Please see "General" for other countries which use this rank

General is the most senior rank currently used in the United States Army, United States Air Force and United States Marine Corps. It is designated O-10 on the military pay scale. Often known as a "Four Star General" or "Full General", United States Generals command major areas of responsibility and hold the highest of military positions in the United States Department of Defense. Because the "five star" and "six star" general ranks are reserved for war time use and George Washington respectively, the rank of a four star general is considered to be the highest promotion possible in the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

"General" may also be used in conversation with lower ranking grades, such as Lieutenant Generals and Major Generals, in lieu of using the complete titles with prefix. The different ranks of general are identified by the number of stars worn: a General of the Army (only so far used in World War II) wears five stars, a General four stars, a Lieutenant General three stars, a Major General two stars, and a Brigadier General one star. A "full General" is therefore often referred to as a "four-star general".

The first Generals in American History where those appointed by the Continental Congress to lead the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Such Generals were normally distinguished community leaders and statesmen, with several having served as provincial officers in the British Army.

Continental Army Generals were divided into two grades being that of Brigadier General and Major General. The insignia for such generals was one or two stars worn on a golden epaulet. While there were some Generals who were promoted into the grade from the Colonel ranks, most held their ranks by initial appointment and then with such appointment at the pleasure of the Congress, to be expired or revoked at the end of a particular campaign.

The system of holding a General’s rank by appointment alone, accompanied by little or no pay, led some Continental Generals to seek to hold their rank through glorious battles. Others became disenchanted with what was being asked of them, only to face the possibility of losing their rank as the result of an unsuccessful battle. Benedict Arnold was the ultimate extreme of an American General turned bad.

George Washington was the highest ranking officer of the Revolutionary War and wore three stars on his epaulets, holding the title “General and Commander-in-Chief”. After the Revolutionary War, he was listed as a Lieutenant General on the Army rolls until his death. He would later be posthumously promoted to the rank of General of the Armies.

After the Revolutionary War, the tiny United States Army at first had no active duty Generals. This changed with the appointment of a position known as “Commanding General of the United States Army” which was held by the senior Major General on the Army rolls. The position was abolished at the start of the 20th century and replaced with that of Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

Lieutenant General as a rank returned on the scene during the American Civil War with Ulysses S. Grant holding the rank followed by appointment to the first “full” or “four star general” rank used in America, that being General of the Army. It should also be noted that the Confederate Army used a four star General system in advance of the United States forces. Many Confederate Lieutenant Generals were appointed, among them Stonewall Jackson, and the Confederacy had a fair number of four star generals, the most famous of which was Robert E. Lee.

After the Civil War, the rank of General of the Army was merged with that of Lieutenant General and Major General was the highest practical rank in the United States Army. Promotions to Lieuenant General were extremely rare and reserved for only the most successful of Army officers. Thus, there were no four star Generals in the United States armed forces until the appointment of John Pershing to the rank of General of the Armies during World War I. Pershing wore four stars during his tenure as General of the Armies, but was later considered a six star general as the result of the re-creation of the General of the Army rank in 1944.

World War II saw the largest number of American Generals, most of whom held temporary or “theater” appointments in the Army of the United States. After the close of the Second World War, Generals were normally promoted permanently to Brigadier General and Major General, with temporary promotions to Lieutenant and Full General to fill senior positions as needed. In theroy, a General would be expected to vacate thier 3 or 4 star rank at the termination of thier assignment, unless they were placed in an equal rankng billet. Douglas MacArthur, who served as 4 star general and Army Chief of Staff, reverted to 2 stars after his CoS tour ended but he choose to say on active duty in the United States Army.

The pratice of Lieutenant and Full general as a temporary rank continues to the current day, although the term “temporary” is in name only since most 3 and 4 star generals are expected to retain their rank regardless of thier assignment. such officers are also almost always granted permanent retirement rank, as well, in the last grade they held.

The different ranks of general are identified by the number of stars worn: a General of the Army (only so far used in World War II) wears five stars, a General four stars, a Lieutenant General three stars, a Major General two stars, and a Brigadier General one star. A "full General" is therefore often referred to as a "four-star general".

During the American Civil War, all generals in the Confederate military, regardless of grade, wore an insignia of three stars in a row with the middle one being slightly larger and placed in an open wreath. One exception to this was General Robert E. Lee who chose to wear the insignia of the lower rank of a (full) colonel (three stars) even after he became overall commander of the Confederate armies in 1865. (Napoleon Bonaparte and Gerd von Rundstedt also wore a colonel's uniform.)

In the 19th century, US generals' rank was also shown by the arrangement of buttons on the coat. This was a feature of generals' dress uniforms until the Army abandoned blue uniforms during World War I.

By courtesy, all generals below are addressed as "General".

File:Brigadier General insignia.png Brigadier General (BG): Typically serves as Deputy Commander to the Commanding General of a division and assists in overseeing the planning and coordination of a mission. In an infantry brigade not attached to a division, a Brigadier General serves as the unit's commander, while a Colonel serves as deputy commander.

File:Major General insignia.pngMajor General (MG): Typically commands division-sized units (10,000 to 16,000 soldiers).

File:Lieutenant General insignia.pngLieutenant General (LTG): Typically commands corps-sized units (20,000 to 45,000 soldiers).

File:General insignia.pngGeneral (GEN): Commands all operations that fall within his or her geographical area. The Chief of Staff of the Army and the Commandent of the Marine Corps are four-star Generals.

File:USAF.insignia.o11.collar.wag.pngGeneral of the Army: This rank is only used in time of war where the commanding officer must be equal or of higher rank than those commanding armies/air forces from other nations. The last officers to hold this rank served during and immediately following World War II. The Marine Corps currently do not hold a rank of this power.

U.S. law strictly limits the total number of general officers that may be on active duty at any time. This number is set at 302 for the Army, 279 for the Air Force, and 80 for the Marine Corps. Of these, no more than 50% may rank higher than Brigadier General. The percentage of generals ranking higher than Major General is capped at 15.7% for the Army and Air Force and 17.5% for the Marine Corps, and out of that total, no more than 25% may rank as a full General. This typically works out to about thirty full Generals on active duty at a time.

v t e United States uniformed services commissioned officer and officer candidate ranks

Pay grade / branch of service Officer candidate O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 Wartime grade Special grade Insignia [1] [2] Army CDT / OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA[3] GAS[2] Marine Corps Midn / Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen [5] [5] Navy MIDN / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM[3] [5] Air Force Cdt / OT 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen GAF[3] [5] Space Force Cdt / OT 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen [5] [5] Coast Guard CDT / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM [5] [5] PHS Corps OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM [5] [5] NOAA Corps OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM [4] [5] [5] [1] No universal insignia for officer candidate rank [2] No official insignia and not currently listed by the Army as an obtainable rank. John J. Pershing's GAS insignia: (collar) (epaulettes) [3] These ranks are reserved for wartime use only, and are still listed as ranks within their respective services [4] Grade is authorized by the U.S. Code for use but has not been created [5] Grade has never been created or authorized