General officers in the United States
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General officer ranks currently used in the uniformed services are:
- One-star: brigadier general in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force and rear admiral (lower half)in the Navy, Coast Guard, PHSCC, and NOAACC
- Two-star: major general in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force and rear admiralin the Navy, Coast Guard, PHSCC, and NOAACC
- Three-star: lieutenant general in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force and vice admiralin the Navy, Coast Guard, PHSCC, and NOAACC
- in the Navy, Coast Guard, PHSCC, and NOAACC
Above these four general-officer ranks are five-star ranks, but these are generally reserved for wartime use. They are the General of the Army (in the Army, equivalent to the foreign rank of field marshal), Fleet Admiral (in the Navy), and General of the Air Force (in the Air Force). Nine Americans have held five-star ranks, but none currently.
The highest ranks, senior to the five-star ranks, are
Throughout much of U.S. history, ranks above three stars were either not used at all, used only on a temporary basis, or only used one at a time, with different titles used at different times for the same rank.
History
American Revolutionary War era
During the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress appointed general officers to lead the Continental Army. They were usually distinguished community leaders and statesmen, and several had served as general officers in the provincial corps. While there were some general officers who were promoted to the grade from lower 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.
With the exception of
A year prior to his death, Washington was appointed by President John Adams to the rank of lieutenant general in the United States Army during the Quasi-War with France. Washington never exercised active authority under his new rank, however, and Adams made the appointment to frighten the French, with whom war seemed certain.
In an act of Congress on 3 March 1799, Congress provided "that a Commander of the United States shall be appointed and commissioned by the style of General of the Armies of the United States and the present office and title of Lieutenant General shall thereafter be abolished." The proposed senior general officer rank was not bestowed, however. When George Washington died, he was listed as a lieutenant general on the rolls of the United States Army.
After the Revolutionary War, the tiny United States Army at first had no active duty General Officers. When General Officers were appointed again, the highest rank in the Army was Major General, with the senior Major General on the Army rolls known as the Commanding General of the United States Army. The position was abolished at the start of the 20th century and replaced by that of Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
American Civil War era
The rank of lieutenant general remained inactive from the end of the Revolutionary War until the mid-19th century. During the Mexican–American War, President Polk asked Congress to authorize the creation of a lieutenant-general. However, it soon became clear that Polk intended to give this rank to Senator Thomas Hart Benton and place him in charge of the entire war effort—a move that would place Benton, a Democrat and Polk ally, above the two Whig generals who had been conducting the war (Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott). As a result, Congress refused to authorize this rank.[1][2]
The rank of lieutenant general was finally created in 1855, when Winfield Scott received a brevet promotion to this rank.[3]
On 13 March 1861, General Order No. 6 said that the position of Major General Commanding the Army was entitled to wear three stars.[4] In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was appointed lieutenant general and took command of the Union forces. He used the three-star insignia formerly assigned to the position of Major General Commanding the Army.
The Confederate States Army used the rank of lieutenant general for its corps commanders prior to the U.S. Army's adoption of the term. The two ranks were not synonymous. Unlike the Union Army, the Confederate States Army promoted numerous officers to the ranks of Lieutenant General and General (18 and 7, respectively).[5]
In the 19th century, the rank of a U.S. general was also shown by the arrangement of buttons on the coat. This was a feature of the general dress uniform until the Army abandoned blue uniforms during World War I.
On 25 July 1866, the U.S. Congress established the rank of "General of the Army of the United States" for Ulysses S. Grant. When appointed General of the Army, Grant wore the rank insignia of four stars and coat buttons arranged in three groups of four.
Unlike the 1944 rank with a similar title, the 1866 rank of General of the Army was a four-star rank, and as opposed to the current pool of four-star generals, only one officer could hold the 1866–1888 rank of General of the Army at any time.
After Grant retired to become President of the United States, he was succeeded as General of the Army by
By an Act of 1 June 1888, the grade of lieutenant general was discontinued and merged with that of General of the Army, which was then conferred upon
World War I era
Three-star Lieutenant Generals and four-star Generals were reauthorized temporarily for World War I.
World War II era
Lieutenant Generals were reauthorized on 5 August 1939. Four Lieutenant Generals were authorized as temporary ranks for the commanding generals of the four numbered field armies at the time.[12] Subsequently, the commanding generals of the Panama Canal and Hawaiian departments were raised to lieutenant general as well.[13] The four-star rank of General remained unique to the Chief of Staff, as authorized by the act of 23 February 1929.[14]
During World War II most American Generals held temporary or "theater" appointments in the Army of the United States.
Until the Second World War, the highest Marine Corps general rank was that of Major General, with Thomas Holcomb becoming the first three-star Marine general and Alexander Vandegrift becoming the first four-star Marine general (both on active duty) in history. Vandegrift's rank was awarded after becoming the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
The second version of General of the Army, colloquially known as a "Five-star General" was created by
The insignia for General of the Army, as created in 1944, consisted of five stars in a pentagonal pattern, with points touching. The five officers who have held the 1944 version of General of the Army were:
• | George C. Marshall | 16 December 1944 |
• | Douglas MacArthur | 18 December 1944 |
• | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 20 December 1944 |
• | Henry H. Arnold | 21 December 1944 |
• | Omar Bradley | 20 September 1950 |
The timing of the first four appointments was coordinated with the appointment of the U.S. Navy's five-star Fleet Admirals (on 15, 17, and 19 December 1944) to establish both a clear order of seniority and a near-equivalence between the services.
A historical rumor suggests that the title 'General of the Army' was used instead of the 'Field Marshal' so that George Marshall would not be known as "Marshal Marshall". Most military sources agree that it is more likely that the rank was named after its 19th-century counterpart and was so named because the rank of Field Marshal was considered by the U.S. military to be a European rank.
Dwight Eisenhower resigned his Army commission on 31 May 1952, to run for president. After he served two terms, his successor,
Modern use
Summary
Official abbreviations below are used in the U.S. Army only. The U.S. Air Force does not abbreviate general officer ranks in signature blocks, but "Brigadier General," "Major General," and "Lieutenant General" (without abbreviating periods) are commonly used.
Insignia | Rank | Description |
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Brigadier general | In the Army, a brigadier general typically serves as deputy commander to the commanding general of a United States Service Academies .
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Major General | A major general typically commands division-sized units (10,000 to 20,000 soldiers) or serves as the deputy commander of a corps. In the Army, major generals also serve as branch chiefs (i.e.: Infantry, Armor, Quartermaster, etc.), as well as commandants of TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM) and the Army Intelligence and Security Command . In the Air Force, most major generals are deputies or senior staff members of major and joint commands, although a few command smaller Numbered Air Forces.
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Lieutenant general | An Army or Marine Corps lieutenant general typically commands a corps-sized unit (20,000 to 45,000 soldiers), while an Air Force lieutenant general commands a large Numbered Air Force consisting of several wings. Additionally, lieutenant generals of all services serve as high-level staff officers at various major command headquarters and The Pentagon, often as the heads of their departments. The superintendents of the United States service academies are currently LTGs. | |
General | A general commands all operations that fall within his geographical area. The Chiefs of Staff of the Army and Air Force, as well as the Commandant of the Marine Corps, are four-star generals. Generals command major areas of responsibility and hold the highest of military positions in the Department of Defense. Air Force generals usually command major commands or unified commands. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are also four-star officers. | |
General of the Army General of the Air Force |
This rank is only used in time of war where the commanding officer must be equal to 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 does not have an equivalent to this rank. | |
General of the Armies | This rank has not been used by an active duty military officer since General Pershing was promoted to the rank in 1919, and subsequently retired in 1924. General Pershing wore four stars in gold instead of silver to distinguish himself from other generals of four-star rank.[ American Bicentennial in 1976. A six-star variation was designed when promotion to that rank of Douglas MacArthur for the invasion of Japan was being considered, but this was never authorized.[19][failed verification ]
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Elaboration
After the close of the Second World War, Generals were normally promoted permanently to Brigadier General and Major General, with temporary promotions to Lieutenant General and General to fill senior positions as needed. In theory, a General would be expected to vacate their three- or four-star rank at the termination of their assignment, unless they were placed in an equal or higher-ranking billet. Douglas MacArthur, who served as four-star general and Army Chief of Staff, reverted to two stars after his CoS tour ended but chose to stay on active duty in the United States Army.[citation needed]
The practice of using Lieutenant General and General as a temporary rank continues to the current day, although the term "temporary" is in name only since most three- and four-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.[citation needed]
There have been no officers appointed to the rank of General of the Army since Omar Bradley and, in the 21st century U.S. military, further appointments are highly unlikely unless the United States were to become involved in a major war on the scale of World War II.[citation needed]
In the 1990s, the Defense Department gave some indication that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would possibly one day be a position worthy of the rank General of the Army, Fleet Admiral, or General of the Air Force as appropriate. This would be problematic in that with the appointment of United States Marine Corps generals as chairman, there is no current five-star USMC rank. Congressional sources indicated that there were no plans to promote any modern-day general officers to the rank of General of the Army.[citation needed]
The rank of General of the Army is still maintained as a rank of the U.S. military, and could again be bestowed pending approval of the United States Congress. The rank would carry a special pay grade just as the current ranks of officers do. Currently, U.S. military policy is that General of the Army, General of the Air Force, and Fleet Admiral are rankings only to be used in time of war when the commanding officer must be equal to or of higher rank than those commanding armies from another nation.[citation needed]
George Washington
After World War II, which saw the introduction of U.S. "five-star" officers who outranked Washington, both Congress and the President revisited the issue of Washington's rank. To maintain George Washington's proper position as the first Commanding General of the United States Army, he was appointed, posthumously, to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States by congressional joint resolution
See also
- List of active duty United States four-star officers
- List of United States Army four-star generals
- List of United States Navy four-star admirals
- List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals
- List of United States Air Force four-star generals
- List of United States Space Force four-star generals
- List of United States Coast Guard four-star admirals
- List of United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps four-star admirals
- List of United States military leaders by rank
- List of General Officers of the United States Army Medical Department in World War II
- United States Army officer rank insignia
- United States Marine Corps officer rank insignia
- United States Air Force officer rank insignia
- Joint Force Air Component Commander
- Joint Force Land Component Commander
- Joint Force Maritime Component Commander
- Flag officer
- General's enlisted aide
References
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff Archived 10 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine (United States Army Center of Military History)
- How many U.S. Army five-star generals have there been and who were they? Archived 25 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine from the United States Army Center of Military History
- Military service record of Douglas MacArthur, Military Personnel Records Center
- Naval service record of Chester Nimitz, Military Personnel Records Center
Notes
- ^ Howe, Daniel Walker (2007). What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 750.
- ^ Eisenhower, John S. D. (1989). So Far from God: The U.S. War with Mexico, 1846–1848. New York: Random House. p. 289.
- ^ Eicher, p. 475.
- ^ General Order No. 6 Archived 15 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Regulations for the Uniform and Dress of the Army of the United States 1861
- ^ Eicher, pp. 787–88.
- ^ "Program of Gen. Pershing Today; Many Interesting Events are Planned". Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, GA. 11 December 1919. p. 7.
Immediately before the parade starts the general will be presented with a handsome general's flag, bearing four gold stars, by the Girls' Overseas club.
- ^ "Welfare of Soldiers and Graves of Heroes Claim Pershing Time". The Daily Notes. Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. 10 November 1934. p. 1.
- ^ "Pershing to Attend Coronation in Snappy Attire of Own Design". Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. 28 April 1937. p. 2.
- ISBN 978-1-4486-5687-5.
- ^ Only Major Generals Now; March, Liggett and Bullard Lose War Rank The New York Times, 30 June 1920
- ^ "How many U.S. Army five-star generals have there been and who were they?". United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
- ^ "About this Collection | United States Statutes at Large | Digital Collections | Library of Congress" (PDF). Library of Congress.
- ^ "About this Collection | United States Statutes at Large | Digital Collections | Library of Congress" (PDF). Library of Congress.
- ^ "About this Collection | United States Statutes at Large | Digital Collections | Library of Congress" (PDF). Library of Congress.
- ^ "Public Law 482". Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
- Naval Historical Center. 11 April 2007. Archived from the originalon 13 October 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
- Eisenhower Presidential Center. Archived from the originalon 12 June 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
- ^ "Eisenhower Resigned as General". Eisenhower Presidential Center. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
- ^ Service record of Douglas MacArthur, Operation Downfall 1945 Promotion Package Proposal
- ^ Promotion order of George Washington, Military Personnel Records Center (File:Orders 31-3.jpg and File:Orders 31-3 Cover Letter.jpg).
- ^ By George, IT IS Washington's Birthday! By C. L. Arbelbide
- ^ Washington's Birthday Holiday Honors "Father of our Country" Archived 13 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Congratulations to Joseph J. Frank". Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2007.