Major general major-general was reintroduced in the Portuguese Army, Air Force and National Republican Guard in 1999, replacing the former rank of brigadier in the role of brigade commander. As a rank, it had previously been used in the Army only for a brief period (from 1862 to 1864). It is equivalent to the rank of "contra-almirante" (rear-admiral) in the Portuguese Navy. In 2015, the rank of major-general was moved up one level, with the role of brigade commander being assumed by the below rank of brigadier-general. In most of the 19th and first half of the 20th century, major-general was not
Colonel general some post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States armies (for example in Belarus), there are no generals of the army or marshals, and so colonel general is the highest rank, usually held by the minister of the defense. The corresponding naval rank is admiral, which is also denoted by three stars. Colonel general ("generalöverste") has also been a senior military rank in Sweden, used principally before the 19th century. The Syrian Arab Army uses the rank of colonel general ( ""Imad-awwal"عماد أول) only for the senior-most rank of the army beneath that of field marshal. Usually, only defence ministers have held this