Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a usually 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 distinct ...

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 a ...

, 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 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 ...

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 A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

) 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 List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and a number of other countries of the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, 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

– in these systems this last rank has 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 ...

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 (abbreviated LTGEN and pronounced 'lef-tenant general') is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army. It was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general, and is considered a th ...

Lieutenant general (Bangladesh) Lieutenant General (abbreviated as Lt. Gen. and in contraction simply known as 'general') is a senior rank in the Bangladesh Army. It is the second-highest active rank of the Bangladesh Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British m ...

* '' 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) Lieutenant general (abbreviated as Lt. Gen. and pronounced 'lef-tenant general') (Sinhala language, Sinhala: ලුතිනන් ජෙනරාල් ''Lutinan Jenaral'') is the second-highest rank of the Sri Lanka Army and generally it is t ...

* (Sweden) * Lieutenant general (United Kingdom) *

Lieutenant general (United States) In the United States Armed Forces, a lieutenant general is a three-star general officer in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force. A lieutenant general ranks above a major general and below a general. The pay grad ...

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 The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander- ...

) 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 The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of natio ...

) 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 The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...

) 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 responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

) 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 The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...

) 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 The Gambia Armed Forces, also known as the Armed Forces of The Gambia, consists of three branches: the Gambia National Army (GNA), the Gambia Navy, and the Republican National Guard (RNG). It formerly included the Gambia National Gendarmerie (GNG) ...

) File:Georgia-Army-OF-8.svg,

(

Georgian Land Forces The Georgian Land Forces ( ka, საქართველოს სახმელეთო ძალები) are the land force component of the Defense Forces of Georgia. They are the largest branch of the military and constitute the bulk o ...

) File:HD H 63 Generalleutnant.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: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 The Armed Forces of Haiti (french: Forces Armées d'Haïti—FAd'H), consisted of the Haitian Army, Haitian Navy (at times), the Haitian Air Force, Haitian Coast Guard, (ANI) and some police forces (Port-au-Prince Police). The Army was always ...

) File:Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg, Lieutenant general

(

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

) 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 "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

) 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 , image = KSF logo.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem , image2 = Flag of the Kosovo Security Force.svg , alt2 = , caption2 = Flag , motto = , founded ...

) 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) 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 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 ...

) File:Turkey-air-force-OF-8.svg, ''Korgeneral''
( Turkish Air Force) File: UAAF shoulder mark 20.svg, Генерал-лейтенант
(

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 ...

) File:US Air Force O9 shoulderboard.svg, 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
( Maldivian Marine Corps) Netherlands-Navy-OF-8.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 ...

) 0infant.png,
( Spanish Marine Infantry) Sweden-Navy-OF-8.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-8.svg, Lieutenant-general
(

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

) US Marine O9 shoulderboard vertical.svg, Lieutenant general
( United States Marine Corps) UAN shoulder mark 20.svg,

( Ukrainian Naval Infantry)

References

External links