General Staff
The General Staff is a high-level umbrella organization of the Imperial Guard dedicated to command and planning beyond the Regimental level.[1]
Overview
The General Staff of the Imperial Guard is not a coherent organisation; the term is principally used to describe all officers who serve in the command echelons above those of regimental level. Most commanding officers in the staff category carry some form of General's rank, but more junior officers can also be found in the General Staff; they are drawn from regiments to act as aides and administrative assistants. They do not exercise individual authority and merely act as conduits between their superiors and other officers. A position common in the General Staff is that of Imperial Tactician, a non-command rank that nevertheless is vital.[1b] Trained staff officers, Tacticians help to devise and organise battle plans and strategy.[1a] The Lord General is the highest rank available inside the General Staff, and one with a multitude of official designations.[2]
According to another source, a General staff is formed around a Lord General Militant (or equivalent) and consists of the Lord Marshal, Captain-General and Lord Castellan and the Staff Officers of Ranks from General to Lieutenant.[2][3]
Thus the place of the General Staff members within the hierarchy is given as follows (from highest to lowest):[2]
- Warmaster
- Lord General
- General
- Marshal
- Lieutenant General
- Major General
- Colonel
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Major
- Captain
- Lieutenant
Sources
- 1: First and Only (Novel)
- 2: The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer, pg. 31
- 3: Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg.9
