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
Brigadier general rank. The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field. The rank name "général de brigade", (which translates as "brigade general"), was first used in the French revolutionary armies. In the first quarter of the 20th century, British and Commonwealth armies used the rank of brigadier general as a temporary appointment, or as an honorary appointment on retirement; in the 1920s this practice changed to the use of brigadier, which was not classed as a general officer. Some armies, such as Taiwan and