Vice admiral (abbreviated as VADM) is a three-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 ...

, 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 ...

, and the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ ...

, 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-9. Vice admiral ranks above rear admiral and below

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, ...

. Vice admiral is equivalent to the rank of

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 ...

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, ...

Statutory limits

United States 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 ...

explicitly limits the total number of vice admirals that may be on active duty at any given time.

U.S. Navy

The total number of active-duty

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countr ...

s is capped at 162 for the U.S. Navy. For the Navy, no more than 16.7% of the service's active-duty flag officers may have more than two stars.
Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text Some of these slots can be reserved by statute. Officers serving in certain Defense Agency Director positions such as the Director of the

Defense Logistics Agency The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is a combat support agency in the United States Department of Defense, United States Department of Defense (DoD), with more than 26,000 civilian and military personnel throughout the world. Located in 48 state ...

(DLA), when filled by a naval officer, are vice admirals. The

Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy The Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy is its commanding officer. The position is a statutory office (), and is roughly equivalent to the chancellor or president of an American civilian university. The officer appointed is, by tradi ...

is usually a vice admiral, either upon nomination or shortly thereafter. The President may also add vice admirals to the Navy if they are offset by removing an equivalent number of three-star officers from other services. Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at the President's discretion during time of war or national emergency.

U.S. Coast Guard

By statute, no more than five vice admiral positions may exist in the Coast Guard and, if there are five, one must be the chief of staff of the Coast Guard. – Vice admirals.

U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

By statute, the only U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer who holds the rank of vice admiral is the officer serving as

Surgeon General of the United States The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. Th ...

NOAA Corps

Although the rank of vice admiral exists in the NOAA Corps, its use is rare. Only two officers of the NOAA Corps or its ancestor organizations have reached the rank of vice admiral.

Appointment and tour length

The three-star grade goes hand-in-hand with the position or office it is linked to, so the rank is temporary. Officers may only achieve three-star grade if they are appointed to positions that require the officer to hold such a rank. Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute. Vice admirals are nominated for appointment by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

from any eligible officers holding the rank of rear admiral (lower half) or above, who also meet the requirements for the position, under the advice or suggestion of the Secretary of Defense, the applicable service secretary, or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 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 vice admiral positions is three years but some are set four or more years by statute. Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the Secretary of Defense, the President or

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 ...

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. Three-star 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. Three-star officers must retire after 38 years of service unless appointed for promotion or reappointed to grade to serve longer. Otherwise all flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. The Secretary of Defense, however, can defer a three-star officer's retirement until the officer's 66th birthday and the president can defer it until the officer's 68th birthday. Flag officers typically retire well in advance of the statutory age and service limits, so as not to impede the upward career mobility of their juniors. Since there is a finite number of three-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 three-star rank is a game of musical chairs; once an officer vacates a position bearing that rank, the officer must be appointed or reappointed to a job of equal or higher importance within 60 days or involuntarily retires. Historically, officers leaving three-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

USN-USMC O9 insignia.svg, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, USPHSCC, NOAA Corps shoulder insignia US CG O9 insignia.svg, The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a

vice admiral US PHS O9 insignia.svg, The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a

vice admiral US NOAA O9 insignia.svg, The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a

vice admiral Flag of a United States Coast Guard vice admiral.svg, Rank flag of a U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral (unrestricted line officer) Flag of the United States Surgeon General v1.svg, Rank flag of a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps vice admiral (serves as

) File:NOAA Vice Admiral Flag.png, Rank flag of a NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps vice admiral

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vice Admiral (United States) Military ranks of the United States Navy Military ranks of the United States Coast Guard United States Navy vice admirals Three-star officers