<span class="mw-page-title-main">General (United States)</span>

General (United States)

<p>In the United States military, a <b>general</b> is the most senior <a href="/en/General_officer" title="General officer" class="wl">general</a>-grade officer; it is the highest achievable <a href="/en/Commissioned_officer" title="Commissioned officer" class="mw-redirect wl">commissioned officer</a> rank (or echelon) that may be attained in the <a href="/en/United_States_Armed_Forces" title="United States Armed Forces" class="wl">United States Armed Forces</a>, with exception of the <a href="/en/United_States_Navy" title="United States Navy" class="wl">Navy</a> and <a href="/en/USCG" title="USCG" class="mw-redirect wl">Coast Guard</a>, which have the equivalent rank of <a href="/en/Admiral_(United_States)" title="Admiral (United States)" class="wl">admiral</a> instead. The official and formal insignia of "general" is defined by its <a href="/en/Four-star_rank" title="Four-star rank" class="mw-redirect wl">four stars</a> (commonly silver and in a row).</p>

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<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt4">Military rank in US armed forces</div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: General , Country, Service branch, Abbreviati...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox mobile-collapse-element" style="width:25.5em;border-spacing:2px;"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above notheme" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">General<br></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span><a href="/en/File:US-O10_insignia.svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:US-O10_insignia.svg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/US-O10_insignia.svg/210px-US-O10_insignia.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="2514" data-file-height="583" data-file-type="drawing" height="49" width="210" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/US-O10_insignia.svg/315px-US-O10_insignia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/US-O10_insignia.svg/420px-US-O10_insignia.svg.png 2x" alt="US-O10_insignia.svg"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Four-star insignia of the rank of general. Style and method of wear may vary between different uniforms and different service branches.</div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="nowrap"><span><a href="/en/File:US_Army_O10_(Army_greens).svg" class="mw-file-description image wl"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/US_Army_O10_%28Army_greens%29.svg/50px-US_Army_O10_%28Army_greens%29.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="92" data-file-height="225" data-file-type="drawing" height="122" width="50" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/US_Army_O10_%28Army_greens%29.svg/75px-US_Army_O10_%28Army_greens%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/US_Army_O10_%28Army_greens%29.svg/100px-US_Army_O10_%28Army_greens%29.svg.png 2x" alt="US_Army_O10_%28Army_greens%29.svg"></a></span> <span><a href="/en/File:US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg" class="mw-file-description image wl"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg/50px-US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="92" data-file-height="225" data-file-type="drawing" height="122" width="50" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg/75px-US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg/100px-US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg.png 2x" alt="US_Marine_10_shoulderboard_vertical.svg"></a></span> <span><a href="/en/File:US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg" class="mw-file-description image wl"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg/50px-US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="92" data-file-height="225" data-file-type="drawing" height="122" width="50" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg/75px-US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg/100px-US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg.png 2x" alt="US_Air_Force_O10_shoulderboard.svg"></a></span> <span><a href="/en/File:US_Space-force_O10.svg" class="mw-file-description image wl"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/US_Space-force_O10.svg/50px-US_Space-force_O10.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="92" data-file-height="225" data-file-type="drawing" height="122" width="50" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/US_Space-force_O10.svg/75px-US_Space-force_O10.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/US_Space-force_O10.svg/100px-US_Space-force_O10.svg.png 2x" alt="US_Space-force_O10.svg"></a></span></span><div class="infobox-caption">Shoulder boards</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Country</th><td class="infobox-data"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border"><span><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="1235" data-file-height="650" data-file-type="drawing" height="12" width="23" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png 2x" alt="Flag_of_the_United_States.svg"></span></span><span>&nbsp;</span></span>United States</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Service branch</th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><a href="/en/United_States_Army" title="United States Army" class="wl">Army</a></li><li><a href="/en/United_States_Marine_Corps" title="United States Marine Corps" class="wl">Marine Corps</a></li><li><a href="/en/United_States_Air_Force" title="United States Air Force" class="wl">Air Force</a></li><li><a href="/en/United_States_Space_Force" title="United States Space Force" class="wl">Space Force</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Abbreviation</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><b>GEN</b> (Army)</li><li><b>Gen</b> (Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force)</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Rank group</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/General_officer" title="General officer" class="wl">General officer</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Rank</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Four-star_rank" title="Four-star rank" class="mw-redirect wl">Four-star</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/en/NATO" title="NATO" class="wl">NATO</a> <a href="/en/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO" title="Ranks and insignia of NATO" class="wl">rank code</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_armies_officers#Officers_(OF_1–10)" title="Ranks and insignia of NATO armies officers" class="wl">OF-9</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Pay grade</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Uniformed_services_pay_grades_of_the_United_States" title="Uniformed services pay grades of the United States" class="wl">O-10</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Next higher rank</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><a href="/en/General_of_the_Army_(United_States)" title="General of the Army (United States)" class="wl">General of the Army</a></li><li><a href="/en/General_of_the_Air_Force" title="General of the Air Force" class="wl">General of the Air Force</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Next lower rank</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Lieutenant_general_(United_States)" title="Lieutenant general (United States)" class="wl">Lieutenant general</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Equivalent ranks</th><td class="infobox-data"><div><ul><li><a href="/en/Admiral_(United_States)" title="Admiral (United States)" class="wl">Admiral</a> in the other <a href="/en/Uniformed_services_of_the_United_States" title="Uniformed services of the United States" class="wl">uniformed services</a> which use <a href="/en/Naval_officer_ranks" title="Naval officer ranks" class="mw-redirect wl">naval ranks</a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span 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<p>The rank of general ranks above a three-star <a href="/en/Lieutenant_general_(United_States)" title="Lieutenant general (United States)" class="wl">lieutenant general</a> and below the special wartime five-star ranks of <a href="/en/General_of_the_Army_(United_States)" title="General of the Army (United States)" class="wl">General of the Army</a> or <a href="/en/General_of_the_Air_Force" title="General of the Air Force" class="wl">General of the Air Force</a>. The Marine Corps and Space Force do not have an established grade above general. The <a href="/en/U.S._uniformed_services_pay_grades" title="U.S. uniformed services pay grades" class="mw-redirect wl">pay grade</a> of general is O-10. It is equivalent to the rank of <a href="/en/Admiral_(United_States)" title="Admiral (United States)" class="wl">admiral</a> in the other United States <a href="/en/Uniformed_services_of_the_United_States" title="Uniformed services of the United States" class="wl">uniformed services</a> which use <a href="/en/Naval_officer_ranks" title="Naval officer ranks" class="mw-redirect wl">naval ranks</a>. It is abbreviated as <b>GEN</b> in the Army and <b>Gen</b> in the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.</p>

<p>Since the ranks of General of the Army and General of the Air Force are reserved for wartime use only, the rank of general is the highest general officer rank in peacetime.</p>



In the United States military, a general is the most senior general-grade officer; it is the highest achievable commissioned officer rank that may be attained in the United States Armed Forces, with exception of the Navy and Coast Guard, which have the equivalent rank of admiral instead. The official and formal insignia of "general" is defined by its four stars . The rank of general ranks above a three-star lieutenant general and below the special wartime five-star ranks of General of the Army or General of the Air Force. The Marine Corps and Space Force do not have an established grade above general. The pay grade of general is O-10. It is equivalent to the rank of admiral in the other United States uniformed services which use naval ranks. It is abbreviated as GEN in the Army and Gen in the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force. Since the ranks of General of the Army and General of the Air Force are reserved for wartime use only, the rank of general is the highest general officer rank in peacetime. 