General of the Air ''(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: General del Aire)'' also called Air General, is a four-star

general officer 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. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

and the second highest possible rank in the

Spanish Air and Space Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

. A General of the Air ranks immediately above a

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and is equivalent to a General of the Army and an Admiral General. There is not equivalent in the Civil Guard or in the

Spanish Navy Marines The Spanish Naval Infantry ( es, Infantería de Marina) is the naval infantry unit of the Spanish Navy () responsible for conducting amphibious warfare by utilizing naval platforms and resources. The Marine Corps is fully integrated into the ...

; in both cases the top rank is Lieutenant general. The rank was created in 1999 to adapt the Spanish military rank to the ranks of NATO This is the highest rank that a military can reach, because the next higher is

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

and that rank is only reserved to the King or Queen as commander-in-chief of the

Armed Forces 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 ...

(even that sometimes has been given as honorary rank to some generals). The General of the Air insignia consist in a baton crossed over a saber under a Royal Crown and a star in every angles that form the crossed

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conductin ...

and the

saber A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

. Being under a Crown means that the rank is part of the generalship (the group of generals of the Armed Forces), the baton and the saber means command and the four stars means the rank of General. This insignia was used before to 1999 by the Head of State as Captain General.

Promotion

The promotion to General of the Air is reserved to two positions. These are, the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force. Both positions are appointed by the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

, the first is directly nominated by the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

and the second is nominated by the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

. Being appointed Chief of the Defence Staff means the automatically promotion to the rank of General of the Air. The same happens with the Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force with the exception if the official appointed has the rank of

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 ...

, in that case, the official needs to be promoted first to

Living Generals of the Air

As of January 2020, there are the 10 Generals of the Air alive, these are: The most recent Air General to die was Santiago Valderas Cañestro on 12 January 2019, who served as Chief of the Defence Staff from 1996 to 2000.

References

{, style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;" , - style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan=2, {{flagicon, Spain

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(

Edit Edit may refer to: Concepts * an action that is part of an editing process (including of images, video, and film) * a particular version that is the result of editing, especially of film (for example, fan edit), or music (for example, radi ...

) , colspan=2, SP-10 Capitán General del Aire

, colspan=2, SP-09 General del Aire

, colspan=2, SP-08 Teniente General EA

, colspan=2, SP-07 General de Division EA

, colspan=2, SP-06 General de Brigada EA

, colspan=2, SP-05 Coronel EA

, colspan=2, SP-04 Teniente Coronel EA

, colspan=2, SP-03 Comandante EA

, colspan=2, SP-02 Capitán EA

, colspan=3, SP-01 Teniente EA

, colspan=3, SP-01 Alférez EA

, colspan=2, Alférez Alumno de Quinta EA

, colspan=2, Alférez Alumno de Cuarta EA

, colspan=2, Alférez Alumno de Tercera EA

, colspan=3, Cadete de Segunda EA

, colspan=3, Cadete de Primera EA

, - style="text-align:center;" , colspan=2,

Capitán General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

, colspan=2, General del Aire , colspan=2,

Teniente General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

, colspan=2, General de División , colspan=2, General de Brigada , colspan=2, Coronel , colspan=2, Teniente Coronel , colspan=2, Comandante , colspan=2, Capitán , colspan=3,

Teniente 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 s ...

, colspan=3,

Alférez In medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the Arabic ('' al-fāris''), meaning "horseman" or "cavalier", and it was commonly Latinised ...

, colspan=6, Oficial Cadete , colspan=6, Alumno Lists of Spanish military personnel Spanish generals Four-star officers Spanish Air and Space Force