Lieutenant General

(Redirected from Brigadier General)
Inner Sphere Military Ranks
Enlisted
Field Officer
General Officer
For specific ranks see Military Ranks

A Lieutenant General (sometimes Brigadier General) is the first of the general officer ranks in most of the Inner Sphere militaries. Typically a Lieutenant General commands multiple regiment formations, brigades, or divisions.

SLDF[edit]

In the SLDF a Lieutenant General commanded Regimental Combat Teams and Brigades. On occasion, an extremely skilled Lieutenant General would command a Division. Lieutenant Generals in the SLDF needed excellent administrative and strategic command skills since they commanded a large formation. A Lieutenant General wore a single three dimensional star as insignia.[1]

After the formation of the Second Star League, the commanding officer of the Eridani Light Horse brigade was promoted from Brevet General to Lieutenant General.[2]

The Star League Navy's equivalent rank was Rear Admiral. They used a single stripe on their jacket cuff as their rank insignia. Usually a Rear Admiral commanded an SLDF fleet or shipyard.[1]

SLDF Rank insignia
Rank Insignia
Lieutenant General SLDF-LieutenantGeneral.png

Lyran Commonwealth and Lyran Alliance[edit]

In the LCAF a Leutnant-General was an aide to one of the Military District commanders. They were responsible for overseeing the support, garrison, and reserve units in their District. Following the introduction of RCTs into the LCAF, Leutnant-Generals typically commanded that formation.

Leutnant-General was also the lowest rank required to assume command of an entire LCAF service branch, like Military Intelligence, Quartermaster Corps, or the Strategy and Tactics Division.[3]

The equivalent rank in the Alliance Navy is Leutnant-Kommodore.

LAAF Military Rank Insignia
Rank Insignia
Leutnant-General
Leutnant-Kommodore
LeutnantGeneralLAAF.png

Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery[edit]

In the DCMS a Lieutenant General is known as a Sho-sho, which is sometimes translated to Brigadier General. The corresponding naval rank used by the Draconis Combine Admiralty is Cho-sho or Commodore.

DCMS Officer Ranks by branch of service
Rank MechWarrior Aerospace pilot Infantry Armor Artillery Naval crew Technical
Service
Sho-sho
(Brigadier General)
Cho-sho
(Commodore)
Shosho-mech.png Shosho-asf.png Shosho-infantry.png Shosho-armor.png Shosho-artillery.png Shosho-naval.png Shosho-tech.png

Armed Forces of the Federated Suns[edit]

A high officer rank in the AFFS, the use of "Leftenant" is unique to the AFFS. Leftenant General was created in 2953 in order to differentiate between field and administrative staff.[4] Later, they were in charge of infantry and armor brigades.[5]

During the Federated Commonwealth's existence, Leftenant General was the equivalent of Colonel, despite the latter rank already existing in both the Federated and Lyran militaries.

AFFS officers used epaulettes with two broad bands and one narrow band across the base as their rank insignia. This insignia is also used by the AFFS Navy for Rear Admirals.

AFFS Leftenant General insignia by branch of service
Rank MechWarrior Aerospace pilot Infantry Armor Naval crew Technical
Service
Administrative Medical Legal Logistics/
Transportation
Leftenant General
(Rear Admiral)
LeftenantGeneralMW.png LeftenantGeneralASF.png LeftenantGeneralInf.png LeftenantGeneralarmor.png LeftenantGeneralnaval.png LeftenantGeneraltech.png LeftenantGeneraladmin.png LeftenantGeneralmedical.png LeftenantGenerallegal.png LeftenantGenerallogistics.png

Capellan Confederation Armed Forces[edit]

This rank is not used by the CCAF.

Free Worlds League Military[edit]

This rank isn't used in the FWLM. Prior to the secession of the Duchy of Andurien, the rank of Lieutenant General was primarily a political ranking. In the Duchy, the Oath Edict of 2914 allowed any prominent landowner to become a general regardless of previous military experience. These political appointees almost never took the field, and the vast majority never reached the rank of Major General.[6]

After Thomas Marik's military reforms, the rank was eliminated completely.[7]

The Clans[edit]

The Clans do not use this rank. Depending on the branch of service, warrior caste members at this level are either Galaxy Commanders or Star Admirals.

ComStar/Word of Blake[edit]

This rank is not used by the Com Guards or Word of Blake Militia.

Periphery Powers[edit]

Taurian Defense Force[edit]

In the Taurian Defense Force, a Comptroller commands a 'Mech regiment with permanently assigned conventional supporting forces, or among conventional forces commands a multi-world military district. Comptrollers also serve as administrative aides to Marshals. In the TDF Navy this rank is known as Commodore and is in command of a demi-squadron of naval vessels.[8][9][10]

Their rank insignia consists of a stylized Taurian bull head created from a gold ring with two "horns" on either side.

Taurian Defense Force Insignia
Rank Insignia
Comptroller TaurianConcordat-Comptroller.png

Hanseatic League[edit]

In the Hanseatic League, each Regional Defense Forces unit is commanded by a Captain-General, a post which is both mercantile and martial in nature. There are seven Captain-Generals, each in charge of a Regional Defense Forces and one for the Reserve Fleet. Funding for Hanseatic units is uncertain, but Captain-Generals generally receive a percentage (or tithe) of the profits made by merchants operating within their jurisdiction. Effectively, Hanseatic units (and their commanding officers) can be "starved" out of existence in response to offenses, but at the danger of leaving Hanseatic territory ungarrisoned.[11][12]

Umayyad Caliphate[edit]

In the Umayyad Caliphate this rank name is called Atabeg.[12]

Umayyad Caliphate Insignia
Rank Insignia
Atabeg

Castilian Principalities[edit]

In the Nueva Castile state this rank name is called Príncipe.[12]

Nueva Castile Insignia
Rank Insignia
Príncipe

Notes[edit]

  • Ranks, when not preceding a name, are not capitalized.[13]
Ex: The major stood and rendered a salute to General DeChavilier.
  • Non-English ranks, with the exception of those used by the Federated Suns or Lyrans, are italicized.[13]


References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Star League, p. 112: "Lieutenant General"
  2. Field Manual: ComStar[citation needed]
  3. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 119
  4. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 126: "Leftenant General"
  5. Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 28
  6. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 86: "General"
  7. Field Manual: Free Worlds League[citation needed]
  8. The Periphery, p. 74
  9. Field Manual: Periphery, p. 54
  10. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 112
  11. Field Manual: Periphery, pp. 135–136: "Structure"
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Field Manual: Periphery, p. 14: "Periphery Comparative Rank Table"
  13. 13.0 13.1 Per Line Developer Ray Arrastia, 02Aug2022 (screencap)

Bibliography[edit]