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{{short description|Basic Command Officer: i.e., a 'One Star' General (Army/Air Corps) or 'Commodore' (Navy)}}
{{Military ranks}}
A '''flag officer''' is a [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officer]] in a nation's [[armed forces]] senior enough to be entitled to fly a [[flag]] to mark the position from which the officer exercises command.

The term is used differently in different countries:

*In many countries, a flag officer is a senior officer of the [[navy]], specifically those who hold any of the [[admiral]] ranks; the term may or may not include the [[Military rank|rank]] of [[Commodore (rank)|commodore]].
*In some countries, such as the [[United States]], [[India]], and [[Bangladesh]] it may apply to all [[armed forces]], not just the navy. This means generals can also be considered flag officers.
*In most Arab armies, ''liwa'' (Arabic: لواء), which can be translated as flag officer, is a specific rank, equivalent to a [[major general]]. However, "[[Ensign (rank)|ensign]]" is debatably a more exact translation of the word. In principle, a flag officer commands several units called "flags" (or "ensigns") (i.e. brigades).

==General usage==
The generic title of flag officer is used in many modern navies and [[coast guard]]s to denote those who hold the rank of [[rear admiral]] or its equivalent and above, also called "flag ranks". In some navies, this also includes the rank of [[Commodore (rank)|commodore]]. Flag officer corresponds to the generic terms [[General|general officer]], used by land and some air forces to describe all grades of generals, and [[air officer]], used by other air forces to describe all grades of [[air marshals]] and [[air commodores]].

A flag officer sometimes is a [[junior officer]], called a [[flag lieutenant]] or [[flag adjutant]], attached as a personal [[adjutant]] or [[aide-de-camp]].

==Canada==
In the [[Canadian Armed Forces]], a flag officer ([[French language|French]]: ''officier général'', "general officer") is an [[admiral]], [[vice admiral]], [[rear admiral]], or [[Commodore_(Canada)|commodore]], the naval equivalent of a [[general officer]] of the army or air force. It is a somewhat counterintuitive usage of the term, as only flag officers in command of commands or formations actually have their own flags (technically a commodore has only a [[broad pennant]], not a flag), and army and air force generals in command of commands or formations also have their own flags, but are not called flag officers. Base commanders, usually full [[colonel]]s, have a pennant that flies from the mast or flagpole on the base, when resident, or on vehicles that carry them.<ref>Canada – National Defence: A-AD-200-000/AG-000 The Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces, Chapter 14, Section 3.</ref>

A flag officer's rank is denoted by a wide strip of gold braid on the cuff of the service dress tunic, one to four gold [[maple leaves]] over a crossed sword and baton, all beneath a royal crown, on [[epaulette]]s and [[Shoulder mark|shoulder board]]s; and two rows of gold oak leaves on the peak of the service cap.<ref>Canada - National Defence: "[http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/acf-apfc/Insig/navy-marine-eng.asp#gen/ Navy Rank and Appointment Insignia: Navy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814055417/http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/acf-apfc/Insig/navy-marine-eng.asp |date=2011-08-14 }}"</ref> Since the [[unification of the Canadian Forces]] in 1968, a flag officer's dress tunic had a single broad stripe on the sleeve and epaulettes.

In May 2010 the naval uniform dark dress tunic was adjusted—exterior epaulettes were removed, reverting to the sleeve ring and [[executive curl]]-rank insignia used by most navies. [[Commodore (rank)|commodore]]s' uniforms display a broad stripe, and each succeeding rank receives an additional sleeve ring. There are no epaulettes on the exterior of the tunic, but they are still worn on the uniform shirt underneath.<ref>Note: The referenced website, above, has not yet been updated to reflect the change as of July 9, 2010.</ref>

==India==
{{see also|Indian Armed Forces rank flags}}
In the [[Indian Armed Forces]], it is applied to [[Brigadier (India)|brigadier]]s, [[Major general (India)|major general]]s, [[Lieutenant general (India)|lieutenant general]]s and [[General (India)|general]]s in the [[Indian Army|Army]]; [[Commodore (India)|commodores]], [[Rear admiral (India)|rear admiral]]s, [[Vice Admiral (India)|vice admiral]]s and [[Admiral (India)|admiral]]s in the [[Indian Navy|Navy]]; and [[Air commodore (India)|air commodore]]s, [[Air vice marshal (India)|air vice marshal]]s, [[Air marshal (India)|air marshal]]s and [[Air chief marshal (India)|air chief marshal]]s in the [[Indian Air Force|Air Force]]. Each of these flag officers are designated with a specific flag. India's honorary ranks ([[five star rank]]s) are [[Field marshal (India)|field marshal]] in the Army, [[Marshal of the Indian Air Force]] in the Air Force and [[admiral of the fleet]] in the Navy. A similar equivalence is applied to senior police officers of rank [[Deputy inspector general of police|Deputy Inspector General (DIG)]], [[Inspector general|Inspector General (IG)]], [[Additional director general of police|Additional Director General (ADG)]] and [[Director general of police|Director General (DG)]].

==United Kingdom==
In the United Kingdom, the term is only used for the [[Royal Navy]], with there being a more specific distinction being between a "flag officer" and an "officer of flag rank". Formerly, all officers promoted to flag rank were considered to be "flag officers".<ref>See e.g.''King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions Volume I 1913.'', §192</ref> The term is still widely used to refer to any officer of flag rank. Present usage is that [[Rear admiral (Royal Navy)|rear admirals]] and above are officers of flag rank, but only those officers who are authorised to fly a flag are formally called "flag officers" and have different flags for different ranks of [[Admiral (United Kingdom)|admiral]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/brd2/brd_2_book.pdf?la=en-gb&hash=F885CC19F9BA23B8BE3A9E1DE0E25CA8 |title=BRd 2 THE QUEEN'S REGULATIONS FOR THE ROYAL NAVY Version 5 |author= |date=1 April 2017 |website=royalnavy.mod.uk |publisher=UK Defence Council |access-date=9 November 2020 |quote=Flag Officer. An officer of the rank of Rear-Admiral or above. |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109072148/https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/brd2/brd_2_book.pdf?la=en-gb&hash=F885CC19F9BA23B8BE3A9E1DE0E25CA8 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Of the 39 officers of flag rank in the Royal Navy in 2006, very few were "flag officers" with entitlement to fly a flag. For example, a [[Commander-in-Chief Fleet]] flies an admiral's flag whether ashore or afloat and is a "flag officer". The chief of staff (support), a rear admiral, is not entitled to fly a flag and is an "officer of flag rank" rather than a "flag officer". [[List of fleets and major commands of the Royal Navy]] lists most admirals who were "flag officers". A flag officer's junior officer is often known as "Flags".{{citation needed|date=June 2014}} Flag Officers in the Royal Navy are considered as Rear-Admirals and above.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/brd2/brd_2_book.pdf?la=en-gb&hash=F885CC19F9BA23B8BE3A9E1DE0E25CA8 |title=BRd 2 THE QUEEN'S REGULATIONS FOR THE ROYAL NAVY Version 5 |author= |date=1 April 2017 |website=royalnavy.mod.uk |publisher=UK Defence Council |access-date=9 November 2020 |quote=Flag Officer. An officer of the rank of Rear-Admiral or above. |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109072148/https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/brd2/brd_2_book.pdf?la=en-gb&hash=F885CC19F9BA23B8BE3A9E1DE0E25CA8 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Equivalent ranks in the [[British Army]] and [[Royal Marines]] are called [[general officer]] rather than flag officers, and those in the [[Royal Air Force]] (as well as the rank of [[air commodore]]) are called [[air officer]]s, although all are entitled to fly flags of rank.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

==United States==

{{See also|Admiral (United States)#History}}
Captain was the highest rank in the [[United States Navy]] from its beginning in 1775 until 1857, when [[United States Congress|Congress]] created the temporary rank of flag officer, which was bestowed on senior Navy [[Captain (United States O-6)|captains]] who were assigned to lead a squadron of vessels in addition to command of their own ship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/w/naval-traditions-names-of-rank/officer/navy-captain.html|title=Naval History and Heritage Command - Navy Captain|website=History.navy.mil|date=13 May 2014|access-date=8 June 2016|archive-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023223349/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/w/naval-traditions-names-of-rank/officer/navy-captain.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This temporary usage gave way to the permanent ranks of commodore and rear admiral in 1862.

The term "flag officer" is still in use today, explicitly defined as an officer of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard serving in or having the grade of admiral, vice admiral, rear admiral, or rear admiral (lower half),<ref name=code>{{Cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/101- |title=§101 of Title 10, US Code on law.cornell.edu |access-date=2017-05-09 |archive-date=2023-03-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324122438/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/101 |url-status=live }}</ref> equivalent to general officers of an army.

[[File:Flag of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army.svg|thumb|The flag of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army]]
In the United States [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], the term "flag officer" generally is applied to all general officers authorized to fly their own [[Flags of the United States Armed Forces#Personal flags|command flags]]—i.e., [[brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], or pay grade O-7, and above.<ref name="GENERAL AND FLAG OFFICER AUTHORIZATIONS FOR THE ACTIVE AND RESERVE COMPONENTS: A COMPARATIVE AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS">{{cite web|last1=Offenhauer|first1=Priscilla|title=General and flag officer authorizations for the active and reserve components: A comparative and historical analysis|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/CNGR_General-Flag-Officer-Authorizations.pdf|publisher=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, December 2007|access-date=15 August 2015|archive-date=7 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807062743/http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/CNGR_General-Flag-Officer-Authorizations.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Kapp, Lawrence. [https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44389.pdf General and Flag Officers in the U.S. Armed Forces: Background and Considerations for Congress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611145129/http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44389.pdf |date=2016-06-11 }}, Congressional Research Service, February 18, 2016.</ref> As a matter of law, [[Title 10 of the United States Code]] makes a distinction between general officers and flag officers (general officer for the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force; flag officer for the Navy and Coast Guard).<ref name=code/> Non-naval officers usually fly their flags from their headquarters, vessels, or vehicles, typically only for the most senior officer present.<ref>[http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r840_10.pdf Army Regulation 840-10, Flags, Guidons, Streamers, Tabards, and Automobile and Aircraft Plates] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607221710/http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r840_10.pdf |date=2010-06-07 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Flags_Guidons/GeneralOfficerFlags.htm Department of the Army Institute of Heraldry website on General Officer Flags] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614035611/http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Flags_Guidons/GeneralOfficerFlags.htm |date=2008-06-14 }}</ref>

In the United States all flag and general officers must be nominated by the [[President of the United States|President]] and confirmed by the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. Each subsequent promotion requires renomination and re-approval. For the Navy, each flag officer assignment is usually limited to a maximum of two years, followed by either reassignment, reassignment and promotion, or retirement.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://doni.daps.dla.mil/Directives/01000%20Military%20Personnel%20Support/01-300%20Assignment%20and%20Distribution%20Services/1300.15A.PDF |title=Chief of Naval Operations. Navy Military Personnel Assignment Policy, 2006, pg 6 |access-date=2013-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224112019/https://doni.daps.dla.mil/Directives/01000%20Military%20Personnel%20Support/01-300%20Assignment%20and%20Distribution%20Services/1300.15A.PDF |archive-date=2013-02-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20001018180251/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%5Eranks.html Compared US Armed Forces Flag Officer Personal Rank Flags]

{{Military ranks by country}}
{{Star officer ranks}}
{{Highest Military Ranks}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Flags|Officer]]
[[Category:Military ranks]]
[[Category:Military terminology]]

Flag officer - Revision history

Rajeev Menon: slightly improved formatting to improve readability and cleaned formatting as per guidelines

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article