Colonel (United States) Colonel (United States) In the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, colonel () is the most senior field grade military officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and immediately below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services. The pay grade for colonel is O-6. The insignia of the rank of colonel, as seen on the right, is worn on the officer's left side (a mirror-image version is worn on the right side, such that the eagle always faces forward to the wearer's front; the
Air force officer ranks considered that in these countries a colonel-general equates to an OF-9 rank, a general to OF-8, a lieutenant-general to OF-7, and a major-general to OF-6 (i.e. the ranks below colonel-general all move down one grade). ¹ No officer of the French Air Force has ever been created a "Maréchal".<br> ² Introduced on 1 July 2000, when promotions to the rank of Överste 1. graden (a field officer rank) ceased.<br> ³ Promotion to the rank of Överste 1. graden ceased on 1 July 2000, when the new junior general officer rank of Brigadgeneral was introduced. Whilst there is a wide range