Major general support (DCOS Sp). Major general in the Indian Army is equivalent to rear admiral in the Indian Navy and air vice marshal in the Indian Air Force the rank is higher than a brigadier and lower than a lieutenant general. In the Indonesian Army and Indonesian Marine Corps the rank "Major general" is known as "Mayor general" or "Mayjen" in short. In the Israel Defense Forces, a major general is called an "aluf" and is the second-highest rank, subordinate to "rav aluf" (lieutenant general or general), the rank held by the chief of staff. In Italy, the equivalent of major
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