General officer commanding

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General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment.[1]

Thus, a general might be the GOC British II Corps (a three-star appointment) or GOC British 7th Armoured Division (a two-star appointment).

GOC-in-C[]

A general officer heading a particularly large or important command, such as Middle East Command or the Allied Armies in Italy, may be called a General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C). The Governor of the colony of Bermuda was also appointed Commander-in-Chief of the disproportionately-large Bermuda Garrison. From 1912, when Lieutenant-General Sir George Mackworth Bullock replaced the late Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Walter Kitchener, through the Second World War, the military office was titled General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Bermuda.[2] GOC-in-Cs are usually one rank higher than a GOC with GOCs of corps-level formations reporting to them.

Usage in the Indian Army[]

The Army Commanders who head the Training & Operational Commands of the Indian Army hold the title of GOC-in-C.[3] There are seven appointments currently:

  • General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command
  • General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command
  • General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command
  • General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command
  • General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Command
  • General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command
  • General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Army Training Command

Equivalent term in other services[]

The equivalent term for naval officers is (FOC) and that for air force officers is air officer commanding (AOC). In the case of flag and air officers heading a large or important command, the term is flag officer commanding-in-chief (FOC-in-C) and air officer commanding-in-chief (AOC-in-C).

In the United States Armed Forces, the equivalent is commanding general (CG).

References[]

  1. ^ Bowyer, Richard (1999). Dictionary of Military Terms. Taylor & Francis. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-57958-156-5.
  2. ^ HART'S ANNUAL ARMY LIST, SPECIAL RESERVE LIST, AND TERRITORIAL FORCE LIST, FOR 1913,(BEING THE SEVENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL VOLUME). London: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON. 1913. p. 116.
  3. ^ "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in.
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