Major-general (United Kingdom) of the Royal Army Chaplains Department, the Chaplain-General, and similar appointments, were accorded 'the relative precedence' - that is to say the equivalence rather than the full powers and authority - of the rank of major-general. The Commandant General Royal Marines has held the rank of major general since 1996, when the post was downgraded from lieutenant general. As in the British Army, a Royal Marine major general ranks below lieutenant general and above brigadier. From its foundation on 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force (RAF) briefly maintained the rank of major-general. The service was
Major general used as a rank in the Portuguese military, but as an appointment title conferred to the general officer that acted as the military head of a service branch. The roles of Major-General of the Navy ("Major-General da Armada") and Major-General of the Army ("Major-General do Exército") became extinct in 1950, with their roles being unified in the then created Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. In the Russian Army, the rank "Major general" is known as "Генера́л-майо́р". In Somalia, major general is used within the Somali Armed Forces (SAF) for the highest-ranking military official. In Sweden, the