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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.

Colonel (Canada)

Colonel (Eastern Europe)

Colonel (Germanic languages)

Colonel (India)

Colonel (Pakistan)

Colonel (Sri Lanka)

Colonel (United Kingdom)

Colonel (United States)

(170 personnel)

Antigua and Barbuda

(about 8,000 personnel)

Costa Rica

(100 personnel, employed only for peacekeeping duties)

Iceland

(commands all the Armed Forces – Muammar Gaddafi until 2011)

Libya

(two branches, with a total of about 250 personnel)

Monaco

(1,800 personnel) (up to 19 June 2020)[5]

Suriname

(110 personnel – the Swiss Guard)

Vatican City

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):

List of comparative military ranks

Keegan, John; Wheatcroft, Andrew (1996). Who's Who in Military History: From 1453 to the Present Day. London: .

Routledge