Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...

status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators, major is one rank above

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, and one rank below lieutenant colonel. It is considered the most junior of the

field officer A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

ranks.

Background

Majors are typically assigned as specialised executive or operations officers for

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

-sized units of 300 to 1,200 soldiers while in some nations, like Germany, majors are often in command of a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

. When used in hyphenated or combined fashion, the term can also imply seniority at other levels of rank, including ''general-major'' or '' major general'', denoting a low-level general officer, and ''

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

'', denoting the most senior

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

(NCO) of a military unit. The term ''major'' can also be used with a hyphen to denote the leader of a military band such as in

pipe-major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

or drum-major. Historically, the rank designation developed in English in the 1640s, taken from French ''majeur'', in turn a shortening of ''sergent-majeur'', which at the time designated a higher rank than at present. The term '' Mayor'' for the head of a municipal government can also be traced to the same French word. The rank of major is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures, such as the Pennsylvania State Police,

New York State Police The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the state of New York in the United States. It is part of the New York State Executive Department, and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 civilian members. History The State ...

New Jersey State Police The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) is the official state police force of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with statewide jurisdiction, designated by troop sectors. History As with other state police organizatio ...

, and several others. As with a military major, this rank is most commonly the next rank above

. The rank is equivalent to an inspector or commander in other large police departments or to the UK rank of

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

Links to major ranks by country

Alphabetically sorted by name of country: * Major (Canada) * Major (France) * Major (Germany) * Major (Sri Lanka) * Major (Sweden) * Major (United Kingdom) * Major (United States)

Insignia

Insignia of army majors.

File:ALB-Army-OF-3.svg, File:Australian Army OF-3.svg, File:Bangladesh-army-OF-3.svg, File:Army-BEL-OF-03.svg, File:Bosnia and Herzegovina Major Insignia.svg, File:Major Exército-V.gif, File:Rank insignia of mayor of the Colombian Army.svg, File:Army-HRV-OF-03.svg, File:Cdn-Army-Maj(OF-3)-2014 - Copy.svg, File:CzArmy 2011 OF3-Major shoulder.svg, File:Rank insignia of major of the Royal Danish Army.svg, File:Mayorwikifixed.svg, File:EgyptianArmyInsignia-Major.svg, File:ES-Army-OF3.png, File:Majuri kauluslaatta.svg, File:Army-FRA-OF-03.svg, File:Georgia Army OF-4.png, File:HD H 51 Major FJg.svg, File:Army-GRE-OF-03.svg, File:Rank Army Hungary OF-03.svg, File:IFRmajor.PNG, File:Major of the Indian Army.svg, File:16-TNI Army-MAJ.svg, File:IDF rav seren.svg, File:IT-Army-OF3.svg, File:Major of Malaysian Army.png, File:Nl-landmacht-majoor.svg, File:Nigeria-Army-OF-3.svg, File:Army-NOR-OF-03.svg, File:OF-3 Pakistan Army.svg, File:PA MAJ Svc.svg, File:Army-POL-OF-03.svg, File:16 - Major.svg, File:RO-Army-OF3.png, File:Russia-Army-OF-3-2010.svg, File:12-Serbian_Army-MAJ.svg, File:04-RSA-OF03.svg, File:11-Somali Army-MAJ.svg, File:SAA-OF-3.svg, File:Spain-Army-OF-3.svg, File:OF-3 Major.jpg, File:CHE OF3 Maj.svg, File:Taiwan-army-OF-3.svg, File:RTA OF-3 (Major).svg, File:Turkey-army-OF-3.svg, File:UA shoulder mark 15.svg, File:British Army OF-3.svg, File:US Army O4 (Army greens).svg,

Insignia of air force majors

File:Fuerza Aerea Argentina - Mayor.svg, File:Major-vertical fab.gif, File:RNAF Maj.svg, File:Naramenica službene odore bojnika HRZ i PZO.svg, File:RDAF Maj.svg, File:Georgia Air Force OF-4.png, File:LD B 51 Major.svg, File:16-TNI Air Force-MAJ.svg, File:IDF rav seren silver-2.svg, File:IT-Airforce-OF-3.png, File:Mayor FAM.GIF, File:PAF MAJ Svc.svg, File:Major Lotnicze.png, File:Major t.jpg, File:Russia-Airforce-OF-3-2010.svg, File:OF-3 Major FV hylsa.jpg, File:Turkey-air-force-OF-3.svg File:US Air Force O4 shoulderboard.svg,

Insignia of naval infantry majors

File:IDF rav seren gold-2.svg, File:PHIL ARMY MAJ WOODLAND.svg, File:OF-3 Major AMF hylsa.jpg, File:British Royal Marines OF-3.svg, File:US Marine O4 shoulderboard vertical.svg, File:16-TNI Navy-LCDR.svg,

Insignia of majors of other services

File:US Space-force O4 (interim).svg, United States Space Force

References

{{Authority control Military ranks