Major-general (Sri Lanka) Major-general (Sri Lanka) Major general (Maj Gen) is a senior rank in the Sri Lanka Army. The Director of the National Cadet Corps holds the rank of major general. A major general is superior to a brigadier but subordinate to lieutenant general. The rank has a NATO rank code of OF-7, equivalent to a rear-admiral in the Sri Lanka Navy or an air vice-marshal in the Sri Lanka Air Force or the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. The rank insignia is a pip over a crossed sword and baton. From 1958 to 1974, the Commander of the Army held
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