Commandant ( rank ) Commandant ( or ) is a military or police rank . In the French , Spanish , Irish and Monegasque armed forces it is a rank equivalent to major . In South Africa for most of the second half of the 20th century , commandant was a rank equivalent to lieutenant - colonel in other countries . Canada . In the Canadian Forces , “ Commandant ” is the French language title for commanding officers of any unit . However , in English , “ Commandant ” is used exclusively to identify those commanding officers responsible for units that provide a service or oversight to some lodger population ( such as a military school with trainees , a military college with students , a detention facility with prisoners , or a long - term care facility with patients ) . According to the National Defence Act , “ Commandant d ’ aviation ” is the French translation for the rank of Squadron Leader ; in practice , this rank is not actually used by the Canadian Forces . Ireland . Commandant ( Comdt ) ( " ceannfort " in Irish ) is a military rank in both the Irish Army and Irish Air Corps . It is equivalent to major or squadron leader in other armed forces . In the Irish Naval Service , the equivalent rank is lieutenant commander . France . Commandant ( shortened from " capitaine - commandant " , i . e . a " captain commanding " ( a battalion ) ) , is an officer - grade rank of the Military of France , specifically the French Army and the French Air Force , which is equivalent to major . The " commandant " is also styled " chef de bataillon " ( " battalion head " ) in the infantry , " chef d ' escadrons " ( " squadrons head " ) in the armoured cavalry and " chef d ' escadron " ( " squadron head " - note the singular " squadron " ) in the artillery and the " Gendarmerie " . " Commandant " is also the style , but not the rank , of the senior officers of the French Navy ( " capitaine de corvette " , " capitaine de frégate " and " capitaine de vaisseau " ) . Prior to the French Revolution , the " major " was the officer appointed by the King to keep track of the expenditures and readiness of a regiment . He could have a deputy ( an " aide - major " ) and could be either a commoner or a nobleman . A major was graded as a commissar , not an officer . The officer at commandant rank level was the " chef de bataillon " or " chef d ' escadron " . " Major " is now , however , the most senior warrant officer rank , above " adjudant - chef " . Spain . In the Spanish Army and Spanish Air Force , the rank of " comandante " is senior to a captain and junior to a lieutenant colonel , making it equivalent to the rank of major or squadron leader in English - speaking countries . Latin America . " Comandante " ( " commandant " ) is a military officer rank used in some Latin America n countries . The Chilean Air Force uses the rank of " comandante de escuadrilla " ( " squadron commandant " ) as a rank equivalent to the British rank of squadron leader . The Peruvian Air Force uses the rank of " comandante " as an equivalent to lieutenant - colonel or wing commander . " Comandante " can be translated into English either as " commandant " or as " commander " . The rank may also be found in numerous paramilitary organizations , such as the Sandinistas . The rank " comandante en jefe " , ( " commandant - in - chief " or " commander - in - chief " ) may be found in the nation of Cuba as a supreme military rank held by Raúl Castro . The rank of " comandante en jefe " is the equivalent of a field marshal or general of the army . South Africa . In South Africa , from 1950 to 1994 commandant was the official designation of the rank of lieutenant - colonel in the South African Army , South African Air Force , and South African Medical Service . Prior to this in 19th and early 20th centuries it was the title of the commanding officer of a commando ( militia ) unit . From 1950 to 1957 , the rank insignia for a Commandant ( Kommandant in Afrikaans ) was a crown over a five - pointed star . In 1957 the crown was replaced by a pentagonal castle device based on the floor plan of the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town , South Africa ' s oldest military building . In 1994 , the rank of Commandant / kommandant was changed back to Lieutenant Colonel . From 1968 to 1970 , a related rank , Chief Commandant existed in the Commando Forces [ the part - time , territorial reserve , roughly equivalent to a National Guard or Home Guard ] . This rank of Chief Commandant existed purely in the Army and slotted in between Commandant and Colonel . The rank was only used by officers commanding Commando Groups ( i . e . a small formation consisting of two or more Commando units ) . United Kingdom . In the United Kingdom the term commandant usually refers to an appointment not a rank . However , senior commandant and chief commandant were Auxiliary Territorial Service ranks equivalent to major and lieutenant - colonel respectively used between 1939 and May 1941 , when they were replaced by senior and chief commander . These ranks were also used in the Women ' s Auxiliary Air Force until December 1939 , when they were replaced by squadron officer and wing officer ( equating to squadron leader and wing commander ) respectively . The rank was also used for senior commanders of the Ulster Special Constabulary ( B Specials ) .