Counter admiral is a
military rank
Military ranks is a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, Intelligence agency, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military organisation , military lines, such ...
used for high-ranking officers in several
navies
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operation ...
around the world, though the rank is not used in the
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English language, English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the ...
, where its equivalent rank is
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
. The term derives from the French .
Depending on the country, it is either a
one-star or
two-star rank
Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10.
Star ranking
One-star
A one-star rank is usuall ...
. In modern navies that use it, counter admiral is generally, although not always, the lowest
flag officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command.
Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways:
* ...
rank. In 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 ...
, for instance, ranks below ; in the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
, (rear admiral in English) ranks above .
French speaking countries
In France and other French speaking countries' navies the rank of is used as the lowest
flag officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command.
Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways:
* ...
. It is usually placed above
ship-of-the-line captain
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain.
Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...
() and below
vice admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
().
Germany
is a NATO OF-7 (two-star rank) of the (German Navy), equivalent to the ("major general") 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 ...
and the
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 ...
.
Nordic countries
The rank of counter admiral is used in all the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...
.
Denmark and Norway
In 1771, the rank of was removed and replaced with the rank of counter admiral (Danish/Norwegian: ).
Finland
Counter admiral is the more direct translation of Finnish , a
two-star rank
Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10.
Star ranking
One-star
A one-star rank is usuall ...
used in the
Finnish Navy
The Finnish Navy ( , ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but ...
and the
Finnish Border Guard
The Finnish Border Guard (FBG, ; ) is the agency responsible for enforcing the security of Finland's borders.
Duties
Main duties of the Finnish Border Guard:
* Protecting the land borders and territorial waters of Finland from unauthorised e ...
. However, it is usually translated as rear admiral in international use.
Sweden
Portuguese speaking countries
In the
navies of Brazil and Angola the rank of ''contra-almirante'' is the lowest of the flag officer ranks. In the
navies of Portugal and Mozambique the rank of ''contra-almirante'' is the second lowest, above that of ''comodoro'' (
commodore).
Until the end of the 19th century, the present rank of ''contra-almirante'' was named ''chefe de esquadra'' (chief of squadron), both in the Portuguese and in the Brazilian navies.
Russia and other former communist countries
''Kontr-admiral'' was the lowest flag officer rank of the
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
and is the lowest flag rank of the
Russian Navy
The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...
, similar to an OF-6 officer.
NATO code
While the rank of counter admiral is used in a number of NATO countries, it is ranked differently depending on the country.
Gallery
Generic-Navy-10.svg,
( Albanian Naval Force)
( Angolan Navy)
(Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...
)
( Azerbaijani Navy)
(Benin Navy
The Benin Armed Forces (; FAB) constitutes the army, navy, air force, and national gendarmerie of Benin. For a number of years, the Belgian Armed Forces have had an active programme of co-operation with Benin, offering training and coaching, do ...
)
( Bolivian Navy)
Generic-Navy-10.svg,
(Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations.
The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...
)
( Bulgarian Navy)
( Cameroon Navy)
File:Generic-Navy-10.svg,
(Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
)
(Chilean Navy
The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso.
History
Ori ...
)
( Colombian National Navy)[ ]
16.DRCN-CDRE.svg,
(Navy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The National Navy () is the maritime component of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC). It is a brown-water navy.
History
Ordinance no.70/295 of 9 November 1970 fixed the organization of the Coast, River, and Lake Guard, a ...
)
14-ROCongo Navy-CDRE.svg,
( Congolese Navy)
( Croatian Navy)
( Cuban Revolutionary Navy)
(Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...
)
( Dominican Navy)
( Ecuadorian Navy)
US Navy O8 shoulderboard.svg,
( Navy of El Salvador)
( Estonian Navy)
( Navy of Equatorial Guinea)
File:Finland-Navy-OF-7.svg,
(Finnish Navy
The Finnish Navy ( , ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but ...
)
(French Navy
The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
)
(Gabonese Navy
The National Navy of Gabon () is the naval branch of the Armed Forces of Gabon. It operates a few fast attack craft and patrol vessels to maintain security along its -long coastline.
Overview
Created on 16 December 1960, the Gabonese Navy is ta ...
)
File:Germany-Navy-OF-7.svg,
(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 ...
)
( Honduran Navy)
(Italian Navy
The Italian Navy (; abbreviated as MM) is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy) after World War II. , the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active per ...
)
Ivory Coast-Navy-OF-6.svg,
( Navy of Ivory Coast)
( Kazakh Naval Forces)
( Latvian Naval Forces)
(Lithuanian Naval Force
The Lithuanian Navy (; formally: ''Lithuanian Naval Forces'') is the navy, naval arm of the Military of Lithuania, Lithuanian Armed Forces. Though formally established on 1 August 1935 its roots stretch back as far as naval engagements on the Ba ...
)
( Madagascar Navy)
(Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy () is one of the components of the Mexican Armed Forces. The Secretariat of the Navy is in charge of administration of the navy. The commander of the navy is the Secretary of the Navy, who is both a cabinet minister and a career ...
)
(Montenegrin Navy
The Montenegrin Navy (') is the naval branch of the military of Montenegro.
The Montenegrin Navy was established in 2006 following the secession of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Nearly all of the navy's equipment was i ...
)
( Royal Moroccan Navy)
( Mozambique Naval Command)
12-Nicaragua Navy-CDRE.svg,
(Nicaraguan Navy
The Nicaraguan Navy, officially the Naval Force of the Nicaraguan Army, () is the naval service branch of the Nicaraguan Armed Forces. The navy's mission is to ensure the defense and security of the islands, territorial waters and exclusive econ ...
)
(Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...
)
( Paraguayan Navy)
(Peruvian Navy
The Peruvian Navy (, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Military of Peru, Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Additional missions include ...
)
( Polish Navy)
(Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy (), also known as the Portuguese War Navy (''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'') or as the Portuguese Armada (''Armada Portuguesa''), is the navy of the Portuguese Armed Forces. Chartered in 1317 by King Dinis of Portugal, it is ...
)
( Romanian Naval Forces)
( Romanian Naval Forces)
(Russian Navy
The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...
)
( Senegalese Navy)
File:Generic-Navy-(star)-O10.svg,
( Serbian River Flotilla)
( Slovenian Navy)
(Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...
)
(Swedish Navy
The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...
)
( Togolese Navy)
( Tunisian Navy)
( Turkmen Naval Forces)
(Ukrainian Navy
The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...
)
( National Navy of Uruguay)
(Venezuelan Navy
The Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela (), commonly known as the Venezuelan Navy, is the navy, naval branch of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela.
The Venezuelan Navy serves the purpose of defending the naval sovereignty of Venezuela, i ...
)
References
{{Reflist
Admirals
Naval ranks