Commandant (/ˌkɒmənˈdɑːnt/ or /ˌkɒmənˈdænt/) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police rank. It is also often used to refer to the commander of a military prison or prison camp (including concentration camps and prisoner of war camps).
In the French Army and French Air Force, the term commandant is used as a rank equivalent to major (NATO rank code OF-3). However, in the French Navy commandant is the style, but not the rank, of the senior officers, specifically capitaine de corvette, capitaine de frégate and capitaine de vaisseau.
In the British Indian Army, the commanding officer of an infantry battalion or cavalry regiment was known as the commandant. Commanding officers of each battalion in Central Armed Police Forces (BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB) and among two of the three Indian paramilitary forces (ICG, AR) are also designated as commandant (senior superintendent rank).
The Indian Army also used the appointment of colonel-commandant between 1922 and 1928 in the same way as the British Army.
In the Irish Army, commandant is the equivalent of major in other armies. Irish Army commandants can sometimes be referred to as major if serving overseas under the umbrella of the United Nations, NATO or the European Union to alleviate misunderstanding.