Commandant (rank)
Commandant (, , ) is a military or police rank. In the French, Spanish, Irish and Monegasque armed forces it is a rank equivalent to major while in Belgium it is a unique rank. In South Africa for most of the second half of the 20th century, commandant was a rank equivalent to lieutenant-colonel. Canada. was the Canadian French term for the air force rank of squadron leader (prior to the 2014 amendment of the National Defence Act). The rank of squadron leader itself had not been held by active duty personnel in the Canadian Forces since 1968 when it  was replaced by major. Ireland. Commandant (Comdt) () is a military rank in both the Irish Army and Irish Air Corps. It is equivalent to major and squadron leader. In the Irish Naval Service, the equivalent rank is lieutenant commander. France. Commandant (shortened from , 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 and Space Force, which is equivalent to major. The is also styled ("battalion leader") in the infantry, ("squadrons leader") in the armoured cavalry and ("squadron leader") in the artillery and the . 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. The officer at commandant rank level was the or . Spain. In the Spanish Army and Spanish Air Force, the rank of 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. ("commandant") is a military  officer rank used in some Latin American countries. The Chilean Air Force uses the rank of ("squadron commandant") as a rank equivalent to the British rank of squadron leader. The Peruvian Air Force uses the rank of as an equivalent to lieutenant-colonel or wing commander. South Africa. In South Africa, commandant was the title of the commanding officer of a commando (militia) unit, initially in the Cape Colony and later also in the Boer republics. 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. From 1950 to 1957, the rank insignia for a commandant ( 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 / reverted to lieutenant colonel. From 1968 to 1970, a related rank, chief commandant (), existed in the Commando Forces [the rural 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, between 1922 and 1928 the rank of brigadier-general was replaced by colonel-commandant. This was not well received, and was replaced by brigadier. Later, 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. The Commanding Officers of individual battalions of the Brigade of Gurkhas was designated a Commandant, rather than a commanding officer; and so with the Bermuda Militia Artillery (1895-1965). 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).