() is the lowest
staff officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
rank in the
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
,
German Air Force
The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
. The rank is rated
OF-3 in
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
. The rank insignia is a silver oakleaf cluster with a silver pip (star).
The OF-3 equivalent of the
German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...
is the .
History
The rank in German-speaking armed forces dates back to the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
.
World War II
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
SS equivalent was ''
Sturmbannführer
__NOTOC__
''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to Major (rank), major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the Sturmabteilung, SA, Schutzstaffel, SS, and the National Socialist Flyers Corps, NSFK ...
''.
Current rules
To be appointed to the rank of , the officer has to pass a staff officer basic course () which is held at the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College (), and serve in a post coded A13 or A13/A14.
In the German Army and the Joint Support Service (), the waiting period between meeting the requirements for promotion and actual promotion to the rank of averages 15 months due to budget problems (as of July 2010).
See also
*
Ranks of the German Bundeswehr
The ranks of the German Armed Forces, (in German: Bundeswehr), were set up by the President of Germany, President with the ''Anordnung des Bundespräsidenten über die Dienstgradbezeichnungen und die Uniform der Soldaten'' on the basis osection 4 ...
*
Rank insignia of the German Bundeswehr
The rank insignia of the Federal Defence Forces () indicate rank and branch of service in the German Army (), German Air Force (), or the German Navy ().
They are regulated by the "presidential order on rank designation and military uniform".
Th ...
*
Comparative military ranks of World War I
*
Comparative military ranks of World War II
References
de:Major
Military ranks of Germany
{{mil-rank-stub