Colonel to brigadier
A colonel already meets 70% of what the brigadier role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
31.1/ 100
1 How much of what a brigadier is expected to do is already part of a colonel’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the brigadier role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A brigadier role treats 10 of its required skills as things a colonel already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse potential threats against national security
- defend human rights
- devise military tactics
- ensure compliance with policies
- maintain operational communications
- manage administrative systems
What stands in the way is 3 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A brigadier role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a colonel background worth leading with.
- already held analyse potential threats against national security information skills
- already held defend human rights communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise superiors on military operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor military equipment use information skills
- already held devise military tactics management skills
- already held manage troop deployment management skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 10 the brigadier role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 10 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn manage military logistics required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held set organisational policies optional
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn military logistics required
- optional, not held instruct in military duties optional
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
- optional, not held manage system security optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a brigadier role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure public safety and security practise this
- 02 manage military logistics practise this
- 03 military logistics study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held analyse potential threats against national security skill
- already held defend human rights skill
- already held devise military tactics skill
- already held ensure compliance with policies skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage troop deployment skill
- already held military weaponry knowledge
- already held perform resource planning skill
- already held advise superiors on military operations skill
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held ensure information security skill
- already held military code knowledge
- already held military combat techniques knowledge
- already held monitor military equipment use skill
- already held write situation reports skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held instruct in military duties optional
- optional, not held manage system security optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
- optional, not held set organisational policies optional
11 held skills the brigadier role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role camouflage knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify security threats skill
- not needed by the target role identify terrorism threats skill
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role lead military troops skill
- not needed by the target role manage security clearance skill
- not needed by the target role military drill knowledge
- not needed by the target role train military troops skill
- not needed by the target role use geographic information systems skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn military logistics required
Common questions about this move
Can a colonel become a brigadier?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A colonel already covers 70% of what a brigadier is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 10 of which the brigadier role treats as required.
What skills does a colonel need to become a brigadier?
3 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is ensure public safety and security.
How hard is the move from colonel to brigadier?
Its learning distance is 31.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.