Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a
three-star military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...
rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the
second-in-command
Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation.
Usage
In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...
on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a
captain general.
In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks immediately below
general and above
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
; it is equivalent to the navy rank of
vice admiral, and in air forces with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to
air marshal. A lieutenant general commands an
army corps, made up of typically three
army divisions, and consisting of around 60 000 to 70 000 soldiers (U.S.).
The seeming incongruity that a lieutenant general outranks a major general (whereas a
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
outranks a
lieutenant) is due to the derivation of major general from
sergeant major general
Sergeant major general is a now mostly extinct name of military rank. A prominent example was Philip Skippon in the English New Model Army as organized by Oliver Cromwell.
Over the course of the 17th century, the increasing professionalisation o ...
, which was a rank subordinate to lieutenant general (as a lieutenant outranks a
sergeant major).
In contrast, in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
and a number of other countries of the former
Soviet Union, lieutenant general is a ''two''-star rank, immediately below
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 ...
, and above
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
– in these systems this last rank having one star, without any use of the
brigadier 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 t ...
of many Western countries.
However, some countries of Latin America (such as Brazil and Chile) use
divisional general
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
as the equivalent of lieutenant general. In addition, because no brigadier general rank is used in Japan and Taiwan, lieutenant general is the rank of divisional commander. Therefore, it corresponds to divisional general of these countries. In a number of smaller states which employ NATO and western style military organisational structures, because of the limited number of soldiers in their armies, the rank of lieutenant general is the highest army rank in use. In Latvia, Lithuania, and Singapore, the chief of defence is a lieutenant general, and in the
Irish Defence Forces
The Defence Forces ( ga, Fórsaí Cosanta, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in ...
and
Israel Defence Forces, the Chief of Staff holds this rank.
Lieutenant general ranks by country
*
Lieutenant general (Australia)
*
Lieutenant general (Bangladesh)
* ''
General-pukovnik'' (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
*
Lieutenant-general (Canada) Lieutenant-general (LGen; ) is a Canadian Forces rank used by commissioned officers of the Canadian Army or Royal Canadian Air Force. Vice-admiral is the equivalent rank in the Royal Canadian Navy.
A lieutenant-general is a general officer, senio ...
* (Finland)
* (Estonia)
* (Germany)
*
Lieutenant General (India)
*
Lieutenant general (Pakistan)
*
Lieutenant general (Sri Lanka)
* (Sweden)
*
Lieutenant general (United Kingdom)
*
Lieutenant general (United States)
Army ranks
File:ALB-Army-OF-8.svg,
(Albanian Army
The Albanian Land Force ( sq, Forca Tokësore të Republikës së Shqipërisë) is the land force branch of the Albanian Armed Forces.
Mission
The Albanian Land Force's main mission is the defense of the independence, sovereignty and territoria ...
)
File:Angola-Army-OF-8.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:Argentina-Army-OF-9.svg,
( Argentine Army)
File:Armenia-Army-OF-7.svg,
( Armenian Ground Forces)
File:Australian Army OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
(Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
)
File:Bundesheer - Rank insignia - Generalleutnant.png,
( Austrian Army)
File:17.AzLF-LG.png,
( Azerbaijani Land Forces)
File:Bangladesh-army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Bangladesh Army)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-7.svg,
( Belarusian Ground Forces)
File:Army-BEL-OF-08.svg,
( Belgian Land Component)
File:15.Bhutan Army-LG.svg,
Lieutenant general
(Royal Bhutan Army
The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; dz, བསྟན་སྲུང་དམག་སྡེ་, bStan-srung dmag-sde) is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereign ...
)
File:Rank insignia of Генерал-лейтенант of the Bulgarian Army.png,
( Bulgarian Land Forces)
File:Botswana-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Botswana Ground Force)
File:18.RBrLF-LG.svg,
( Royal Brunei Land Forces)
File:Blank.svg,
( Burundi Army)
File:Canadian Army OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
(Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...
)
File:DR Congo Army OF-8.svg,
( Land Forces of the DR Congo)
File:CzArmy 2011 OF8-Generalporucik shoulder.svg,
( Czech Land Forces)
File:Denmark-Army-OF-8-M11.svg,
( Royal Danish Army)
File:Capona Teniente General Ejercito Nacional.svg,
( Dominican Army)
File:Estonia-Army-OF-8.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:Kenraaliluutnantti M05.svg,
( Finnish Army)
File:15.Gambian Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Gambian National Army)
File:Georgia-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Georgian Land Forces)
File:HD H 63 Generalleutnant.svg,
(German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the German Navy, '' ...
)
File:15-Ghana Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Ghana Army)
File:14. Guinea-Bissau LG.svg,
( Army of Guinea-Bissau)
File:Haiti-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Haitian Army)
File:Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg, Lieutenant general
( Indian Army)
File:21-TNI Army-LG.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:Ireland-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
( Irish Army)
File:IT-Army-OF8.svg,
( Italian Army)
File:Jamaica-Army-OF-8 (new).svg, Lieutenant general
( Jamaican Army)
File:18-RKGF-LG.svg,
( Kazakh Ground Forces)
File:15. Kenyan Army LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Kenya Army)
File:Kosovo-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Kosovo Security Force)
File:LV-Army-OF8.png,
( Latvian Land Forces)
File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Lesotho Army)
File:Liberia-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Liberian Ground Forces)
File:21-Lithuania Army-LG.svg,
( Lithuanian Land Forces)
File:15. Malawi Army - LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Malawi Army)
File:Malaysia-army-OF-8.svg,
( Malaysian Army)
File:Mongolian Army-LTG-service.svg,
( Mongolian Ground Forces)
File:Mozambique-Army-OF-7.svg,
(Mozambican Army
The Mozambique Defence Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique) or FADM are the national armed forces of Mozambique. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces and three branches of service: Army, Air Force and Nav ...
)
File:15-Namibia Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Namibian Army)
File:Nl-landmacht-luitenant 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:19.Nepalese Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Nepali Army)
File:New Zealand-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
(New Zealand Army
, image = New Zealand Army Logo.png
, image_size = 175px
, caption =
, start_date =
, country =
, branch = ...
)
File:Nigeria-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Nigerian Army)
File:Norway-army-OF-8.svg,
( Norwegian Army)
File:OF-8 PakistanArmy.svg, Lieutenant 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 Lt. Gen.png, Lieutenant general
( Philippine Army)
File:Army-POR-OF-08.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-8.svg,
( Romanian Land Forces)
File:Russia-Army-OF-7-2010.svg,
( Russian Ground Forces)
File:15-Rwanda Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Rwandan Land Forces)
File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Sierra Leone Army)
File:10-RSA-OF08.svg, Lieutenant 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-08.svg,
( Slovak Ground Forces)
File:Spain-Army-OF-8.svg,
(Spanish Army
The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century.
The ...
)
File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Sri Lanka Army)
File:SAA-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant 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, Lieutenant general
( South Sudan Army)
File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Eswatini Army)
File:Sweden-Field-OF-8 (2019).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:Tajikistan-Army-OF-7.png,
( Tajik National Army)
File:16-Tanzania Army-LG.svg, Lieutenant general
( Tanzanian Army)
File:Timor-Leste-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Timor-Leste Army)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-7.svg,
( Turkmen Ground Forces)
File:Uganda-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Ugandan Army)
File:Погон генерал-лейтенанта ЗСУ (2020).svg,
( Ukrainian Ground Forces)
File:British Army OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
(British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
)
File:US Army O9 (Army greens).svg, Lieutenant general
( United States Army)
File:Blank.svg,
( National Army of Uruguay)
File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-7.svg,
( Uzbek Ground Forces)
File:Blank.svg, Lieutenant general
( Zambian Army)
File:Zimbabwe-Army-OF-8.svg, Lieutenant general
( Zimbabwe National Army)
Air force ranks
File:ALB-Airforce-OF-8.svg, Gjeneral lejtant
( Albanian Air Force)
File:BE-Air Force-OF8.svg, ''Lieutenant général'' / ''Luitenant-generaal''
( Belgian Air Component)
File:Rank insignia of Генерал-лейтенант of the Bulgarian Air forces.png, ''Генерал-лейтенант''
(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 ...
)
File:RDAF Lt Gen.svg, ''Generalløjtnant''
( Royal Danish Air Force)
File:16 - FAE - Pala de Teniente General - Lieutenant General.jpg, ''Teniente general''
( Ecuadorian Air Force)
File:Finland-AirForce-OF-8.svg, '' Kenraaliluutnantti / Generallöjtnant''
( Finnish Air Force)
File:Georgia Air Force OF-9.png, ''გენერალ ლეიტენანტი''
( Georgian Air Force)
File:Nl-luchtmacht-luitenant generaal.svg, ''Luitenant-generaal''
(Royal Netherlands Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force''
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
)
File:PAF LTGEN Svc.svg, ''Tenyente heneral''
(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 ...
)
File:Rank insignia of generał broni of the Air Force of Poland.svg, ''Generał broni''
(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 ...
)
File:TenGen t.jpg, ''Tenente-general''
(Portuguese Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 1 July
, equipment =
, equipment_label ...
)
File:Russia-Airforce-OF-7-2010.svg, ''Генера́л-лейтена́нт''
(Russian Aerospace Forces
The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces ( rus, Воздушно-космические силы, r=Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily) or VKS ( rus, ВКС}) comprise the air and space branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Fe ...
)
File:SP-08 Teniente General EA.svg, ''Teniente-general''
(Spanish Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 December
, equipment ...
)
File:OF-8_Generallöjtnant_FV.jpg, ''Generallöjtnant''
(Swedish Air Force)
File:Turkey-air-force-OF-8.svg, ''Korgeneral''
(Turkish Air Force)
File: UAAF shoulder mark 20.svg, Генерал-лейтенант
(Ukrainian Air Force)
File:US Air Force O9 shoulderboard.svg, Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant general
(United States Air Force)
Naval infantry
Generic-Navy-O11.svg,
(Colombian Naval Infantry)
21-TNI Navy-VADM.svg,
(Indonesian Marine Corps)
Maldives Army OF-8.svg,
Lieutenant general
(MNDF Marine Corps, Maldivian Marine Corps)
Netherlands-Navy-OF-8.svg,
(Netherlands Marine Corps)
0infant.png,
(Spanish Marine Infantry)
Sweden-Navy-OF-8.svg,
(Swedish Amphibious Corps)
British Royal Marines OF-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
(Royal Marines)
US Marine O9 shoulderboard vertical.svg, Lieutenant general
(United States Marine Corps)
UAN shoulder mark 20.svg,
(Ukrainian Naval Infantry)
See also
* British and United States military ranks compared
* Comparative military ranks
* Israel Defense Forces ranks
* List of lieutenant generals in the United States Army before 1960
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Military ranks
Lieutenant generals,
Military ranks of Singapore
Military ranks of the Nepali Army