Last modified: 2025-09-06 by olivier touzeau
Keywords: rank flag |
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When used on a ship, the rank pennants are called marques distinctives (distinguishing pennants). Among them, the Navy distinguishes two sorts of pennants:
- the marques de commandement (command pennant) for the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defense, the Chief of the Defense Staff and the Chief of Staff of the Navy, and Navy officers;
- the marques honorifiques (honour pennants) for important visitors:
the Minister of Overseas Territories, Marshals of France, the General Delegate for Ordinance, the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, general officers of the Army and of the Air Force.
These pennants are all square, and their size shall vary according to the size of the ship flying them.
The marques de commandement shall be flown whenever an officer commanding a naval force gets on board of a ship (or is present in a building of the Navy). If the arriving authority has a higher rank or status than the officer already in place, the former's pennant is lowered in favor to the latter's one.
The marques honorifiques shall be flown only on ships, not on land, and only for official visits. They have no precedence over the marques de commandement, which remain in place.
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015
The tables in the annexes of Instruction n° 77/EMM/PL/ORG relative au cérémonial dans la marine du 27 février 1986, version n° 3 du 6 novembre 2008, give the sizes of naval pennants (for example : aircraft carriers should use that size, frigates this size, and so on).
Corentin Chamboredon , 29 August 2025
New 2024 Regulation: introduction
A new regulation was published in 2024: Instruction n° 849/ARM/SGA/DMCA/SHD/DHS/DSD relative à la symbolique militaire dans les armées et la gendarmerie nationale du 10 avril 2024.
Source: Official bulletin of the Ministry of Armed Forces.
This new regulation gives specifics:
- Annexe I, about
specific pennants intended to mark the function of some commanding officers and placed in their offices or in use during celebrations, (described here).
- Annexe II, about some specific rank flags used on cars or in planes (described below).
The text introduces a pennant for the President of the Republic. This pennant was not listed in the 1963 Regulation.
This is the first regulation for this particular flag (which is there considered a pennant) and it means that this presidential flag shoudn't remain without emblem in the center as it has been de facto since 1995.
Corentin Chamboredon & Olivier Touzeau 12 May & 25 August 2025
According to the Service historique de la Défense, representations are awaited in the autumn 2025 for the pennants mentioned for vehicles and/or aircraftfor the President, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of the Armed Forces in the 2024 regulation.
Olivier Touzeau 14 July 2025
New 2024 Regulation: description and list of pennants
According to the new regulation, these pennants (rank flags) are attached to the left front wing by a 45cm-high removable pole, topped with an 8cm-high golden spearhead, they are 35 x 40cm in size and in the national colors. The obverse and reverse bear the same motifs. The aircraft pennants are identical, but are only displayed during taxiing or when stationary. They are not used on rotary-wing aircraft.
Corentin Chamboredon, 12 May 2025
On these pennants, the gold braid is sewn on the obverse and reverse - these car pennants are quite distinct from the markings worn on warships during official visits.
Olivier Touzeau, 14 July 2025
1963 Regulation
The texts previously in use were the Décision relative aux fanions de voiture, 2 September 1963 and the Décision relative aux fanions sur les aéronefs militaires, 2 September 1963. [Full text translated below]
This regulation did not mention a pennant fort the President of the Republic.
Olivier Touzeau, 25 August 2025
[According to the 1963 regulation:] When used on a car, on in a plane, the rank flags are called fanions d'autorité (authority pennants). They are rectangular (35 cm x 40 cm) and must be flown on a 45 cm staff.
The pennant used by the Prime minister has a golden "galon" (a braid) of 2.4 cm of width; the Minister of Defense's pennant has a galon of 1.6 cm. The latter also has a golden symbol of the French military in the middle of the white stripe. There are three sorts of cravats fixed to the staff:
- tricolor with a golden fringe for the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense;
- white with a golden fringe for Marshals of France, Admirals of France and Commanders in Chief with actual command;
- tricolor without fringe for Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary General for National Defense and Inspector Generals.
General officers' pennants are either a marque de commandement for Naval officers, or have in the white stripe the symbol of their military branch and / or the distinct marks of their ranks in the blue stripe. This last sentence is quite intriguing. Would that mean that general officers of the Army and of the Air Force have both a marque de commandement and a fanion d'autorité? Or is this only the unnoticed remains of older pennants?
People who can have a pennant everywhere are the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, the General Delegate for Ordinance,
Marshals of France and Admirals of France, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, the Chancellor of the Order of Liberation, the Chief of the Defense Staff, the Chief of Staff of the Army, of the Navy and of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff of overseas troops of the Army, the Secretary General for National Defense, Commanders in Chief with actual command, and
Inspector Generals.
People who can have a pennant on the territory under their command are
Commanders in Chief (appointed), Generals and Admirals commanding an army or an independant Naval force, general officers commanding an area, commanding general officers if they are the highest ranked person in an official ceremony.
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015
Gendarmerie nationale has different pennants. While their size is the same as the other fanions d'autorité (40 cm x 35 cm), they are :
- tricolor for généraux de corps d'armée (lieutenant general in other countries);
- scarlet with a thinner white stripe for généraux de division (major general);
- gendarme blue for généraux de brigade (brigadier general).
The obverse o the pennant bears an eight-flame silver grenade, the reverse bears the insignias of the main general staffs.
People who can have a pennant are the Inspector General of the Gendarmerie, the Major General, Deputy Directors of the General Direction of the Gendarmerie, the Technical Inspector, area commanders, commanders of Gendarmerie Schools, commanders of overseas Gendarmerie.
The gendarmerie pennants shall be flown during military ceremonies in military areas, or during public ceremonies but only with a tricolor pennant and independently of the actual rank. The Inspector General of the Gendarmerie can use it everywhere and also has a tricolor cravat without a fringe.
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015
Official texts
Texs repealed:
Information on Navy websites (not online anymore)
Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015 & Olivier Touzeau, 26 August 2025
Translation of the text of the 1963 regulation
During official ceremonies or public parades, the senior civil and military authorities listed in paragraph III will display a tricolor flag in the national colors on their liaison vehicle.
I. Definition of the Pennant
It must meet the following conditions:
In addition, the pennants of the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Armed Forces will be bordered around their entire perimeter by a 2.4 cm wide gold braid for the Prime Minister and 1.6 cm for the Minister of the Armed Forces.
II. Distinctive Symbol Affixed to the Pennant
In the white portion of the pennant intended for the Minister of the
Armed Forces, the symbol of the Armed Forces will be embroidered in
gold. The definition of the symbol of the Armed Forces is provided in
the appendix.
Concerning the Armed Forces, the traditions specific to each force
will be respected. The pennants on the liaison vehicles of the general
officers concerned will therefore bear:
III. Entitlement to the liaison car pennant
The pennant is a command insignia attached to the position and not to
the rank. Consequently, the pennant is reserved for the following
authorities:
3.1 In all locations:
3.2 Within the territory where they exercise their command:
IV. Right to have a cravat
4.1 The tricolor cravat with gold fringes is reserved for:
4.2 The white cravat with gold fringes is reserved for
4.3 The tricolor cravat without fringes is reserved for:
V Application of this Decision
This decision regulates the wearing of car pennants during official
ceremonies and parades of arms held in public. It does not apply to
inspections, parades of arms, or ceremonies of a military nature held
within military grounds or establishments. Nor does it apply to
provisions concerning maneuvers, where the rules in force in each of
the armed forces will continue to be observed.
________
When high-ranking civilian or military officials travel by military air, a pennant is placed on aircraft under the conditions defined by this decision.
I. Definition of the Pennant
The tricolor pennant is of the same model as that used for
automobiles. It measures 35 cm x 40 cm; it is made of synthetic fiber
fabric and has no fringe, cravat, or distinctive symbol. It is carried
by a removable 45 cm pole, ending in a 7 cm high spearhead.
II. Method and Location of Attachment
The pennant holder consists of a metal or plastic tube attached to the
fuselage; the pennant pole is designed to be inserted into this tube.
The attachment location varies depending on the type of aircraft. It
is chosen so that the pennant can be easily attached or removed by one
of the crew members from inside the aircraft. (…) Pennants are not
used on helicopters.
III Conditions of Use
The pennant is flown upon departure or arrival of the aircraft only
when military honors are paid to the VIPs being transported at the
airfield. The normal conditions of use upon departure or arrival are
as follows:
Olivier Touzeau, 29 August 2025