# Military Ranks in Other Countries **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2019, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514 "2019-08-31T06:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/41 "2019-09-02T08:18:05Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Agreed, the only novelty here is that it’s a _female_ consort being given an honorary military rank. That’s unusual in Europe, though in the UK various female royals were given honorary ranks in the women’s military branches when they were first established (& the future Queen Elizabeth II actually served in one). In the UK at any rate, the practice of giving female royals honorary military ranks is not confined to women’s branches of the service, and started long before there were any women’s branches. For example Princess Louise, the eldest daughter of Edward VIII, was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 7th Dragoon Guards in 1914. George V’s daughter Mary became Colonel-in-Chief of the The Royal Scots in 1918 (and of several other regiments in later years). And I believe the practice of appointing female royals as colonels-in-chief was also followed in other European monarchies. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/42 "2019-09-02T08:53:05Z")
> [@Tomyros](#): > > Alexander the Great was an ancient Macedonian ruler and one of history’s greatest military minds who, as King of Macedonia and Persia, established the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. > > He died aged 33 years. Even in the 20th Century, Yitzhak Rabin made Major General at 32, although by that point he was the veteran of two wars with dozens of successful operations under his belt, and not some king’s side piece. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/43 "2019-09-02T12:00:39Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Agreed, the only novelty here is that it’s a _female_ consort being given an honorary military rank. That’s unusual in Europe, though in the UK various female royals were given honorary ranks in the women’s military branches when they were first established (& the future Queen Elizabeth II actually served in one). Not directly relevant, but my older sister is a Kentucky Colonel. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/44 "2019-09-02T17:01:07Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Eh… perhaps, but something tells me her story is probably more Prince Philip (he’s been [styled as Admiral of the Fleet](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_titles_and_honours_of_Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh#Naval_ranks_and_appointments) and entitled to wear the uniform since he was in his early thirties, even though he was only really a junior officer in the Navy up until his marriage to then Princess Elizabeth), and less George Armstrong Custer, even if she wasn’t “officially” a concubine before she became a Major General. > > The best I can say is that her rank is no less bizarre than the various honors the British bestow upon their royal family, but I doubt very much it came strictly through merit. The British royalty have honorary ranks in addition to whatever ranks they received in their actual military service. It’s a PR thing and everybody knows it. They are not expected to actually give orders. The royals have to give up actual military service if the circumstances demand it. Once Philip got married, he had to leave the service and do the consort thing. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/45 "2019-09-02T18:56:41Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Not directly relevant, but my older sister is a Kentucky Colonel. Hey, me too! ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/46 "2019-09-03T00:55:47Z")
> [@Tomyros](#): > > Alexander the Great was an ancient Macedonian ruler and one of history’s greatest military minds who, as King of Macedonia and Persia, established the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. > > He died aged 33 years. But, with inflation, that’s like 75 these days ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/47 "2019-09-03T01:35:20Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > The British royalty have honorary ranks in addition to whatever ranks they received in their actual military service. It’s a PR thing and everybody knows it. They are not expected to actually give orders. > > The royals have to give up actual military service if the circumstances demand it. Once Philip got married, he had to leave the service and do the consort thing. Nitpick: Philip continued his naval career for several years after his marriage, and his wife did the dutiful thing and came with him on his overseas posting (in Malta). It was only when Princess Elizabeth had to return to the UK to assist with royal duties, due to the declining health of the King, that he gave up his naval career; that was about four years after the marriage. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/48 "2019-09-03T07:17:15Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Here are her dates of rank per Wiki > > > [@](#): > > > > 1 October 2008: Second Lieutenant[11] > > 1 November 2010: First Lieutenant[12] > > 1 September 2015: Major[13] > > 31 December 2016: Colonel[14] > > 24 May 2019: Major-General[15] > > Uptil being promoted to Colonel, seems to have been more as less in the ordinary course. Which makes me wonder, is she still an active duty officer, or is it a promotion like that of the British Royal Family, an honorary one. So… She’s the very model of a modern major general? 😛 Wouldn’t be the first individual granted a rank for reasons other than military proficiency, anyway. Although I would imagine that, during official interactions with officers of other militaries, her counterparts would give her the consideration and respect due to her rank (independently of what they themselves thought in private about her rank). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/49 "2019-09-03T09:09:24Z")
I’d say that prior to her current status, military officers of other countries likely had no idea of how and when she got her promotions and they simply worked with her as they would with any other ranking officer of an allied nation. That’s assuming she did have such interactions during the course of her career. Now that she is an official consort (what happened to the queen?), she’s probably not going to be doing her military job anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/50 "2019-09-03T09:16:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > (what happened to the queen?) She’s still queening along, I presume. Possibly regretting her life choices. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/51 "2019-09-03T12:04:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Now that she is an official consort (what happened to the queen?), she’s probably not going to be doing her military job anymore. The queen is still the queen. Some Thai kings have had dozens of official consorts. Just not modern ones. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/52 "2019-09-03T13:38:48Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I hear Caligula’s horse was an excellent consul. Before he ascended the throne, the Crown Prince made another… interesting military appointment: [Fufu (dog) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fufu_(dog)) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/53 "2019-09-03T15:03:11Z")
> [@Tomyros](#): > > Alexander the Great was an ancient Macedonian ruler and one of history’s greatest military minds who, as King of Macedonia and Persia, established the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. > > He died aged 33 years. I was talking about contemporary generals, not people from 2300 years ago. The youngest generals in WWII were around 33-37, and they were extreme rarities due to wartime needs. I suspect in modern peacetime militaries, the very earliest someone could attain flag rank is probably late forties/early fifties. Either way, it’s safe to say that the particular Thai General we’re talking about is more of a honorary position. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/54 "2019-09-03T19:28:48Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Youth and inexperience is one thing, but if you can show me a cite where a man’s supermodel good looks were deemed relevant to his ability to lead an organization I’d love to see it. You’re rather unfamiliar with US Election coverage, I see. Start with Maureen Dowd and work your way along… ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/55 "2019-09-03T19:41:59Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > You’re rather unfamiliar with US Election coverage, I see. Start with Maureen Dowd and work your way along… Could you link to a specific article of hers? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/56 "2019-10-22T13:51:44Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > …This past week, the King of Siam had a big ceremony making his mistress, Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, an official [Royal Consort](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/thai-royal-what-is-consort-polygamy-878235/). She is 34 and has [supermodel good looks](https://bangkokjack.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/consort.jpg). She’s also a Major General in the Thai army… So much for that. Of course, His Majesty could change his mind in another month or two: [https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/22/asia/thai-king-royal-consort-intl-hnk-scli/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/22/asia/thai-king-royal-consort-intl-hnk-scli/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/57 "2019-10-22T14:29:54Z")
Fourth wife? And public consorts in addition? Makes Prince Charles look like a slacker. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/58 "2019-10-22T14:55:37Z")
This seems to be a zombie thread. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/59 "2019-10-22T15:06:45Z")
If the King appointed a sexy zombie to the Thai General Staff, I can’t say I’d be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514/60 "2019-10-22T22:11:44Z")
I suspect several nations’ militaries have contained officers who inherited, bought, or fucked their way to commissions, some of very high rank. Other nations may have been or are led by nominally low-ranking troops, like a Flight Lieutenant. And haven’t more than one sergeant crowned themselves Emperor? As for zombies taking power, well, that gets into current politics… :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-ranks-in-other-countries/839514.md?page=2)