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.
This article is about the military rank in Anglophone countries. For the equivalent rank in Slavophone armed forces, see Colonel (Eastern Europe). For the equivalent rank in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, see Oberst. For other uses, see Colonel (disambiguation).
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 honorific title that may have no direct relationship to military service. The rank of colonel is typically above the rank of lieutenant colonel. The rank above colonel is typically called brigadier, brigade or brigadier general. In some smaller military forces, such as those of Monaco or the Vatican, colonel is the highest rank.
Equivalent naval ranks may be called captain or ship-of-the-line captain. In the Commonwealth's air force ranking system, the equivalent rank is group captain.
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):