Stabshauptmann Stabshauptmann ( StHptm ) meaning " Staff Captain " , is a German Senior Captain rank and the highest military rank in the Bundeswehr for specialist officers ( " Offiziere des Militärfachlichen Dienstes " ( OffzMilFD ) ) . Bundeswehr . Instead of being promoted to the rank of major , specialist officers that were holding the rank of Hauptmann ( Captain ) for a specific time are promoted to the rank of Stabshauptmann and given the salary of a Major . Sometimes regular officers are promoted to a post that is intended for a Stabshauptmann if there is no free post for a Major . The badge of rank is four silver stars . It is one of the rarest ranks in the German military . The rank has no history outside the Bundeswehr and has been created especially for the MilFD officers . Those are former NCOs who have accomplished a special training programme through which they are given the opportunity to become officers . Their duties are , however , specific , similar to that of a Warrant officer in the English - speaking armies . There is no corresponding rank for officers in Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service . Deutsche Marine ( Navy ) . The navy equivalent is " Stabskapitänleutnant " ( Staff Lieutenant Captain ( Navy ) ) . Its rank insignia are two medium stripes with two narrow stripes between the medium ones . Historical background outside of Bundeswehr . Historically , a rank named " Stabshauptmann " ( also : " Stabskapitän " ) existed in several German armies in the 18th century . However , while the modern Stabshauptman is a Senior Captain senior to a regular Hauptmann , the historical Stabshauptmann was a Junior captain , ranking below Hauptmann rank . In 18th century armies companies often were " owned " by a noble man , who formally was the company ' s captain , but did not actually command the unit . Instead , the owner of the company appointed an officer from the company his " Stabshauptmann " , who technically served as the Hauptmann ' s mere staff assistant , but actually led the unit in his place . The reversing in ranking of " Hauptmann " and " Stabshauptmann " in modern times is consequence of the practice in modern German military organisations ( Reichswehr , Wehrmacht ) to name the highes rank of a rank group beginning with the prefix " Stabs - " , indicating that the holder serves in staff position to officers of the next higher rank group , e . g . during World War II , the highest NCO rank in the German army was Stabsfeldwebel , who served as direct assistant to company - grade officers or in staff function . However , this is no longer represented in the Bundeswehr ' s post - WWII rank structure since the creation of rank levels senior to the " Stabs - " level of ranks , denoted by the prefix " Oberstabs - " ( " Senior Staff - " , e . g . Oberstabsfeldwebel ) . There are no plans to creat the rank of " Oberstabshauptmann " . International comparison . German pay grade of Stabshauptmann is A13 , same as of Major ( Hauptmann : A12 ) . According to NATO ' s STANAG 2116 , the NATO rank code of Stabshauptmann is OF - 2 , same as for regular Hauptmann and therefore equal to Captain rank in other NATO armies . To express the seniority of Stabshauptmann , " OF - 2a " or other modifications of the official NATO rank code are in use unofficially . A similar rank outside the German Bundeswehr is the " primo capitano " ( First Captain ) in the Italian military .