brigadiers were not " generals " ; this is shown by the rank insignia being like that of a colonel , but with an extra ( third ) pip - . Bangladesh . The rank was known as Brigadier inconformity with the rank structure of the Commonwealth Nations prior to 2001 in the Bangladesh Army . It is the lowest ranking General Officer between the ranks of Colonel and Major General . The Bangladesh Army introduced the rank of Brigadier General in 2001 , however the grade stayed equivalent to Brigadier . Brigadier General is equivalent to Commodore of Bangladesh Navy & Air Commodore of Bangladesh Air Force . It is still more popularly called " Brigadier " ( One Star General ) . Belgium . The Belgian Army uses the rank of général de brigade ( French ) and brigadegeneraal ( Dutch ) . However , in this small military there are no permanent promotions to this rank , and it is only awarded as a temporary promotion to a full colonel who assumes a post requiring the rank , notably in an international context ( e . g . as Military Attaché in a major embassy ) . Brazil . Brigadier General is the lowest rank amongst general officers of the Brazilian army . They wear two stars as this is the entry level for general officers in the Brazilian Army . In the Brazilian Air Force , the 2 star , 3 star and 4 star are known as " Brigadeiro " ( Brigadier ) , " Major - Brigadeiro " ( Major - Brigadier ) and " Tenente - Brigadeiro - do - Ar " ( Lieutenant - Air - Brigadier ) respectively . See Military ranks of Brazil and Brigadier # Officer rank in Latin America for more information . Canada . In the Canadian Forces , the rank of brigadier - general ( BGen ) ( " brigadier - général " or " bgén " in French ) is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a commodore of the Navy . A brigadier - general is the lowest rank of General Officer , the Army and Air Force equivalent of a Naval flag officer . A brigadier - general is senior to a colonel or naval captain , and junior to a major - general or rear admiral . The rank title " brigadier - general " is still used notwithstanding that brigade s in the army are now commanded by colonel s . Until the late 1990s brigades were commanded by brigadier - generals . In the air force context , brigadier - generals used to command air force " Groups " until these bodies were abolished in the late 1990s . The rank insignia for a brigadier - general is a single gold maple leaf beneath crossed sword and baton , all surmounted by St . Edward ' s Crown , worn on the shoulder strap s of the service dress jacket , and on slip - ons on other uniforms . The service dress jacket 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 ; the air force wedge cap features gold braid on the edges of the ear flaps . The cap insignia for a general officer is a modified version of the Canadian Forces insignia ; the collar insignia ( Army generals only ) is two crossed sabre s . Some brigadier - generals , by nature of holding a branch - specific appointment , may continue to wear the insignia of their personnel branch ; for example , the chaplain - general wears the general officer ' s cap insignia with the collar insignia of the Chaplain Branch , while the surgeon - general continues to wear the cap and collar insignia of the Canadian Forces Medical Service . Brigadier - generals are initially addressed verbally as " General " and name ; thereafter by subordinates as " Sir " or " Ma ' am " in English or " mon général " in French . They are normally entitled to staff car s . Note : Before unification in 1968 of the Royal Canadian Air Force , Canadian Army , and the Royal Canadian Navy , rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern . In army usage , the term " brigadier " was used to denote what is now known as a brigadier - general while the air force used the term " Air Commodore " . China . Chinese rank of ( Da - Xiao 大校 ) or " Senior Colonel " is a direct equivalent of a brigadier . It ranks above colonel ( Shang - Xiao 上校 ) and below major general ( Shao - Jiang 少将 ) . A brigadier is commonly in command of a division ( Shi 师 ) or a brigade ( Lv 旅 ) . Divisional commanders are seldom general officers . Estonia . In the Estonian military , the rank is called Brigaadikindral France . France uses the rank of Brigade General ( " " général de brigade " " ) . It formerly used the historic rank , until 1793 , of " Brigadier des armées " ( " Brigadier of the Armies " ) . The rank contrasts with the French sub - officer rank of Brigadier . As with all French general officers , a French brigade general is titled " general " without any implication that he is an Army General ; for instance General De Gaulle never rose higher than brigade general . Until 1793 , a rank of " Brigadier des armées " ( " Brigadier of the Armies " ) existed in the French Army , which could be described as a senior colonel or junior brigade commander . The normal brigade command rank was Field Marshal ( " Maréchal de camp " ) ( which elsewhere is a more senior rank ) . A " Brigadier of the Armies " wore one star and a " Field Marshal " wore two stars . During the French Revolution , the revolutionaries ' drive to rationalise the state led to a change in the system of ranks . The rank of " Brigadier of the Armies " was abolished and the normal brigade command rank , Field Marshal , was replaced by Brigade General . The rank of Brigade General inherited the two stars of the rank of Field Marshal , explaining the absence since 1793 of a French rank with only one star . Nowadays , a French " général de brigade " generally commands a brigade , which is the biggest permanent formation in the French army . The rank can also be awarded in an honorary fashion to retiring colonels . The insignias are two stars , worn on the shoulder are at the sleeve of the uniform , depending on the dress . Two different kepi s are issued : the service kepi sports the two starts , while the formal kepi features a large band of oak leaves ( the kepi of a division general has two smaller such bands ) . Charles de Gaulle , held the rank of Brigade General . He was given a temporary promotion to this rank in May 1940 as commander of the 4th Armoured Reserve Division ( " 4ème division cuirassée de réserve " ) . However his authority as head of the Free French really came from being the only cabinet member outside occupied France , not from his military rank . As a reminder of his war position , he refused any further promotion . Germany . The equivalent modern German rank is Brigadegeneral . The concept of a brigadier general rank is relatively new , as prior to 1982 the lowest German general officer rank was " Generalmajor " , which was often considered equivalent to brigadier general in other armies . Hungary . In Hungary the Brigadier General is a relatively new military rank used from 1992 . The Army and the Air Force insignia are not different . Indonesia . In Indonesia , " Brigadir Jenderal " ( abbreviated as Brigjen ) is the fourth highest rank and the lowest general rank both in Polri and TNI . The insignia is a gold star . Iran . The equivalent rank for Brigadier General in Iranian army and air force is called Sar - Tip . It is above the rank of Sar - Hang ( colonel ) and below the rank of Sar - Lashkar ( major general ) . Notice that Iranian Revolutionary Guards also use this rank . The difference is in salutation . One refers an army or air force brigadier general as " Timsar Sar - Tip " , while a revolutionary guard general is referred to as " Sardar Sar - Tip " . As an unwritten rule which states the highest Iranian military rank to be the rank of a Majorgeneral the Brigadier General is considered to be second highest rank of Iranian military . Which is customly the rank of the commander of Airforce and equvalantly the Navy . Israel . In the Israel Defense Forces , the rank of brigadier general is called Tat Aluf and is the third highest rank , below " Aluf " ( major general ) and " Rav Aluf " ( lieutenant general or general ) , and above " Aluf Mishne " ( colonel ) . Jordan . In the Jordanian military , the rank of Brigadier general is known as " Amid " , and it is higher than colonel " Akeed " and lower than Major general " Liwa " Korea . The rank of brigadier general is known in South Korea as Junjang and is a direct equivalent to the United States one star rank , with very similar insignia . The military of North Korea does not technically maintain a brigadier general rank , but the rank of senior colonel ( 대좌 , Taejwa ) which is above colonel ( 상좌 , Sangjwa ) and below major general ( 소장 , Sojang ) is the effective equivalent . Mexico . In Mexico , brigade general is the rank below Divisional General and , confusingly , the rank above Brigadier General . A Mexican brigade general wears as rank insignia the arms of Mexico above two stars . ( A Mexican brigadier general wears the arms of Mexico above one star . ) Myanmar ( Burma ) . The rank of brigadier general is known in Myanmar as Bo Mhu Gyoke and is often the deputy commander of one of Myanmar ' s Regional Military Commands ( RMC ) , commander of the light infantry division ( LID ) or Military Operation Commands ( MOC ) . In civil service , brigadier general often hold the office of deputy minister or director general of certain ministries . Pakistan . The Pakistan Army has followed the British Army rank system since independence from the British Empire in 1947 . However , the crown in the ranks has been replaced with a star and crescent , which symbolizes the sovereignty of the Government of Pakistan . Brigadier General is equivalent to brigadier in the Pakistan army , commodore in the Pakistan Navy and air commodore in the Pakistan Air Force . Brigadier is also called a one star general . Like other armies , this rank is higher than colonel and lower than major general . Poland . Prior to 2002 , the Polish rank of " Generał brygady " was equivalent to both the ranks of major general and brigadier general . Portugal . In the Portuguese Army and Air Force , Brigadeiro - General is a temporary general rank for the colonel s that have to exercise a special command . It is the equivalent of the commodore rank in the Portuguese Navy . The rank was reintroduced in 1999 . Before that , it existed , simply as Brigadeiro , from 1707 to 1864 and , again , from 1929 to 1937 . From 1937 to 1999 , Brigadeiro become the 2 - star general rank in the Portuguese Army . As 2 - star rank it was substituted by the rank of Major - General . Spain . In the Spanish Army and Spanish Air Force , General de Brigada is the lowest rank of general officers . Its equivalent on the Navy is " Contraalmirante " . Sweden . In the Swedish Army and Swedish Air Force , Brigadgeneral is the lowest rank of general officers . Its equivalent on the Navy is " Flottiljamiral " . Turkey . In the Turkish Army and the Turkish Air Force , the equivalent rank is " Tuğgeneral " ( the Turkish Navy equivalent would be " Tuğamiral " ) . The name is derived from " tugay " , the Turkish word for a brigade . Both tugay and tuğ - as military terms may owe their origins to the older Turkish word " tuğ " , meaning horsetail , which was used as a symbol of authority and rank in Ottoman and pre - Ottoman times . United Kingdom . Brigadier - General was formerly a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines , and briefly in the Royal Air Force . It first appeared in the army in the reign of James II , but did not exist in the Royal Marines until 1913 . It was abolished in both the army and the marines in 1922 , being replaced in the army by the grade of Colonel Commandant ( which already existed in the marines ) . Colonel Commandant was in turn replaced by the grade of Brigadier in the army in 1928 , and at some time between World War II and 1957 in the marines . From its formation on 1 April 1918 until 31 July 1919 , the Royal Air Force maintained the rank of brigadier general . It was superseded by the rank of air commodore on the following day . Brigadier - General was a temporary rank only , bestowed on a colonel or lieutenant - colonel ( or on a colonel commandant in the marines ) for the duration of a specific command . The insignia for the rank was a crossed sword and baton on its own ; higher grades of general at the time and still consist of this device with the addition of a star , crown or both for a full general . Brigadier is the highest field officer rank ( hence absence of the word " general " ) , whereas brigadier - general was the lowest general officer rank . However , the two ranks are considered equal . The equivalent naval rank is commodore and the equivalent Air Force rank is air commodore .