Austria's armed forces, the Bundesheer, uses the rank Oberstleutnant as its sixth-highest officer rank. Like in Germany and Switzerland, Oberstleutnants are above Majors and below Obersts. The term also finds usage with the Austrian Bundespolizei (federal police force) and Justizwache (prison guards corps). These two organizations are civilian in nature, but their ranks are nonetheless structured in a military fashion.
The Danish rank of oberstløjtnant is based around the German term.[3] Ranked OF-4 within NATO and having the paygrade of M401,[4] it is used in the Royal Danish Army and the Royal Danish Air Force.
Typically, suffixes can be applied to the word Oberstleutnant to specify the individual type of officer. Retired officers that are not incapacitated (i.e. theoretically available for reactivation) from service continue to use their title with the suffix a.D. (Germany)[5] or aD (Switzerland),[6] an abbreviation of außer Dienst, 'out of service'. Suffixes that specify military specialization in active service include Oberstleutnant i.G. ('im Generalstabsdienst') for general staff officers or Oberstleutnant d.R. ('der Reserve') for reservists. The suffix i.R. ('im Ruhestand'), implying retirement without the legal specification of a.D., is unofficial.
Bundeswehr
The armed forces of West Germany and unified Germany since 1955, the Bundeswehr uses the Oberstleutnant rank in the German Army and German Air Force. Equivalents in the other branches are Fregattenkapitän for the German Navy, Oberfeldarzt for medical staff, Flottillenarzt for naval medical staff, Oberfeldapotheker for apothecary staff, Flottillenapotheker for naval apothecary staff, and Oberfeldveterinär for veterinary medical staff.[7]
Within the German state employee paygrade system, the Oberstleutnant is placed within Besoldungsgruppe A and receives either the A14 or A15 paygrades, depending on individual seniority. Thus, the Oberstleutnant is paid an equivalent wage to that of first-class consuls and legates in the foreign service (A14) or state-employed school directors, ambassadors and general consuls (A15).[8]
The age limit for Oberstleutnant-rank officers is 61.[9]
The Oberstleutnant's shoulder straps in Army and Air Force are marked by two vertically aligned stars above oak leaves.
Army
Luftwaffe
Oberstleutnant i.G. (Gen. staff service)
Oberstleutnant (Army reconnaissance)
Oberstleutnant d.R. (Mech. infantry reserve)
Oberstleutnant (flecktarn)
Oberstleutnant (tropentarn)
Bundesgrenzschutz
The Federal Border Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz) used the rank Oberstleutnant until 1976, after which it was replaced by the terms Polizeioberrat and Polizeidirektor as part of the government's effort to transform West Germany's federal border guard agency into a less militarized structure.[10]
Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS
The Wehrmacht (1935-1945) of Nazi Germany used the rank of Oberstleutnant for Army and Air Force, much in the same style the Bundeswehr does. The Waffen-SS (1933-1945) used the rank Obersturmbannführer as an equivalent.[11]
^Gesetz über die Rechtsstellung der Soldaten (Soldatengesetz - SG) §45 Abs. 2 (3)
^Gesetz über die Personalstruktur des Bundesgrenzschutzes (BGSPersG), Art. 5
^Lucas, James (2001) [1998]. "Anhang I: Gegenüberstellung der Rangbezeichnungen". Handbuch der Wehrmacht 1939-1945: Ein Nachschlagewerk (in German). Translated by Kaspar, Rudolf. Vienna: Tosa Verlag. p. 190.
"Grads-Betegnelserne i Hæren". Danske Soldater (in Danish). 2 (2). 12 February 1935.
Military Committee Land Standardization Board (13 January 2021). STANAG 2116 (7th ed.). NATO Standardization Agency.
Ministry of Defence (9 January 2017). "Historik". forpers.dk (in Danish). Forsvarsministeriets Personalestyrelse. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
Petersen, Karsten Skjold (2014). Kongens klæder - Hærens uniformer og udrustning i Danmark-Norge (in Danish) (1st ed.). Slovenia: Historika. ISBN9788793229006.
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