Shoulder Boards French Gendarmerie Nationale "Lieutenant"

In the French National Gendarmerie, ranks are displayed on shoulder badges (also called fourreaux d'épaule or passants). Because the Gendarmerie has military status, these badges follow a hierarchy similar to that of the French Army, but with specific color codes to distinguish the different branches.

Color Codes and Branches

The most important distinction on the passants is the color of the braid (stripes):

• Gendarmerie Départementale (GD): Uses white (silver) braid on a black background. These units are responsible for general policing in rural areas.
• Gendarmerie Mobile (GM) & Garde Républicaine: Use yellow (gold) braid. The GM focuses primarily on public order and crowd control. Most Common Ranks on Passanten

The following are the most common rank insignia as seen on the shoulder passanten:

Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs):

• Gendarme: One silver (GD) or gold (GM) braid.
• Maréchal des Logis-Chef: Three braid.
• Adjutant: One braid (silver for GD, gold for GM) with a thin red line in the middle.
• Major: The highest NCO rank, recognizable by a thick braid with a thin contrasting line and an additional thin stripe above.

Officers (Officiers):

• Lieutenant: Two braid.
• Capitaine: Three braid.
• Commandant (Chef d'escadron): Four braid.
• Lieutenant-Colonel: Five braids, alternating gold and silver (for example, 3 gold / 2 silver for the GM).
• Colonel: Five braids of the same color (all silver for GD, gold for GM).