General
A four-star general officer of the US Army, O-10 and NATO OF-9, the top permanent grade, held by service chiefs and combatant commanders.
Overview
General wears four stars and occupies the Army most senior positions: Chief of Staff of the Army, combatant commanders, and multinational command. The word is short for captain general, the officer commanding all the forces of a state, a title crystallized in sixteenth century Europe from medieval usage. Four-star assignments require Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation, and the number of such billets is fixed in law. Above the grade lies only the wartime General of the Army, a five-star rank dormant since the death of Omar Bradley in 1981.
Related Topics
Private
New soldiers enter the Army as Private, pay grade E-1, wearing no insignia. Advancement to Private E-2, one chevron, typically fol...
Private First Class
Private First Class wears one chevron with one rocker and typically arrives within the first one to two years of service. PFCs are...
Corporal
Corporal wears two chevrons and is the smallest true command rank: a corporal can lead a fire team of about four soldiers and enfo...
Sergeant
Sergeant wears three chevrons and typically leads a squad of eight to twelve soldiers, the smallest unit that fights as a complete...