Why Major General is Below Lieutenant General | Army Ranks Explained

One of the most asked questions in Army Ranks discussions is:

“If there is no larger lieutenant, why is there a lieutenant general over a major general?”

At first glance, it looks like a contradiction. Finally, in the Indian Army (and most of the armies of the British military traditions), a Major’s rank is senior to a Lieutenant, and yet a Lieutenant General overhauls a Major General. Confused, right? But this is not a mistake – it is an attractive bizarre of military history.

Let’s clear the confusion once and for all by way of diving into the evolution of military ranks.

Origin of Army Ranks: A Glimpse into History

To understand the modern structure, we need to take a detour back to medieval European armies, where most contemporary military traditions – including those of the Indian Armed Forces – have their roots.

Medieval Command Titles

In the past, commanding an army involved multiple tiers of leadership. These included:

• Captain General – Top commander of the army (like today’s Chief of Army Staff)
• Lieutenant to the Captain General – The second-in-command
• Sergeant Major General – A senior staff officer who handled formations and discipline

Over time, these titles were shortened:

• Captain General became simply General
• Lieutenant to the Captain General became Lieutenant General
• Sergeant Major General became Major General

Notice something interesting? The Major General was originally the Sergeant Major General – a rank below Lieutenant General!

So, despite “Major” sounding senior, the rank Major General originated as a staff assistant rank to the Lieutenant General.

Ranks Progression in the Modern Indian Army

Here’s a simplified comparison to help understand the hierarchy:

Officer Rank (Ascending Order)	Associated Command
Lieutenant	Platoon
Captain	Company
Major	Battalion (Deputy)
Lieutenant Colonel	Battalion
Colonel	Regiment/Brigade Staff
Brigadier	Brigade
Major General	Division
Lieutenant General	Corps/Command
General (COAS)	Army Chief

As seen, Major is a mid-level officer rank, while Major General is a two-star general and Lieutenant General is a three-star general. The confusion arises only because we tend to isolate “Major” and “Lieutenant” from their historical compound designations.

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Why It Still Makes Sense Today

1. Historical Continuity

Even though the original structure has faded, armies preserve the historical naming conventions. Rank names are part of a legacy system that brings structure, tradition, and international alignment.

2. Functional Roles Over Titles

Ranks today are more about responsibility than semantics. A Major General commands a division of soldiers, near about twenty to thirty thousand, while a Lieutenant General leads a core (more than eighty thousand soldiers). The size, scope, and strategic importance of these units reflect seniority, not the literal meaning of the title.

3. Rank Abbreviations Help

In modern usage:

• Major (Maj) is a field officer.
• Major General (MG) is a senior general officer.
• Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) is senior to both.

This system also exists across many armies worldwide: the UK, the US, Pakistan, Canada, etc.

Our Selections:

How This Impacts Military Exams and Aspirants

If you’re preparing for UPSC CDS, NDA, or AFCAT, this is a high-yield topic that frequently appears in defence-related current affairs and general knowledge sections.

Knowing this helps you:

• Score in SSB interviews when asked about the military structure
• Improve written answers in defence essays and psychology tests
• Understand the organisational hierarchy in group discussions

Conclusion

Therefore, to pack it in-yes, “Major” may be over “Lieutenant” in junior stretches, but the General Server is a historical contraction of Major General, who was always a junior role for Lieutenant, known to the Captain General.

When you remember that the confusion disappears, these compounds are historical titles, not comparable to the single-word ranking as a major or lieutenant.

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