Major General
A two-star general officer of the US Army, O-8 and NATO OF-7, typically commanding a division.
Overview
Major General wears two stars and classically commands a division of ten thousand to twenty thousand soldiers, the Army largest fixed formation. Two-stars also run major commands, service schools, and joint staff directorates. The rank is a contraction of sergeant major general, the senior of the two general grades in seventeenth century armies, the other being lieutenant general; the prefix shortened over the eighteenth century. Nomination and Senate confirmation govern each promotion and assignment. Major generals bridge operational command and the institutional Army, where policy, budget, and manpower decisions live.
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