General (United States)
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- Please see "General" for other countries which use this rank
General is the most senior rank currently used in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps. It is designated O-10 on the military pay scale. Often known as a four-star general or full general, Generals command major areas of responsibility and hold the highest of military positions in the Department of Defense. Because the "five star" and "six star" general ranks are reserved for war time use and special honors (George Washington and John Pershing) respectively, the rank of a four-star general is considered to be the highest promotion possible in the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
"General" may also be used in conversation with lower ranking grades, such as Lieutenant Generals and Major Generals, in lieu of using the complete titles with prefix. The different ranks of general are identified by the number of stars worn: a General of the Army (not used since World War II) wears five stars, a General four stars, a Lieutenant General three stars, a Major General two stars, and a Brigadier General one star.
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[edit] History
The first Generals in American History were those appointed by the Continental Congress to lead the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Such Generals were normally distinguished community leaders and statesmen, with several having served as provincial officers in the British Army.
Continental Army Generals were divided into two grades being that of Brigadier General and Major General. The insignia for such generals was one or two stars worn on a golden epaulet. While there were some Generals who were promoted to the grade from the Colonel ranks, most held their ranks by initial appointment and then with such appointment at the pleasure of the Congress, to be expired or revoked at the end of a particular campaign.
The system of holding a General’s rank by appointment alone, accompanied by little or no pay, led some Continental Generals to seek to hold their rank through glorious battles. Others became disenchanted with what was being asked of them, only to face the possibility of losing their rank as the result of an unsuccessful battle. Benedict Arnold was the ultimate extreme of an American General turned bad.
George Washington was the highest ranking officer of the Revolutionary War and wore three stars on his epaulets, holding the title “General and Commander-in-Chief”. After the Revolutionary War, he was listed as a Lieutenant General on the Army rolls until his death. He would later be posthumously promoted to the rank of General of the Armies.
After the Revolutionary War, the tiny United States Army at first had no active duty Generals. The highest post in the Army was Commanding General of the United States Army; which was held by the senior Major General on the Army rolls. The position was abolished at the start of the 20th century and replaced with that of Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
The rank of Lieutenant General remained inactive until Winfield Scott received a brevet promotion to the rank in 1855. Subsequently Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1864. In 1866, Grant became the first “full” or “four star general” when he was promoted to the rank of General of the Army. Unlike the US Army, the Confederate Army promoted numerous officers to the ranks of Lieutenant General and General.
After the Civil War, the rank of General of the Army was held by only two individuals; William Tecumseh Sherman and Phillip Sheridan and it was abolished after the death of the latter. Thus, there were no four star Generals in the United States armed forces until the appointment of John Pershing to the rank of General of the Armies during World War I. Pershing wore four stars during his tenure as General of the Armies, but was later considered a six star general as the result of the re-creation of the General of the Army rank in 1944.
World War II saw the largest number of American Generals, most of whom held temporary or “theater” appointments in the Army of the United States. After the close of the Second World War, Generals were normally promoted permanently to Brigadier General and Major General, with temporary promotions to Lieutenant and Full General to fill senior positions as needed. In theory, a General would be expected to vacate their 3 or 4 star rank at the termination of their assignment, unless they were placed in an equal ranking billet. Douglas MacArthur, who served as 4 star general and Army Chief of Staff, reverted to 2 stars after his CoS tour ended but chose to stay on active duty in the United States Army.
The practice of using Lieutenant and Full general as a temporary rank continues to the current day, although the term “temporary” is in name only since most 3 and 4 star generals are expected to retain their rank regardless of their assignment. Such officers are also almost always granted permanent retirement rank, as well, in the last grade they held.
[edit] Insignia
The different ranks of general are identified by the number of stars worn: a General of the Army (only so far used in World War II) wears five stars, a General four stars, a Lieutenant General three stars, a Major General two stars, and a Brigadier General one star. A "full General" is therefore often referred to as a "four-star general".
During the American Civil War, all generals in the Confederate military, regardless of grade, wore an insignia of three stars in a row with the middle one being slightly larger and placed in an open wreath. One exception to this was General Robert E. Lee who chose to wear the insignia of the lower rank of a (full) colonel (three stars) even after he became overall commander of the Confederate armies in 1865. (Napoleon Bonaparte and Gerd von Rundstedt also wore a colonel's uniform.)
In the 19th century, US generals' rank was also shown by the arrangement of buttons on the coat. This was a feature of generals' dress uniforms until the Army abandoned blue uniforms during World War I.
[edit] Modern use
By courtesy, all generals below are addressed as "General".
[edit] United States Army
Brigadier General (BG): Typically serves as Deputy Commander to the Commanding General of a division and assists in overseeing the planning and coordination of a mission. In an infantry brigade not attached to a division, a Brigadier General serves as the unit's commander, while a Colonel serves as deputy commander.
Major General (MG): Typically commands division-sized units (10,000 to 16,000 soldiers).
Lieutenant General (LTG): Typically commands corps-sized units (20,000 to 45,000 soldiers).
General (GEN): Commands all operations that fall within his geographical area. The Chief of Staff of the Army and the Commandant of the Marine Corps are four-star Generals.
General of the Army: This rank is only used in time of war where the commanding officer must be equal or of higher rank than those commanding armies/air forces from other nations. The last officers to hold this rank served during and immediately following World War II. The Marine Corps currently do not have a rank of this power.
General of the Armies: (Conjectured Insignia) The highest possible general rank in the U.S. Army, it has only been held by two persons in history, John Pershing and George Washington. Douglas MacArthur almost held the rank but declined promotion due to logistics issues involving retirement benefits and seniority within the United States Army. The Air Force and Marines have no equivalent to this rank while the United States Navy maintains a similar rank known as Admiral of the Navy. No insignia for General of the Armies has ever been authorized although a conjectural design was created in 1945.
[edit] United States Air Force
The United States Air Force uses the same General ranks as the Army and Marines, with the exception of a special rank known as General of the Air Force. In the 1990s, the Air Force adopted a sleeve stripe insignia, similar to the United States Navy, and for less than a year U.S. Air Force generals maintained the same insignia as Navy admirals. The insignia pattern was abolished and remains one of the shortest lived uniform patterns in the history of the U.S. military. Air Force generals usually command Major Commands or Unified Commands. Usually they are pilots.
[edit] United States Marines
The United States Marine Corps has the fewest appointed Generals of the services, in part that the Marines are logistically a component of the Department of the Navy. Until the Second World War, the highest Marine Corps general rank was that of Major General with Alexander Vandegrift becoming the first four star marine general in history, his rank first known as "Commandant" and later as "General". Today, Marine Corps generals occupy similar positions to their Army counterparts with the Commandant of the Marine Corps always a four star general.
[edit] Statutory limits
U.S. law strictly limits the total number of general officers that may be on active duty at any time. This number is set at 302 for the Army, 279 for the Air Force, and 80 for the Marine Corps. Of these, no more than 50% may rank higher than Brigadier General. The percentage of generals ranking higher than Major General is capped at 15.7% for the Army and Air Force and 17.5% for the Marine Corps, and out of that total, no more than 25% may rank as a full General. This typically works out to about thirty full Generals on active duty at a time.
All promotions to general require presidential nomination and senate confirmation, as do subsequent promotions.
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O-1 | O-2 | O-3 | O-4 | O-5 | O-6 | O-7 | O-8 | O-9 | O-10 | O-11 (wartime only) |
Special Grade |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy: | MIDN/OC | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | FADM | Admiral of the Navy |
| Marine Corps: | Midn | 2ndLt | 1stLt | Capt | Maj | LtCol | Col | BGen | MajGen | LtGen | Gen | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
| Army: | CDT/OC | 2LT | 1LT | CPT | MAJ | LTC | COL | BG | MG | LTG | GEN | General of the Army |
General of the Armies |
| Air Force: | Cadet | 2nd Lt | 1st Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig Gen | Maj Gen | Lt Gen | Gen | General of the Air Force |
(no equivalent) |
| Coast Guard: | CDT | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
