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
Ranks in the French Army a company ("compagnie") of infantry, a squadron ("escadron") of cavalry or a battery ("batterie") of artillery. A "lieutenant" (lieutenant or first lieutenant) commands a platoon ("section") of infantry, a troop ("peloton") of cavalry, or a "brigade" of the "Gendarmerie". A "Sous-lieutenant" (sub-lieutenant or second lieutenant) commands at the same level as a "lieutenant", but is a more junior officer rank. Note the difference with many army rank systems of other countries where the term "major" is used for a rank above that of "captain". For example, the rank of "major" in the US Army or British army is equivalent to