Major general the lowest general officer rank until reunification in 1990. It was equivalent to "Konteradmiral" (KAdm). In the "Magyar Honvédség" (Hungarian Defence Force), the equivalent rank to major general is "vezérőrnagy". In the Iranian army and air force, the ranks above colonel are respectively "sartip dovom "(second brigadier general with no equivalent in other countries), "sartip" (brigadier general), "sarlashkar" (major general), "sepahbod" (lieutenant general), and "arteshbod" (general); nonetheless, major general is the highest available rank for current Iranian commanders. The Irish Defence Forces have two major generals. They are deputy chiefs of staff with separate responsibility for operations (DCOS Ops) and
Colonel general general. Before 1943, Soviet colonel generals wore four stars on their collar patches (). Since 1943, they have worn three stars on their shoulder straps, so Charles Pettibone compares the rank to the US lieutenant general. The rank still exists in the contemporary Russian Army and Air Force. Unlike the German (which it most probably calqued), the Soviet and Russian colonel general rank is neither an exceptional nor a rare one, as it is a normal step in the "ladder" between a two-star lieutenant general and a four-star army general. Other than that, the Soviet and Russian rank systems sometimes