Oberst (German pronunciation: [ˈoːbɐst] ⓘ) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel.

Spelled with a lower case o, or "oberst", it is an adjective, meaning "superior, top, topmost, uppermost, highest, chief, head, first, principal, or supreme".

[citation needed] As a family name, Oberst is common in the southwest of Germany, in the area known as the Black Forest (Schwarzwald).

The name first appeared in the thirteenth century in the German-Swiss border area, and early forms were Zoberist and Oberist.

With the emergence of professional armies in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, an Oberst became the commander of regiment or battalion-sized formations.

[citation needed] By the eighteenth century, Obersten were typically afforded aides or lieutenants, often titled Oberstleutnant.

[6] As part of the Army Reform of 1867, the ranks of Major, Lieutenant colonel were removed, making oberst the only senior officer.

Oberst was in the so-called armed organs of the GDR (German: Bewaffnete Organe der DDR), represented by Ministry of National Defence, and Ministry for State Security, the highest field officer rank, comparable to the colonel in many NATO-Armed forces (Rangcode OF-5).