A general officer is an
officer of
high rank in the
armies, and in some nations'
air forces,
space forces, and
marines or
naval infantry
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel.
["general, adj. and n.". OED Online. March 2021. Oxford University Press. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/77489?rskey=dCKrg4&result=1 (accessed May 11, 2021)]
The term ''general'' is used in two ways: as the generic title for all grades of general officer and as a specific rank.
It originates in the
16th century
The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582).
The 16th cent ...
, as a shortening of ''
captain general'', which rank was taken from
Middle French ''capitaine général''.
The adjective ''general'' had been affixed to officer designations since the
late medieval period to indicate relative superiority or an extended jurisdiction.
Today, the title of ''general'' is known in some countries as a
four-star rank. However, different countries use different systems of stars or other insignia for senior ranks. It has a
NATO rank scale code of OF-9 and is the highest rank currently in use in a number of armies, air forces, and marine organizations.
General officer ranks and history
The various grades of general officer are at the top of the military rank structure. Lower-ranking officers in land-centric military forces are typically known as
field officers or field-grade officers, and below them are company-grade officers.
Common systems
There are two common systems of general ranks used worldwide. In addition, there is a third system, the Arab system of ranks, which is used throughout the Middle East and North Africa but is not used elsewhere in the world.
Variations of one form, the old European system, were once used throughout Europe. It is used in Germany, where it comes from originally, and from where it eventually spread to the United Kingdom and thence subsequently to other
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
countries and the United States. The general officer ranks are named by prefixing "general", as an adjective, with field officer ranks, although in some countries the highest general officers are titled
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
,
marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
, or
captain general.
The other is derived from the
French Revolution, where generals' ranks are named according to the unit they (theoretically) command.
Old European system
The system used either a ''brigadier general'' or a ''colonel general'' rank (i.e. exclude one of the italicised ranks).
In the 17th and 18th centuries, it became customary in
Prussia and other German states to confer the rank of "full" general with the addition of the
branch of service
Military branch (also service branch or armed service) is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state.
Types of branches
Unified armed forces
The Canadian Armed Forces is the unifi ...
from which the general emerged and which originally also determined the character of the formations which he commanded, e.g.
general of the infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to:
* General of the Infantry (Austria)
* General of the Infantry (Bulgaria)
* General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Impe ...
,
general of the cavalry and
general of the artillery. Such rank designations were also introduced in the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
, firstly by the emperor
Peter I.
The rank of
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
was used by some countries as the highest rank, while in other countries it was used as a divisional or brigade rank. Many countries (notably pre-revolutionary France and eventually much of Latin America) actually used two brigade command ranks, which is why some countries now use two stars as their
brigade general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...
insignia. Mexico and Argentina still use two brigade command ranks.
In some states (particularly in the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
since the 1920s), the equivalent to brigadier general is
brigadier, which is not always considered by these armies to be a general officer rank, although it is always treated as equivalent to the rank of brigadier general for comparative purposes.
As a lieutenant outranks a sergeant major; confusion often arises because a lieutenant is outranked by a major. Originally the serjeant major was, exclusively, the commander of the infantry, junior only to the captain-general and lieutenant general. The distinction of serjeant major general only applied after serjeant majors were introduced as a rank of field officer. Serjeant was eventually dropped from both rank titles, creating the modern rank titles. Serjeant Major (later spelled sergeant major) as a senior rank of non-commissioned officer was a later creation.
The equivalent of the rank of general in the
navy was
admiral
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, ...
.
French (Revolutionary) system
Arab system
The armies of Arab countries use traditional Arabic titles. These were formalized in their current system to replace the Turkish system that was formerly in use in the Arab world and the
Turco-Egyptian ranks in Egypt.
Other variations
Other nomenclatures for general officers include the titles and ranks:
*
Adjutant general
*
Commandant-general
*
Inspector general
An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".
Australia
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
*
General-in-chief
*
General of the Army (which is distinct from the title
army general)
*
General of the Air Force (USAF only)
*
General of the Armies of the United States (of America), a title created for General
John J. Pershing
General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...
, and subsequently granted posthumously to
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
* ("
general admiral") (German Navy)
* Air general and aviation general
* Wing general and group general
* (, a Serb/Slovenian/Macedonian rank immediately inferior to colonel general, and roughly equivalent to Commonwealth/US major general)
* Director general (a common administrative term sometimes used as an appointment in military services)
* Director general of national defence (most senior rank in the Mexican Armed Forces)
* Controller general (general officer rank in the
French National Police)
* Prefect general (the most senior rank of the
Argentine Naval Prefecture
The Argentine Naval Prefecture ( es, Prefectura Naval Argentina or PNA) is a service of Argentina's Security Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coa ...
)
*
Master-General of the Ordnance (very senior British military position)
* Police General (most senior rank of the
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Current ...
)
* Commissioner (highest rank of the
Bureau of Immigration)
* (Police General), the highest rank in the
Indonesian National Police
''
, mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation)
, formed =
, preceding1 =
, dissolved =
, superseding =
, employees = 440,000 (2020)
, volunteers =
, budget =
, nongovernment ...
In addition to militarily educated generals, there are also generals in medicine and engineering. The rank of the most senior chaplain, (chaplain general), is also usually considered to be a general officer rank.
Specific rank of general
In the old European system, a general, without prefix or suffix (and sometimes referred to informally as a "full general"), is usually the most senior type of general, above
lieutenant general and directly below
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
as a
four-star rank (NATO OF-9).
Usually it is the most senior peacetime rank, with more senior ranks (for example, field marshal, marshal of the air force, fleet admiral) being used only in wartime or as honorary titles.
In some armies, however, the rank of
captain general,
general of the army, army general or
colonel general
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...
occupied or occupies this position. Depending on circumstances and the army in question, these ranks may be considered to be equivalent to a "full" general or to a field marshal
five-star rank (NATO OF-10).
The rank of general came about as a "captain-general", the captain of an army in general (i.e., the whole army). The rank of captain-general began appearing around the time of the organisation of professional armies in the 17th century. In most countries "captain-general" contracted to just "general".
General ranks by country
The following articles deal with the rank of general, or its equivalent, as it is or was employed in the militaries of those countries:
*
General (Australia)
*
General (Bangladesh)
*
General (Canada)
* (China) – People's Republic of China (PRC) and Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan)
*
General (Denmark),
*
General (Estonia),
*
General (Finland),
*
General (Germany)
''General'' () is the highest rank of the German Army and German Air Force. As a four-star rank it is the equivalent to the rank of admiral in the German Navy.
The rank is rated Ranks and insignia of NATO armies officers, OF-9 in NATO. It is grad ...
,
* (Greece)
*
General (India)
* (North and South Korea)
*
*
General (Pakistan)
*
General (Poland),
*
General (Sri Lanka)
General (abbreviated as Gen.) is the highest attainable and full general rank of the Sri Lankan Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of general; it is also considered a four-star rank.
The rank of full gene ...
*
General (Sweden),
*
General (Switzerland)
*
General (United Kingdom)
*
General (United States)
*
General (Yugoslav People's Army)
Army generals’ insignia
File:13.PNA-BG.svg,
()
( Algerian People's National Army)
File:Angola-Army-OF-9.svg,
(Angolan Army
The Angolan Army () is the land component of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).
History
On August 1, 1974, a few months after a military coup d'état had overthrown the Lisbon regime and proclaimed its intention of granting independence to Angola, ...
)
File:Australian Army OF-9.svg, General
( Australian Army)
File:Bundesheer - Rank insignia - General.png,
( Austrian Army)
File:Bangladesh-army-OF-9.svg,
General
( Bangladesh Army)
File:Army-BEL-OF-09.svg,
( Belgian Army)
File:16.Bhutan Army-GEN.svg, General
( Royal Bhutan Army)
File:19.RBrLF-GEN.svg,
( Royal Brunei Land Forces)
File:Rank insignia of Генерал of the Bulgarian Army.png,
( Bulgarian Army)
File:Blank.svg,
( Burundi Army)
File:Canadian Army OF-9.svg, General
( Canadian Army)
File:Colombia-Army-OF-9.svg,
( Colombian Army)
File:Denmark-Army-OF-9-M11.svg,
( Royal Danish Army)
File:Timor-Leste-Army-OF-9.svg,
( Timor-Leste Army)
File:Estonia-Army-OF-9.svg,
(Estonian Land Forces
The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...
)
File:18.EA-GEN.svg, General
( Ethiopian Ground Forces)
File:Kenraali M05.svg,
( Finnish Army)
File:23.GLF-GEN.svg, General
( Armed Forces of Gabon)
File:16.Gambian Army-GEN.svg, General
( Gambian National Army)
File:HD H 64 General.svg,
(German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
)
File:16-Ghana Army-GEN.svg, General
( Ghana Army)
File:15. Guinea-Bissau GEN.svg,
( Army of Guinea-Bissau)
File:Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Minister of Defence rank insignia.svg, General
( Guyana Army)
File:General of the Indian Army.svg,
General
( Indian Army)
File:22-TNI Army-GEN.svg,
(Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...
)
File:Rank insignia of generale of the Army of Italy (1973).svg,
( Italian Army)
File:16. Kenyan Army GEN.svg, General
( Kenya Army)
File:Blank.svg, General
( Lesotho Army)
File:Army-LUX-OF-CiC.svg,
(Luxembourg Army
The Luxembourg Armed Forces (; french: Armée luxembourgeoise) are the national military force of Luxembourg. The army has been a fully volunteer military since 1967. , it has 939 personnel.
The army is under civilian control, with the grand ...
)
File:18-APM-GEN.svg,
( Army of North Macedonia)
File:16. Malawi Army - GEN.svg, General
( Malawian Army)
File:Malaysia-army-OF-9.svg,
( Malaysian Army)
File:Mexico army OF9.svg,
( Mexican Army)
File:Mongolian Army-GEN-service.svg,
( Mongolian Ground Force)
File:Namibia-army-OF-9.svg, General
( Namibian Army)
File:Nl-landmacht-generaal.svg,
(Royal Netherlands Army
The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...
)
File:Nigeria-Army-OF-9.svg, General
( Nigerian Army)
File:Norway-army-OF-9.svg,
( Norwegian Army)
File:OF-9 Pakistan Army.svg,
General
(Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
)
File:PA GEN Svc.svg,
( Philippine Army)
File:Army-POL-OF-09.svg,
( Polish Army)
File:Army-POR-OF-09.svg,
(Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...
)
File:Romania-Army-OF-9.svg,
( Romanian Land Forces)
File:16-Rwanda Army-GEN.svg, General
( Rwandan Defence Forces)
File:18-Serbian Army-GEN.svg,
( Serbian Army)
File:Blank.svg, General
( Sierra Leone Army)
File:Blank.svg, General
(Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...
)
File:Army-SVK-OF-09.svg,
( Ground Forces of the Slovak Republic)
File:SAA-OF-9.svg, General
(South African Army
The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...
)
File:Blank.svg, General
( South Sudan Army)
File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-9.svg, General
( Sri Lanka Army)
File:Blank.svg, General
( Eswatini Army)
File:SWE-General.svg,
(Swedish Army
The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces.
History
Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...
)
File:CHE OF9 General.svg,
( Swiss Land Forces)
File:17-Tanzania Army-GEN.svg,
( Tanzanian Army)
File:Turkey-army-OF-9a.svg,
( Turkish Land Forces)
File:Uganda-Army-OF-9.svg, General
( Ugandan Land Forces)
File:Погон генерала ЗСУ (2020).svg,
( Ukrainian Ground Forces)
File:British Army OF-9.svg, General
( British Army)
File:US Army O10 (Army greens).svg, General
( US Army)
File:Blank.svg, General
( Zambian Army)
File:Zimbabwe-Army-OF-9.svg, General
( Zimbabwe National Army)
Air force generals' insignia
16.ANAF-GEN.svg,
( National Air Force of Angola)
BE-Air Force-OF9.svg,
( Belgian Air Component)
19.RBrAF-GEN.svg,
( Royal Brunei Air Force)
Rank insignia of Генерал of the Bulgarian Air forces.png,
(Bulgarian Air Force
The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and p ...
)
Canada-Air force-OF-9-collected.svg, General
( Royal Canadian Air Force)
General del Aire FACH.png,
( Chilean Air Force)
Colombia-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
( Colombian Air Force)
File:RDAF-OF-9 Sleeve.svg,
( Royal Danish Air Force)
17.Ecuadorian Air Force-GEN.svg,
( Ecuadorian Air Force)
Estonia-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
( Estonian Air Force)
Finland-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
( Finnish Air Force)
Georgia Air Force OF-10.png,
( Georgian Air Force)
LD B 64 General.svg,
(German Air Force
The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War a ...
)
blank.svg, General
( Guinea Air Force)
16. Kenyan Air Force GEN.svg, General
(Kenya Air Force
The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or sw, Jeshi la Wanahewa is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya.
The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the he ...
)
blank.svg, General
( Malawi Air Force)
Malaysia-Air Force-OF-9.svg,
( Royal Malaysian Air Force)
Mongolian Army-GEN-service.svg,
( Mongolian Air Force)
Netherlands-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
(Royal Netherlands Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force''
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
)
Norway-air force-OF-9.svg,
( Royal Norwegian Air Force)
blank.svg,
( Paraguayan Air Force)
Peru-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
( Peruvian Air Force)
PAF GEN Svc.svg,
(Philippine Air Force
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forc ...
)
Rank insignia of generał of the Air Force of Poland.svg,
(Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mil ...
)
Portugal-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
(Portuguese Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 1 July
, equipment =
, equipment_label ...
)
Romania-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
( Romanian Air Force)
16-Rwanda Air Force-GEN.svg, General
( Rwandan Air Force)
18-Serbian Air Force-GEN.svg,
(Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...
)
blank.svg, General
( Republic of Singapore Air Force)
SVK-Air Force-OF-09.svg,
( Slovak Air Force)
SAAF-OF-9.svg, General
( South African Air Force)
blank.svg, General
( South Sudan Air Force)
SP-09 General del Aire.svg,
( Spanish Air and Space Force)
Sweden-AirForce-OF-9.svg,
(Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.
History
The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...
)
17-Tanzania Air Force-GEN.svg, General
(Tanzania Air Force Command
The Tanzania Air Force Command ( sw, Kamandi ya Jeshi la Anga) is the aerial service branch of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF). The current commander of the Tanzania Air Force Command is Major General SB MANI
, who replaced major gen ...
)
Turkey-air-force-OF-9a.svg,
( Turkish Air Force)
Uganda-AirForce-OF-9.svg, General
( Ugandan Air Force)
blank.svg,
(Ukrainian Air Force
The Ukrainian Air Force ( uk, Пові́тряні си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its headquarters are in the city of Vinnytsia. Wh ...
)
US Air Force O10 shoulderboard.svg, General
( US Air Force)
blank.svg, General
( Zambian Air Force)
Naval infantry generals' insignia
Generic-Navy-O12.svg,
( Colombian Naval Infantry)
22-TNI Navy-ADM.svg,
( Indonesian Marine Corps)
Maldives Army OF-9.svg,
General
( Maldivian Marine Corps)
Netherlands-Navy-OF-9.svg,
(Netherlands Marine Corps
The Netherlands Marine Corps ( nl, Korps Mariniers) is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The marines trace their origins back to the establishment of the on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the Dut ...
)
Sweden-Navy-OF-9.svg,
(Swedish Amphibious Corps
The Amphibious Corps ( sv, Amfibiekåren, Amf) is the maritime land force arm of the Swedish Navy, with an emphasis on coastal defence. Until 2000 it was known as the Coastal Artillery ( sv, Kustartilleriet), but the name was changed to reflect i ...
)
British Royal Marines OF-9.svg, General
( UK Royal Marines)
US Marine 10 shoulderboard vertical.svg, General
( US Marine Corps)
Air force and naval equivalents
Some countries (such as the United States) use the general officer ranks for both the
army and the
air force, as well as their
marine corps; other states only use the general officer ranks for the army, while in the air force they use
air officers as the equivalent of general officers. They use the air force rank of
air chief marshal
Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...
as the equivalent of the specific army rank of general. This latter group includes the British
Royal Air Force and many current and former Commonwealth air forces—e.g.
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
,
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
,
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...
,
Nigerian Air Force,
Pakistan Air Force, etc.
In most
navies
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
,
flag officers are the equivalent of general officers, and the naval rank of
admiral
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, ...
is equivalent to the specific army rank of general. A noteworthy historical exception was the
Cromwellian naval rank "
general at sea". In recent years in the American service there is a tendency to use ''flag officer'' and ''flag rank'' to refer to generals and admirals of the services collectively.
See also
*
General officers in the United States
*
List of comparative military ranks
*
List of Roman generals
Roman generals were often career statesmen, remembered by history for reasons other than their service in the Roman Army. This page encompasses men whom history remembers for their accomplishments commanding Roman armies on land and sea.
A
* Man ...
*
General officer commanding
*''
Général''
*''
Generalissimo''
*''
Shōgun''
Notes
References
External links
Generals of World War IISchema-root.org: US GeneralsNews feeds for US Generals in the news
Marines.mil: General Officer Biographies Biographies of US Marine Corps General Officers
Bios & Information on Generals of Western HistoryInformation on 10 Generals who influenced Western History
{{DEFAULTSORT:General Officer
Military ranks