Admiral (United States)

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Please see "Admiral" for other nations which use this rank
The stars and shoulder boards of a four-star Navy admiral
The stars and shoulder boards of a four-star Navy admiral
The stars and shoulder boards of a four-star Coast Guard admiral
The stars and shoulder boards of a four-star Coast Guard admiral

In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral (ADM) is a four-star flag officer, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health Service does not have an established grade above admiral. Admiral is equivalent to a general in the other uniformed services. Since the five-star Fleet Admiral grade is reserved for war-time use only, the four-star admiral rank is considered to be the highest appointment an officer can achieve in these three services.

Contents

[edit] History

The United States Navy did not have any Admirals until 1862 because many people felt the title too reminiscent of royalty, such as the British Royal Navy, to be used in the country's navy.[citation needed] Others saw the need for ranks above Captain, among them John Paul Jones, who pointed out that the Navy had to have officers who "ranked" with Army Generals. He also felt there must be ranks above Captain to avoid disputes among senior Captains. The various secretaries of the Navy repeatedly recommended to Congress that Admiral ranks be created because the other navies of the world used them and American senior officers were "often subjected to serious difficulties and embarrassments in the interchange of civilities with those of other nations." Congress finally authorized nine Rear Admirals on July 16, 1862, although that was probably more for the needs of the rapidly expanding Navy during the American Civil War than any international considerations. Two years later Congress authorized the appointment of a Vice Admiral from among the nine Rear Admirals: David Farragut. Another bill allowed the President of the United States to appoint Farragut to full Admiral on July 25, 1866, and David Dixon Porter to Vice Admiral. When Farragut died in 1870 Porter became Admiral and Stephen C. Rowan Vice Admiral. Even after they died, Congress did not allow the promotion of any of the Rear Admirals to succeed them, so there were no more Admirals or Vice Admirals by promotion until 1915 when Congress authorized an Admiral and a Vice Admiral each for the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic fleets.

There was one Admiral in the interim, however. In 1899, Congress recognized George Dewey's accomplishments during the Spanish-American War by authorizing the President to appoint him Admiral of the Navy. He held that rank until he died in 1917. Nobody has since held that title. In 1944, Congress approved the five-star Fleet Admiral rank. The first to hold it were William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King, and Chester W. Nimitz. The Senate confirmed their appointments December 15, 1944. The fourth Fleet Admiral, William F. Halsey, got his fifth star in December 1945. None has been appointed since.

The sleeve stripes now used by Admirals and Vice Admirals in the United States date from March 11, 1869, when the Secretary of the Navy's General Order Number 90 specified that for their "undress" uniforms Admirals would wear a two-inch stripe with three half-inch stripes above it and Vice Admirals the two-inch stripe with two half-inch stripes above it. The Rear Admiral got his two-inch stripe and one half-inch stripe in 1866.

The sleeve stripes had been more elaborate. When the Rear Admiral rank started in 1862 the sleeve arrangement was three stripes of three-quarter-inch lace alternating with three stripes of quarter-inch lace. It was some ten inches from top to bottom. The Vice Admiral, of course, had even more stripes and when Farragut became Admiral in 1866 he had so many stripes they reached from his cuffs almost to his elbow. On their dress uniforms the admirals wore bands of gold embroidery of live oak leaves and acorns.

The admirals of the 1860s wore the same number of stars on their shoulders as admirals of corresponding grades do today. In 1899, the Navy's one Admiral (Dewey) and 18 Rear Admirals put on the new shoulder marks, as did the other officers when wearing their white uniforms, but kept their stars instead of repeating the sleeve cuff stripes.

During the 20th century, the ranks of the modern U.S. Admiralty were firmly established. An oddity that did exist was that the U.S. Navy did not have a one star rank except briefly during the Second World War and then not permanently until 1986. (See Commodore)

[edit] Statutory limits

U.S. Code of law explicitly limits the total number of four-star admirals that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty flag officers is capped at 216 for the Navy.[1] For Navy, no more than 16.3% of the service's active duty general or flag officers may have more than two stars, and no more than 25% of those may have four stars.[2][3][4] This corresponds to 9 four-star Navy admirals.

Some of these slots are reserved by statute. For the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations and the Vice Chief of Naval Operations are both four-star admirals. In addition, the Commandant of the Coast Guard [5] is a four-star admiral; and the Assistant Secretary for Health [6] is four-star admiral if the appointee is a serving or is commissioned as a serving member of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

There are several exceptions to these limits allowing more than allotted within the statute. A four-star navy admiral serving as Chief of Staff to the President, or as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff does not count against the navy's flag officer cap. A navy admiral serving in one of several joint positions does not count against his service's four-star limit, but he does count against his service's limit on officers with more than two stars; these positions include the commander of a unified combatant command, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, and the commander of U.S. European Command (but only if the commander is also the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe).[7] Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against either limit, including the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.[8] The President may also add four-star slots to one service if they are offset by removing an equivalent number from other services. Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at the President's discretion during time of war or national emergency.[9]

[edit] Appointment and tour length

Four-star grades go hand-in-hand with the positions of office they're linked to, so these ranks are temporary. Officers may only achieve four-star grade if they are appointed to positions that require the officer to hold such a rank.[10] Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute.[10] Four-star admirals are nominated for appointment by the President from any eligible officers holding the rank of rear admiral (lower half) or above, whom also meets the requirements for the position, under the advice and/or suggestion of their respective department secretary, service secretary, and if applicable the joint chiefs.[10] For some specific positions, statute allows the President to waive those requirements for a nominee whom he deems would serve national interests. [11] The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate before the appointee can take office and thus assume the rank.[10] The standard tour length for most four-star positions is three years, bundled as a two-year term plus a one-year extension, with the following exceptions:

  • The Chief of Naval Operations serves for four years in one four-year term.
  • The Vice Chief of Naval Operations serves for a nominal four years, but is commonly reassigned after one or two years.
  • The Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion serves for a nominal eight years.
  • The Commandant of the Coast Guard serves for a nominal four years.
  • The Assistant Secretary for Health is a civilian appointee or a current serving member of the PHSCC who serves for a nominal four years at the pleasure of the President.

Note: Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the Secretary of Defence, the President, and/or Congress 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. Admiral ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare.

[edit] Retirement

Four-star admirals must retire after five years in grade or 40 years of service, whichever is later,[12] and all flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday.[13] However, the Secretary of Defense can defer a or four-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 are a finite number of four-star slots available to each service, typically one officer must leave office before another can be promoted.[14] Maintaining a four-star rank is a game of musical chairs; once an officer vacates a position bearing that rank, he has 60 days to find another job of equal importance before he must retire.[10] Historically, officers leaving four-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.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ [1] 10 USC 526. Authorized strength: general and flag officers on active duty.
  2. ^ [2] 10 USC 525. Distribution of commissioned officers on active duty in general officer and flag officer grades.
  3. ^ [3] H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
  4. ^ [4] H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text
  5. ^ [5] 14 USC 44. Commandant; appointment.
  6. ^ [6] 42 USC 207. Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps.
  7. ^ [7] 10 USC 604. Senior joint officer positions: recommendations to the Secretary of Defense.
  8. ^ [8] 10 USC 528. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions: military status; exclusion from distribution and strength limitations; pay and allowances.
  9. ^ [9] 10 USC 527. Authority to suspend sections 523, 525, and 526.
  10. ^ a b c d e [10] 10 USC 601. Positions of importance and responsibility: generals and lieutenant generals; admirals and vice admirals.
  11. ^ [11] 10 164. Commanders of combatant commands: assignment; powers and duties
  12. ^ [12] 10 USC 636. Retirement for years of service: regular officers in grades above brigadier general and rear admiral (lower half).
  13. ^ [13] 10 USC 1253. Age 64: regular commissioned officers in general and flag officer grades; exception.
  14. ^ [14] DoD News Briefing on Thursday, June 6, 1996. Retirement of Admiral Leighton W. Smith Jr.
v • d • e
U.S. commissioned officer ranks Flag of the United States
  Officer
Candidate		 O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6 O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 Special (wartime only)
Inactive grade		 Special
(post war honor only)
Second Lieutenant / Ensign First Lieutenant / Lieutenant, Junior Grade Captain / Lieutenant Major / Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Colonel / Commander Colonel / Captain Brigadier General / Rear Admiral (lower half) Major General / Rear Admiral (upper half) Lieutenant General / Vice Admiral General / Admiral General of the Army / General of the Air Force / Fleet Admiral (no authorized insignia)
Air Force: Cadet (CDT)/OT 2nd Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen Gen of the Air Force (no equivalent)
Army: CDT/OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA General of
the Armies
Marine Corps: Midn/Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
Navy: MIDN/OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM Admiral of
the Navy
Coast Guard: CDT ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
PHSCC: (no equivalent) ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM (no equivalent) (no equivalent)
NOAA Corps: (no equivalent) ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM (no equivalent) (no equivalent) (no equivalent)

See also: U.S. Navy Officer Rank Insignia, List of United States four-star officers, List of United States Navy four-star admirals