- Colonel (Canada)
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In the Canadian Forces, the rank of colonel (Col) (French: colonel or col) is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a captain of the Navy. A colonel is the highest rank of senior officer. A colonel is senior to a lieutenant-colonel or Naval commander, and junior to a brigadier-general or commodore.Typical appointments for colonels include:
- Base commander (BComd)
- Wing commander (Wg Comd)
- Commanding officer of a school or training establishment, such as commandant of the Canadian Land Command and Staff College, or commander of Combat Training Centre Gagetown
- Commander of a brigade group
- Branch advisor
- Military attaché to foreign nations
The rank insignia for a colonel is four 1⁄2-inch (1.3 cm) stripes, worn on the cuffs of the service dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. The insignia worn on the headdress for an Army colonel is the crest of the Canadian coat of arms: a crowned gold lion with a maple leaf in its paw standing on a red-and-white wreath, all beneath the royal crown; the collar insignia is two crossed sabres. Some colonels, by nature of holding a specific appointment, may continue to wear the insignia of their personnel branch or regiment; for example, the honorary colonel of an infantry regiment. Colonels in the Air Force wear the Air Force badge on their headdress.
Colonels are addressed by rank and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am".
Note: Before Unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern.
- Army uniform variations
- Air Force uniform variations
Honorary ranks and appointments
There are also several honorary ranks and appointments associated with the rank of colonel, or containing the word "colonel" in their title.
- Colonel-in-chief
- Colonel of the regiment
- Honorary colonel
- Colonel commandant
Personnel holding these honorary ranks are not part of the military operational chain-of-command. Rather, they serve in a ceremonial manner, often as a guest of honour at parades, mess dinners, or at other military traditions such as during Remembrance Day. Usually, honorary ranks are filled by people who have had a prior association with the battalion, regiment, or squadron they represent. Princess Patricia of Connaught was the colonel-in-chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, one of the most decorated infantry regiments in the Canadian Forces (CF). An honorary colonel of a CF flying or air maintenance squadron may be a past commanding officer of that squadron (who has since retired from active duty), or an air ace during the war.
Categories:- Military of Canada
- Military ranks of Canada
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