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For more information on commandant when used as a rank, see Commandant (rank).

Commandant ( /ˌkɒmənˈdɑːnt/ or /ˌkɒmənˈdænt/) is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations. In some non-English speaking countries it may be a military or police title or rank.

India and Pakistan[link]

In the British Indian Army, the commanding officer of a regiment or battalion was called the commandant instead of the CO.

France[link]

In the French Army and French Air Force, the term commandant is used as a rank equivalent to major (NATO rank code OF-3). However, in the French Navy commandant is the style, but not the rank, of the senior officers, specifically capitaine de corvette, capitaine de frégate and capitaine de vaisseau.

South Africa[link]

In South Africa, commandant was the title of the commanding officer of a commando (militia) unit in the 19th and early 20th centuries. From 1950 to 1994 Commandant (rank) was the rank equivilent of lieutenant colonel and commander of a battalion.

Sri Lanka[link]

In Sri Lanka, the Commandant of the Volunteer Force is the head of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. Commandant is also the title used for the commanding officer (one-star rank) of military academies - Sri Lanka Military Academy, Naval and Maritime Academy and Air Force Academy - and the commanding officer (two-star rank) of the Defence Services Command and Staff College. It is also the title of the de-facto vice-chancellor of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, usually an officer of two-star rank.

Colonel-commandant is an honorary post in corps of the army and the Sri Lanka National Guard, similar to that of Colonel of the Regiment found in infantry regiments. The post of centre commandant is the commanding officer of a corps or regiment.

United Kingdom[link]

In the British Armed Forces, a commandant is usually the commanding officer of a training establishment, such as the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst or the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.

Colonel-commandant was an appointment which existed in the British Army between 1922 and 1928, and in the Royal Marines from 1755 to some time after World War II. It replaced brigadier-general in the Army, and was itself replaced by brigadier in both the Army and the Marines. The colonel-commandant is also the ceremonial head of some Army corps and this position is usually held by a senior general.

Commandant was also the appointment, equivalent to commodore, held by the Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service between 1951 and 1993.

United States[link]

In the United States, 'commandant' is an appointment, not a rank, and the following two appointments currently exist:

• Commandant of the Marine Corps
• Commandant of the Coast Guard

Formerly, admirals were appointed as commandants of naval districts.

The commandant is the second most senior officer (after the Superintendent) of United States Service academies, such as The Citadel, West Point, Annapolis, and the United States Air Force Academy, equivalent to the Dean of Students at a civilian college. Commandant is also the title of the commanding officer of many units of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, including the non-commissioned officer academies, whose commandants are typically command sergeants major.

Commandant is also the title of the ranking officer in charge of each War College of the United States military, and is responsible for the administration, academic progress and success of the civilians and military officers assigned to the college. He is a model for all personnel, a military academy graduate of impeccable character and bearing who has demonstrated accomplishment in both academic excellence and active military service in the field. They include the Naval War College, the Air War College, the Army War College, the Marine Corps War College and the National War College.^[1]

The title may also be used for the commander of a unit headquarters, who is usually responsible for administrative matters such as billeting and is called the headquarters commandant; this may also be a duty assigned to a staff officer in large headquarters.

Republic of Ireland[link]

In the Irish Army commandant is the equivalent of major in other armies.

New Zealand[link]

In the New Zealand Defence Force, the term commandant is used for the senior officer (or commander) of garrisonned units that do not deploy and are not operational. This typically includes learning institutes such as the New Zealand Defence College and (formerly) the Command and Staff College. The title could also be used for other non-deploying units such as the Services Corrective Establishment in Burnham, or depot-level engineering units.

The equivalent term for opertaional units is 'commander', such as commander of the Joint Force Headquarters New Zealand.

Under the 2010 creation of the Training and Education Directorate, an additional position of commandant was established for the Training Institute to complement the commandant of the Defence College.

See also[link]

Look up commandant in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Commandant general, in Fascist Italy, was the head of the (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (National Security Volunteer Militia or "Blackshirts"), a position held by Benito Mussolini.

References[link]