Admiral (abbreviated as ADM) is a
four-star commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
rank in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
, and the
United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, is the federal uniformed service of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) and one of the ...
with the
pay grade A pay grade is a unit in systems of monetary compensation for employment. It is commonly used in public service, both civil and military, but also for companies of the private sector. Pay grades facilitate the employment process by providing a fix ...
of O-10. Admiral ranks above
vice admiral and below
fleet admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health Service do not have an established grade above admiral. Admiral is equivalent to the rank of
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
in the other
uniformed services
Uniformed services is an abstract term that are generally bodies of people in employment of a state who wear a distinct uniform that differentiates them from the public and private sector. Their purpose is to maintain the peace, security, safety, ...
. The
(NOAA Corps) has never had an officer hold the grade of admiral. However, of the
U.S. Code
In the law of the United States, the Code of Laws of the United States of America (variously abbreviated to Code of Laws of the United States, United States Code, U.S. Code, U.S.C., or USC) is the official compilation and codification of the ...
established the grade for the NOAA Corps, in case a position is created that merits the four-star grade.
Since the five-star grade of fleet admiral has not been used since 1946, the grade of admiral is effectively the highest appointment an officer can achieve in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Address
Formally, "Admiral" is always used when referring to a four-star admiral, and informally "Full Admiral", "Four-star Admiral" (or simply four-star), or "O-10" (in reference to pay grade). The informal terms are used to distinguish a four-star admiral from the lower-ranking admirals who may also be referred to as "Admiral".
History
The United States Navy did not have any admirals until 1862, because many people felt the title too reminiscent of royalty—such as the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
—to be used in the country's navy.
[ History.Navy.mil - Naval traditions: Names of ranks] Others saw the need for ranks above captain, among them
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...
, who pointed out that the Navy had to have officers who "ranked" with
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
generals.
He also felt there must be ranks above
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
to avoid disputes among senior captains.
The various
secretaries of the navy repeatedly recommended to
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
that admiral ranks be created because the other navies of the world used them and American senior officers were "often subjected to serious difficulties and embarrassments in the interchange of civilities with those of other nations."
Congress finally authorized nine rear admirals on July 16, 1862, although that was probably more for the needs of the rapidly expanding navy during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
than any international considerations.
Two years later, Congress authorized the appointment of a
vice admiral from among the nine rear admirals:
David Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. F ...
.
Another bill allowed the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
to appoint Farragut to admiral on July 25, 1866, and
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank o ...
to
vice admiral.
When Farragut died in 1870, Porter became admiral and
Stephen C. Rowan was promoted to vice admiral.
Even after they died, Congress did not allow the promotion of any of the rear admirals to succeed them, so there were no more admirals or vice admirals by promotion until 1915 when Congress authorized an admiral and a vice admiral each for the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic Fleets.
There was one admiral in the interim, however. In 1899, Congress recognized
George Dewey
George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...
's accomplishments during the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
by authorizing the President to appoint him
Admiral of the Navy
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...
.
He held that rank until he died in 1917. Nobody has since held that title. In 1944, Congress approved the five-star grade of
fleet admiral.
The first to hold it were
William D. Leahy
William Daniel Leahy () (May 6, 1875 – July 20, 1959) was an American naval officer who served as the most senior United States military officer on active duty during World War II. He held multiple titles and was at the center of all major ...
,
Ernest J. King
Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was an American naval officer who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. As COMINCH-CNO, he directed the Un ...
, and
Chester W. Nimitz.
The Senate confirmed their appointments December 15, 1944.
Fleet Admiral
William F. Halsey got his fifth star in December 1945. None has been appointed since.
The sleeve stripes now used by admirals and vice admirals in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
date from March 11, 1869, when General Order Number 90 specified that for their "undress" uniforms admirals would wear a two-inch stripe with three half-inch stripes above it and vice admirals the two-inch stripe with two half-inch stripes above it.
The rear admiral got his two-inch stripe and one half-inch stripe in 1866.
The sleeve stripes had been more elaborate. When the rear admiral rank started in 1862 the sleeve arrangement was three stripes of three-quarter-inch lace alternating with three stripes of quarter-inch lace.
It was some ten inches from top to bottom.
The vice admiral, of course, had even more stripes and when Farragut became admiral in 1866, he had so many stripes they reached from his cuffs almost to his elbow.
On their dress uniforms the admirals wore bands of gold embroidery of live oak leaves and acorns.
The admirals of the 1860s wore the same number of stars on their shoulders as admirals of corresponding grades do today.
In 1899, the navy's one admiral (Dewey) and 18 rear admirals put on the new shoulder marks, as did the other officers when wearing their white uniforms, but kept their stars instead of repeating the sleeve cuff stripes.
During the 20th century, the ranks of the modern U.S. admiralty were firmly established. An oddity that did exist was that the navy did not have a
one-star rank
An officer of one-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-6. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, one-star officers hold the rank o ...
except briefly during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
when Congress established a temporary war rank of
commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
. The one-star rank was later established permanently in 1986.
Statutory limits
U.S. law limits the number of four-star admirals that may be on active duty at any time. The total number of active-duty flag officers is capped at 160 for the Navy.
10 USC 526. Authorized strength: general and flag officers on active duty. For the Army, Navy, and Air Force, no more than about 25% of the service's active-duty general or flag officers may have more than two stars,
10 USC 525. Distribution of commissioned officers on active duty in general officer and flag officer grades. and statute sets the total number of four-star officers allowed in each service.
This is set at 6 four-star Navy admirals.
However, exceptions to this limit are made to meet operational needs. As of July 2020, there were 9 four star admirals serving on active duty with the U.S. Navy.
Some of these slots are reserved by statute. For the Navy, the
chief of naval operations
The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
and
vice chief of naval operations
The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the chief of naval operations and by statute, the vice chief ...
are admirals; for the Coast Guard the
commandant of the coast guard
The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the Uni ...
and
vice commandant of the coast guard
The vice commandant of the Coast Guard serves as the second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard, behind only the commandant of the Coast Guard.
Since 1929, 31 officers have served as Vice Commandant, or, as the position was referred to ...
are admirals; for the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the
Assistant Secretary for Health
The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The position is a statutory office () and the holder of the office serves as the United State ...
is an admiral if they hold an appointment to the regular corps.
There are several exceptions to these limits allowing more than allotted within the statute. A Navy admiral serving as
Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
or
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS) is, by U.S. law, the second highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, - Vice Chairman ranking just below the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The vice chairman ...
does not count against the Navy's flag-officer cap. A Navy admiral serving in one of several joint positions does not count against his or her service's four-star limit; these positions include the commander of a
unified combatant command
A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, an ...
, the commander of
U.S. Forces Korea, and the deputy commander of
U.S. European Command but only if the commander of that command is also the
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against either limit, including the
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community.
Beginning February 2017, the D ...
. The President may also add admirals to the Navy if they are offset by removing an equivalent number of four-stars from other services.
Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at the President's discretion during time of war or national emergency.
Appointment and tour length
Four-star grades go hand-in-hand with the positions of office they are linked to, so these ranks are temporary. Officers may only achieve four-star grade if they are appointed to positions that require the officer to hold such a rank.
10 USC 601. Positions of importance and responsibility: generals and lieutenant generals; admirals and vice admirals. Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute.
Admirals are nominated for appointment by the
President of the United States, President from any eligible officers holding the rank of
rear admiral (lower half)
A rear admiral in the uniformed services of the United States is either of two different ranks of commissioned officers: one-star flag officers and two-star flag officers. By contrast, in most other countries, the term "rear admiral" refers only t ...
or above, who also meets the requirements for the position, under the advice and/or suggestion of their respective department secretary, service secretary, and if applicable the joint chiefs.
For some specific positions, statute allows the President to waive those requirements for a nominee whom he deems would serve national interests. The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
before the appointee can take office and thus assume the rank.
The standard tour length for most four-star positions is three years, bundled as a two-year term plus a one-year extension, with the following exceptions:
*The
Chief of Naval Operations
The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
serves for four years in one four-year term.
*The
Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion serves for a nominal eight years.
*The
Commandant of the Coast Guard
The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the Uni ...
serves for a nominal four years.
*The
Assistant Secretary for Health
The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The position is a statutory office () and the holder of the office serves as the United State ...
is a civilian appointee or a current serving member of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who serves for a nominal four years at the pleasure of the President.
Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the secretary of defense, the President, and/or Congress but these are rare, as they block other officers from being promoted. Some statutory limits under the U.S. Code can be waived in times of national emergency or war. Admiral ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare.
Retirement
Other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement. Four-star officers must retire after 40 years of service unless reappointed to grade to serve longer. Otherwise all flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday.
10 USC 1253 Age 64: regular commissioned officers in general and flag officer grades; exception However, the Secretary of Defense can defer a four-star officer's retirement until the officer's 66th birthday
and the President can defer it until the officer's 68th birthday.
Since there are a limited number of four-star slots available to each service, typically one officer must leave office before another can be promoted.
DoD News Briefing on Thursday, June 6, 1996. Retirement of Admiral Leighton W. Smith, Jr., Leighton W. Smith Jr. Maintaining a four-star rank is a game of musical chairs
Musical chairs, also known as Trip to Jerusalem, is a game of elimination involving players, chairs, and music. It is a staple of many parties worldwide.
Gameplay
A set of chairs is arranged with one fewer chair than the number of players ...
; once an officer vacates a position bearing that rank, they have no more than 60 days to be appointed or reappointed to a position of equal importance before they must involuntarily retire. Historically, officers leaving four-star positions were allowed to revert to their permanent two-star ranks to mark time in lesser jobs until statutory retirement, but now such officers are expected to retire immediately to avoid obstructing the promotion flow.
Gallery
US Admiral of Navy insignia.svg, Historical USN Admiral rank insignia.
USN-USMC O10 insignia.svg, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, USPHSCC, NOAA Corps shoulder insignia
USCG O-10 insignia.svg, The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Coast Guard admiral
US PHS O10 insignia.svg, The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Public Health Service admiral
Flag of a United States Coast Guard admiral.svg, Rank flag of a U.S. Coast Guard admiral (unrestricted line officer)
Flag of the United States Assistant Secretary for Health.svg, Rank flag of a U.S. Public Health Service admiral (serves as Assistant Secretary for Health
The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The position is a statutory office () and the holder of the office serves as the United State ...
)
See also
* U.S. Navy officer rank insignia
*List of active duty United States four-star officers
There are currently 44 active-duty four-star officers in the uniformed services of the United States: 17 in the Army, three in the Marine Corps, eight in the Navy, 11 in the Air Force, two in the Space Force, two in the Coast Guard, and one ...
*List of United States Navy four-star admirals
This is a complete list of four-star admirals in the United States Navy. The rank of Admiral (United States), admiral (or ''full admiral'', or ''four-star admiral'') is the highest rank normally achievable in the U.S. Navy. It ranks above Vice ad ...
*List of United States Coast Guard four-star admirals
This is a complete list of four-star admirals in the United States Coast Guard. The rank of admiral (or ''full admiral'', or ''four-star admiral'') is the highest rank in the U.S. Coast Guard. It ranks above vice admiral (''three-star admiral'') ...
*
References
{{US officer ranks
Military ranks of the United States Navy
Military ranks of the United States Coast Guard
Four-star officers