Sergeant major general general appeared to create a precedence issue, in that a major outranks a lieutenant but a lieutenant general outranks a major general. This continues to cause confusion to those unfamiliar with the history of the rank, particularly in those armies using insignia similar to the British Army. The rank is sometimes used by paramilitary organizations such as militias. Sergeant major general Sergeant major general is a now mostly extinct military rank. A prominent example was Philip Skippon in the English New Model Army as organized by Oliver Cromwell. Over the course of the 17th century, the increasing professionalisation of armies
Major general a variety of staff positions. The professional head of the Royal Marines currently holds the rank of major-general. From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the rank of major-general. It was superseded by the rank of air vice-marshal on the following day. Major-general is equivalent to rear admiral in the Royal Navy and air vice-marshal in the Royal Air Force. In the United States Army, a major general (MG) typically commands a division of 10,000–20,000 soldiers and is capable of fully independent field operations. They may also serve as deputy commanders in 3-star commands