Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army. Modern usage varies greatly, and in some cases, the term is used as an
Equivalent naval ranks may be called
History and origins
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2012) |
By the end of the
Later, in the 16th century, the French army adopted this organizational structure, renaming colunelas regiments. Even so, they simply Gallicized colunela to the French colonel and pronounced it as written. The English then copied the unit and rank from the French. However, for reasons unknown, the English adopted the Spanish pronunciation of coronel, and after several decades of use shortened it to its current two-syllable pronunciation "kernel". Colonel is linked to the word column (from Latin: columna; Italian: colonna; French: colonne) in a similar way that brigadier is linked to brigade, although in English this relationship is not immediately obvious.[1]
With the shift from primarily mercenary to primarily national armies in the course of the 17th century, a colonel (normally a member of the aristocracy) became a holder (German Inhaber) or proprietor of a military contract with a sovereign. The colonel purchased the regimental contract—the right to hold the regiment—from the previous holder of that right or directly from the sovereign when a new regiment was formed or an incumbent was killed.[citation needed]
As the office of colonel became an established practice, the colonel became the senior captain in a group of companies that were all sworn to observe his personal authority—to be ruled or regimented by him. This regiment, or governance, was to some extent embodied in a contract and set of written rules, also referred to as the colonel's regiment or standing regulation(s). By extension, the group of
In French usage of this period, the senior colonel in the army or, in a field force, the senior military contractor, was the colonel general, and, in the absence of the sovereign or his designate, the colonel general might serve as the commander of a force. The position, however, was primarily contractual and it became progressively more of a functionless sinecure. The head of a single regiment or demi-brigade would be called a 'mestre de camp' or, after the Revolution, a 'chef de brigade'.[citation needed]
By the late 19th century, colonel had evolved to a professional military rank that was still held typically by an officer in command of a regiment or equivalent unit. Along with other ranks, it has become progressively more a matter of ranked duties, qualifications, and experience, as well as of corresponding titles and pay scale, than of functional office in a particular organization.[citation needed]
As European military influence expanded throughout the world, the rank of colonel became adopted by nearly every nation (albeit under a variety of names).[citation needed]
During the 20th century, with the rise of communism, some of the large communist militaries saw fit to expand the colonel rank into several grades, resulting, for example, in the unique senior colonel rank, which was found and is still used in such nations as China and North Korea.[citation needed]
Colonel-in-chief
In many modern armies, the regiment has more importance as a ceremonial unit or a focus of members' loyalty than as an actual battle formation. Troops tend to be deployed in battalions (commanded by a
Colonel of the Regiment
The title Colonel of the Regiment (to distinguish it from the military rank of colonel) continues to be used in the modern British Army. The ceremonial position is often conferred on retired
Colonel by country
- Colonel (Canada)
- Colonel (Eastern Europe)
- Colonel (Germanic languages)
- Colonel (India)
- Colonel (Pakistan)
- Colonel (Sri Lanka)
- Colonel (United Kingdom)
- Colonel (United States)
Insignia
Insignia of army colonels
-
Albania
(kolonel) -
Angola
(coronel) -
Argentina
(coronel) -
Australia
-
Bolivia
(coronel) -
Bosnia and Herzegovina
(pukovnik) -
Brazil
(coronel) -
Bulgaria
(полковник) -
Canada
(colonel) -
Cape Verde
(coronel) -
Chile
(coronel) -
China
(shang xiao, 上校) -
Colombia
(coronel) -
Cuba
(coronel) -
plukovník)
-
Denmark
(oberst) -
Ecuador
(coronel) -
El Salvador
(coronel) -
Equatorial Guinea
(coronel) -
Finland
(eversti) -
polkovnik)
-
Germany
(Oberst) -
Guatemala
(coronel) -
Honduras
(coronel) -
Hungary
(ezredes) -
India
-
Iran
("sarhang") -
Ireland
-
Israel
-
Italy
(colonnello) -
Mexico
(coronel) -
Monaco
(colonel) -
Mongolia
(хурандаа) -
Morocco
(عقيد) -
Mozambique
(coronel) -
Netherlands
(kolonel) -
Nicaragua
(coronel) -
North Macedonia
(полковник, polkovnik) -
Norway
(oberst) -
Paraguay
(coronel) -
Peru
(coronel) -
Philippines
(lakan/coronel) -
pułkownik)
-
Portugal
(coronel) -
Russia
(polkovnik / полковник) -
Serbia
(pukovnik) -
Slovakia
(plukovník) -
Spain
(coronel) -
South Africa
-
Syria
(عقيد) -
Sweden
(överste) -
shang xiao)
-
Turkey
(albay) -
Turkmenistan
(Polkownik) -
Ukraine
(polkovnik/полковник) -
United Kingdom
-
United States
-
Venezuela
(coronel) -
Vietnam
(thượng tá)
Insignia of air force colonels
-
Belgium
-
Brazil (coronel)
-
Chile (coronel)
-
Denmark (oberst)
-
France
-
Georgia (პოლკოვნიკი,polkovnik)
-
Germany (oberst)
-
Indonesia (kolonel)
-
Italy (colonnello)
-
Netherlands (kolonel)
-
Philippines
(Lakan/Coronel) -
Poland (pułkownik)
-
Portugal (coronel)
-
Russia (polkovnik)
-
Serbia (pukovnik)
-
Spain (coronel)
-
Sweden (Överste)
-
United States
-
Indonesia
-
Israel
-
Philippines
-
United Kingdom
-
United States
Insignia of colonels of other services
Colonel as highest-ranking officer
Some military forces have a colonel as their highest-ranking officer, with no 'general' ranks, and no superior authority (except, perhaps, the head of state as a titular commander-in-chief) other than the respective national government. Examples include the following (arranged alphabetically by country name):
- Antigua and Barbuda (170 personnel)
- Costa Rica (about 8,000 personnel)
- Iceland (100 personnel, employed only for peacekeeping duties)
- Libya (commands all the Armed Forces – Muammar Gaddafi until 2011)
- Monaco(two branches, with a total of about 250 personnel)
- Suriname (1,800 personnel) (up to 19 June 2020)[5]
- Swiss Guard)
Rank insignia for a colonel in several nations which have no higher military rank | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Iceland | Monaco | Vatican City | |||
Colonel CCP | Colonel CSP | ||||
Other uses of colonel ranks
The term colonel is also used as a title for auctioneers in the United States; there are a variety of theories or
The rank of colonel is also used by some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
See also
References
- ^ a b Oliver, Raymond (1983). Why is the Colonel Called Kernal? (PDF). Sacramento, CA: Office of History, Sacramento Air Logistics Center. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
- ^ Los tercios españoles. La batalla de Pavía at militar.org.ua (in Spanish, unspecified authorship)
- ^ See this list of colonel-in-chief appointments held by The Prince of Wales. Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ A webpage by a Scottish regiment concerning their colonel-in-chief. Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Minister Benschop bevorderd tot Generaal-Majoor". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ISBN 9780060125561– via Google Books.
- ^ Doyle, Robert A.; Baska, Steve (November 2002), "History of Auctions: From ancient Rome to todays high-tech auctions", Auctioneer, archived from the original on May 17, 2008, retrieved 2008-06-22
Bibliography
- Keegan, John; Wheatcroft, Andrew (1996). Who's Who in Military History: From 1453 to the Present Day. London: Routledge.