Lieutenant General (United States)

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This article is about a United States military rank. For other countries that use a similar rank, see Lieutenant General.
Three-star lieutenant general insignia
Three-star lieutenant general insignia

In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant General ranks above major general and below general. Lieutenant General is equivalent to a vice admiral in the other uniformed services.


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[edit] Statutory limits

U.S. Code of law explicitly limits the total number of three-star lieutenant generals that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty general officers is capped at 302 for the Army, 279 for the Air Force, 80 for the Marine Corps.[1] For the Army and Air Force, no more than 16.3% of the service's active duty general officers may have more than two stars.[2][3][4] Some of these slots are reserved by statute. For example, the Army and the Air Force, the Surgeon General [5] and the Judge Advocate General [3] for both branches are three-star lieutenant generals. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against either limit, including the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency [6] Also the Judge Advocate Generals [3][4] of the Army and Air Force do not count against statutory limit.

[edit] Appointment and tour length

The three-star grade goes hand-in-hand with the positions of 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.[7] Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute.[7] Three-star lieutenant generals are nominated for appointment by the President from any eligible officers holding the rank of brigadier general 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.[7] The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate before the appointee can take office and thus assume the rank.[7] The standard tour length for most lieutenant general positions are three years but some are set four or more years by statute.

Note: Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the Secretary of Defense, 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. Three-star ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare.

[edit] Retirement

Three-star lieutenant generals must retire after five years in grade or 38 years of service, whichever is later,[8] and all general officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday.[9] However, the Secretary of Defense 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.

General 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.[10] Maintaining a three-star rank is a game of musical chairs; once an officer vacates a position bearing that rank, he or she has 60 days to find another job of equal or higher importance before he or she must retire.[7] 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.

[edit] History

Main article: History of United States Generals

[edit] Modern use

Lieutenant General - An Army or Marine Corps Lieutenant General typically commands a corps-sized unit (20,000 to 45,000 soldiers), while an Air Force Lieutenant General commands a large Numbered Air Force consisting of several wings. Additionally, Lieutenant Generals of all services serve as high-level staff officers at various major command headquarters and The Pentagon, often as the heads of their departments.

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 theory, a General would be expected to vacate their three- or four-star rank at the termination of their assignment, unless they were placed in an equal ranking billet. Douglas MacArthur, who served as four-star general and Army Chief of Staff, reverted to two stars after his CoS tour ended but chose to stay on active duty in the United States Army.

The practice of using Lieutenant and full General as a temporary rank continues to the current day, although the term “temporary” is in name only since most three- and four-star generals are expected to retain their rank regardless of their assignment. Such officers are also almost always granted permanent retirement rank, as well, in the last grade they held.

[edit] Famous American Lieutenant Generals

[edit] Historic usage

Listed in order of receiving the rank:

  • George Washington, 1st officer to be appointed to the grade of lieutenant general. He was later posthumously promoted to General of the Armies in 1976.
  • Winfield Scott, received a brevet promotion to Lieutenant General
  • Ulysses S. Grant, later promoted to General of the Army of the United States
  • William Sherman, later promoted to General of the Army of the United States
  • Philip Sheridan, later promoted to General of the Army of the United States

[edit] World War II

[edit] 1950s through 1980s; Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War

[edit] Post Cold War

[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. ^ a b c [3] H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
  4. ^ a b [4] H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text
  5. ^ [5] 10 USC 3036. Chiefs of branches: appointment; duties.
  6. ^ [6] 10 USC 528. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions: military status; exclusion from distribution and strength limitations; pay and allowances.
  7. ^ a b c d e [7] 10 USC 601. Positions of importance and responsibility: generals and lieutenant generals; admirals and vice admirals.
  8. ^ [8] 10 USC 636. Retirement for years of service: regular officers in grades above brigadier general and rear admiral (lower half).
  9. ^ [9] 10 USC 1253. Age 64: regular commissioned officers in general and flag officer grades; exception.
  10. ^ [10] DoD News Briefing on Thursday, June 6, 1996. Retirement of Admiral Leighton W. Smith Jr.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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)