Air commodore is never shortened to Commodore, which is a rank in various naval forces. Air commodore is a one-star rank and the most junior air officer rank, being immediately senior to group captain and immediately subordinate to air vice-marshal. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6 and is equivalent to a commodore in the Royal Navy or a brigadier in the British Army or the Royal Marines. Unlike these two ranks, however, it has always been a substantive rank. Additionally, air commodores have always been considered to be air officers whilst Royal Navy commodores have not since the Napoleonic Wars
James Fanshawe (Royal Navy officer) James Fanshawe (Royal Navy officer) Commodore James Fanshawe CBE (born 1953) is a retired Royal Navy officer. Fanshawe has been Chairman of numerous organisations since his retirement in 2005. Fanshawe joined the Royal Navy in 1970 and rose to the rank of Commodore, notably commanding HMS Hurworth, HMS Cleopatra, HMS Fearless, UK Task Group and the Devonport Flotilla. He was Commander of the Coalition Maritime Component in the Middle East and Director of Plans at Permanent Joint Headquarters. He notably planned evacuation and stabilisation operations in Sierra Leone in 2000 which were central to Operation Palliser; he also took control