A five-star rank is the highest military rank in many countries.Oxford English Dictionary (OED), 2nd Edition, 1989. "five" ... "five-star adj., ... (b) U.S., applied to a general or admiral whose badge of rank includes five stars;" The rank is that of the most senior operational military commanders, and within NATO's standard rank scale it is designated by the code OF-10. Not all armed forces have such a rank, and in those that do the actual insignia of the five-star ranks may not contain five stars. For example: the insignia for the French OF-10 rank contains seven stars; the insignia for the Portuguese contains four gold stars. The stars used on the rank insignias of various Commonwealth of Nations are sometimes referred to colloquially as pips, but are stars of the

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

of the

Garter A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking f ...

, Thistle or

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

or Eversleigh stars depending on the wearer's original regiment or corps, and are used in combination with other heraldic items, such as batons, crowns, swords or maple leaves. Typically, five-star officers hold the rank of general of the army, admiral of the fleet, field marshal, marshal or

general of the air force General of the Air Force (GAF) is a five-star general officer rank and is the highest possible rank in the United States Air Force. General of the Air Force ranks immediately above a general and is equivalent to General of the Army in the U ...

, and several other similarly named ranks. As an active rank, the position exists only in a minority of countries and is usually held by only a very few officers during wartime. In times of peace, it is usually held only as an

honorary rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibi ...

. Traditionally, five-star ranks are granted to distinguished military commanders for notable wartime victories and/or in recognition of a record of achievement during the officer's career, whether in peace or in war. Alternatively, a five-star rank (or even higher ranks) may be assumed by heads of state in their capacities as commanders-in-chief of their nation's armed forces. Despite the rarity and seniority of five-star officers, an even more-senior rank of

general of the armies General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States Army. The rank has been conferred three times: to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accolad ...

was adopted in the United States. Other names for highly senior ranks from the twentieth century include (France), (Spain) and (USSR).

Australia

* Admiral of the fleetThe Australian insignia for admiral of the fleet, field marshal and

marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force (MRAAF) is the highest rank of the Royal Australian Air Force and was created as a direct equivalent of the British Royal Air Force rank of Marshal of the Royal Air Force. It is considered a five-star ...

, depending on the era, are either identical to, or very similar to, the British insignia. Prince Philip was the most recent holder of these Australian ranks. Although the highest active New Zealand rank is three-star, (there are ''no'' New Zealand four-star rank holders), Prince Philip held five-star ranks in the New Zealand Armed Forces. * Field marshal *

Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force (MRAAF) is the highest rank of the Royal Australian Air Force and was created as a direct equivalent of the British Royal Air Force rank of Marshal of the Royal Air Force. It is considered a five-star ...

Only one Australian-born officer, Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey, has held a substantive Australian five-star rank. Lord Birdwood, who commanded the Australian Imperial Force in the First World War, was appointed to honorary five-star rank in the

Australian Military Forces The Australian Military Forces (AMF) was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the (full-time) "regular army", and the (part-time) forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen ...

on his promotion to field marshal in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

in 1925. King George VI and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh have held all three Australian five-star ranks in an honorary capacity, and have been the only holders of the Australian ranks of admiral of the fleet and marshal of the RAAF. File:Royal Australian Navy OF-10.svg, RAN Admiral of the fleet
shoulder board File:Australian Army OF-10.svg, Australian Army Field marshal
shoulder board File:Australia RAAF OF-10.svg, Marshal of the RAAF
sleeve/shoulder insignia

Brazil

Five-star ranks in Brazil are only used in wartime. *

Marshal (Brazil) Marshal ( pt, Marechal) is the highest rank in both the Brazilian Army and the Brazilian Air Force, although the latter is titled (). These ranks are equivalent to that of admiral in the navy. A marshal is distinguished by using five stars, w ...

() * Grand admiral () * Marshal of the air () File:AlmiranteMB.png, File:Marechal.gif, File:Marechal ar.gif,

Cambodia

* General of the army ( km, នាយឧត្តមសេនីយ៍អគ្គមេបញ្ចាការ),

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF; km, កងយោធពលខេមរភូមិន្ទ ) is Cambodia's national military force. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief is King Norodom Sihamoni. Since 2018, General Vong Pisen has been ...

File:Cambodian Army OF-10.svg, General of the army

Croatia

* (lit. "staff general", usually translated as general of the army) awarded to six men, none of whom are in active duty. * (admiral of the fleet). The rank was called (lit. "staff admiral") until 1999; only Sveto Letica was awarded this rank – in March 1996, three months before his retirement. File:Army-HRV-OF-10.svg,

Croatian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Oružane snage Republike Hrvatske – OSRH) is the military service of Croatia. The President is the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, and exercises administrative powers in times of war by gi ...

() insignia File:Rukav zimske odore admirala flote HRM.svg,

Croatian Navy , image = Seal of Croatian Navy.png , caption = Emblem of the Croatian Navy , start_date = 1991 , country = , allegiance = , branch = , type = Navy , role = , size = 1,36330 vessels , command_structure = Armed Forces of Croatia , gar ...

() insignia

Germany

German Empire

Nazi Germany

* '' Generalfeldmarschall'' in the '' Heer'' equivalent in the English-speaking world General of the Army WMacht H OF10 GenFeldmarschall01 h 1942

* '' Generalfeldmarschall'' in the '' Luftwaffe'' equivalent in the English-speaking world Marshal of the Air Force WMacht Lw OF10 GenFeldmarschall h 1942

* ''

Großadmiral Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, the highest rank in the several European navies that used it. It is best known for its use in Germany as . A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet. Grand admirals in individual n ...

'' in the '' Kriegsmarine'' equivalent in the English-speaking world Admiral of the Fleet Kriegsmarine-Großadmiral (s)

* '' Reichsführer-SS'' in the '' Schutzstaffel'' (SS) equivalent in the English-speaking world Captain of the Guard Reichsführer-SS shoulder

It is also worth noting that this was not the apex and there was a

Six-star rank In the United States Armed Forces, a six-star rank is a proposed rank immediately superior to a five-star rank, possibly to be worn by the General of the Armies or Admiral of the Navy; however, this correlation was never officially recognized ...

also present in the '' Wehrmacht'' known as ''

Reichsmarschall (german: Reichsmarschall des Großdeutschen Reiches; ) was a rank and the highest military office in the '' Wehrmacht'' specially created for Hermann Göring during World War II. It was senior to the rank of , which was previously the hig ...

'', however it was only ever present in the '' Luftwaffe'' and only ever held by one man: Hermann Göring, arguably the 2nd most powerful man in Nazi Germany.

India

* Field marshal, held by two officers *

Marshal of the Indian Air Force Marshal of the Air Force is a five star Air Officer rank and the highest attainable rank in the Indian Air Force. Marshal of the Air Force is ranked immediately above Air Chief Marshal. It is a ceremonial or wartime rank, having been awarded only ...

, held by one officer * Admiral of the fleet, never been held File:Field Marshal of the Indian Army.svg, Field marshal epaulette File:Flag of Field marshal (India).png, Flag of a field marshal File:Star insignia of Field Marshal (India).jpg, Star insignia of a field marshal File:India-AirForce-OF-10-collected.svg, Marshal of the Indian Air Force rank insignia File:Flag of the Marshal of the Air Force (India).svg, Flag of the marshal of the Indian Air Force File:Flag of Indian Marshal of the Air Forces 1950-1980.svg, Flag of the marshal of the Indian Air Force (1950-1980) File:Indian IAF OF-10.svg, Marshal of the Indian Air Force sleeve insignia File:IAF Marshal of the AF sleeve.png, Marshal of the Indian Air Force sleeve insignia File:Generic-Navy-13.svg, Admiral of the fleet sleeve insignia File:ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET (INDIA).gif, Flag of the admiral of the fleet (2001-2004) General Sam Manekshaw was the first officer to be promoted to five-star rank. He was promoted to the rank of field marshal on 1 January 1973 after the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decemb ...

. General

K. M. Cariappa ' Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa (28 January 1899 – 15 May 1993) was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Army. He led Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. He was appoin ...

, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army was promoted to the rank of field marshal in 1986. In 2001,

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admi ...

Arjan Singh was promoted to the rank of marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF). Around 1998, the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

introduced

gorget patches Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group ...

(or collar tabs) for its

air officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...

s. The MIAF's patches display five stars.

Indonesia

Refer to government regulation No. 32/1997, The Indonesian five-star ranks are: * (grand general) - only awarded to three people: ** Soedirman, the rank was granted posthumously. **

Abdul Haris Nasution General of the Army Abdul Haris Nasution ( Old Spelling: Abdoel Haris Nasution; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000), was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution and ...

, the rank was granted 26-years after his retirement. ** Soeharto (second president of Indonesia), his rank was granted during his own rule. * ( grand admiral) - never awarded * ( grand marshal) - never awarded The five-star ranks above are honorary rank and does not provide additional authority or responsibility. However, as government regulation No. 32/1997 have been revoked and replaced by government regulation No. 39/2010, whereas the latest regulation don't mentioned five-star rank. Therefore, it is unlikely there will be any Indonesian military personnel to be awarded five-star rank. File:23-TNI Army-GA.svg, (grand general) rank insignia File:23-TNI Navy-FADM.svg, (grand admiral) rank insignia File:23-TNI Air Force-GAF.svg, (grand marshal) rank insignia

Italy

File:Rank insignia of generale of the Army of Italy (1973).svg, General of the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

- shoulder board File:Rank insignia of ammiraglio of the Italian Navy.svg, Admiral of the Italian Navy - sleeve File:IT-Airforce-OF-10.png, General of the

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

- sleeve These ranks are used by the Italian Chief of General Staff only.

Myanmar

Senior general Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

( my, ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး) is the highest

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * H ...

Myanmar Armed Forces Tatmadaw (, , ) is the official name of the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include t ...

. It is the single rank for all three branches, and held by the

Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services The commander-in-chief of Defence Services () is the commanding officer of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. Since a state of emergency was declared following the 2021 military coup d'état, the commander-in-chief has been the highest ...

(CinCDS). It was created during the expansion of Armed Forces structure in 1990, and the first person to hold is Saw Maung promoted by himself directly from General to Senior general on 18 March 1990.

Netherlands

File:Nl-marine-vloot-admiraal.svg, Admiral of the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

- sleeve

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

( nl, Admiraal) is theoretically the highest possible military rank in the

, although this five-star rank is no longer awarded.

Pakistan

* Field marshal, held by

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced ...

* Marshal of the air force, never been held * Admiral of the fleet, never been held

Philippines

Under the Article VII Section 18 of the constitution, the President holds the position of the Commander-in-Chief, which is considered and recognized to be a five-star rank. Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines, held an equivalent rank of five-star general under the title '' generalissimo'' and and considered as the first commander-in-chief of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...

. Historically, five-star ranks were held by

field marshals Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a gras ...

. US Army General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

was the first and only field marshal in the history of the Philippine Army, a position he held while also acting as the military advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines with a rank of major general. President Quezon conferred the rank of field marshal on 24 August 1936 and MacArthur's duty included the supervision of the creation of the Philippines nation-state. File:PR Ministro Mariscal.svg, File:Gen Aguinaldo.jpg, General Emilio Aguinaldo, the first holder of five-star rank as the first president and commander-in-chief of the Philippines File:MacArthur Manila.jpg, General Douglas MacArthur, the first and currently the only field marshal in Philippine History

Poland

Marshal of Poland Marshal of Poland ( pl, Marszałek Polski) is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, Marshal is equivalent to a Field Marshal or General of the Army (OF-10) in other NATO armies. History To ...

() is a Polish Army five-star rank. There are today no living marshals of Poland, since this rank is bestowed only on military commanders who have achieved victory in war. The last appointment was in 1963 to

Marian Spychalski Marian "Marek" Spychalski (, 6 December 1906 – 7 June 1980) was a Polish architect in pre-war Poland, and later, military commander and a communist politician. During World War II he belonged to the Polish underground forces operating within ...

. File:Marszalek m.png, Marshal of Poland cap insignia File:Marszałek Polski.svg, Marshal of Poland shoulder-strap insignia

Portugal

Differently from most of other countries, the marshals (

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

) and admirals of the fleet ( Navy) of Portugal are not identified by five stars, but by four golden stars, in comparison with generals and admirals who are also identified by four stars, but in silver. Five-star appointments - and not ranks - were however foreseen in the armed forces of Portugal, at different times in the past, for the officers exercising the several government posts related with defense (minister of national defense, minister for the army, secretary of state for the army, etc.).

Romania

(marshal of the Romanian Army) is the highest military rank in the Romanian military forces. This rank can be bestowed to persons from the royal family or to four-star generals or admirals during wartime only. After WWII, the latest surviving marshal of Romania was HM King Michael I, who was bestowed this rank on May 10, 1941 (the national day of Romania). He died in December 2017. File:Romania-Army-OF-10.svg, The epaulettes insignia of a Romanian marshal

South Vietnam

* General of the army ('),

-held by one oficer * Admiral of the fleet ('), Navy * General of the air force ('),

Five-star ranks were used by the former Republic of Vietnam Military Forces during the Vietnam War, from 1955 to 1975. The ranks were changed in 1964 to resemble US ranks more closely. The rank only bestowed to Lê Văn Tỵ File:A ARVN-OF-9.svg, Ty's shoulder insignia (1955-1963) File:B ARVN-OF-10.svg, General of the army (') (1964-1975) File:B VNN-OF-10.svg, Admiral of the fleet (') (1964-1975) File:B VNAF-OF-10.svg, General of the air force (') (1964-1975)

Spain

Captain general Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

(

) *

Captain general of the Navy Captain general of the Navy ( es, Capitán general de la Armada) is a five-star naval officer rank and the highest rank of the Spanish Navy (''Armada Española''). The five-star NATO rank code is OF-10, the routine honorary appointments formal ...

* Air captain general (

) Since 1922 it is not properly a rank but a "military dignity". The only full ''capitán general'' is currently His Majesty the King of Spain, the last not-royal appointment (honorary) was in 1994 to Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado. The rank of ''capitán general'' is currently bestowed also to several images of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, among them la Virgen de Butarque, la Virgen del Pilar, la Virgen de Guadalupe, Nuestra Señora de los Reyes, la Virgen de los Desamparados (this one properly ''capitana generalísima''), la Virgen de la Serra, la Virgen del Canto y la Virgen de los Remedios. The latest appointment was to Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, April 2011. File:Spain-Army-OF-10.svg, ("captain general") shoulder board File:Spain-Navy-OF-10-collect.svg, ("captain general of the navy") shoulder board and sleeve File:SP-10 Capitán General del Aire.svg, ("air captain general") shoulder board

Sri Lanka

* Field Marshal ( Sri Lanka Army five-star rank) * Admiral of the Fleet ( Sri Lanka Navy five-star rank) *

Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force is the highest rank in the Sri Lanka Air Force. Marshal of the Air Force is ranked immediately above Air Chief Marshal, and has been awarded only once, to Roshan Goonetileke as an honorary rank. It is equiva ...

(

Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...

five-star rank) File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-10.svg, Field Marshal

Thailand

* (), Royal Thai Army * (), Royal Thai Navy * (),

Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

File:RTA OF-10 (Field Marshal).svg, (field marshal) File:RTN OF-10 (Admiral of the Fleet).svg, (admiral of the fleet) File:RTAF OF-10 (Marshal of the Royal Thai Air Force).svg, (marshal of the Royal Thai Air Force) The

monarch of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the c ...

is appointed to the three ranks automatically upon accession as he is the constitutional

head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces The Highest Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces ( th, จอมทัพไทย; ) is a position vested in the Thai monarch, who as sovereign and head of state is the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. The position is only ...

. Since 1973 the three ranks have been reserved for members of the royal family.

United Kingdom

The worn insignia of British five-star commanders do not contain stars; the vehicle star plate, mounted on the front of a staff car, does display five stars. * Admiral of the fleet (awarded to 121 men to date) * Field marshal (awarded to 140 men to date) * Marshal of the Royal Air Force (awarded to 27 men to date) File:British Royal Navy OF-10.svg,

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

admiral of the fleet (shoulder board) File:British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-10.svg,

admiral of the fleet (sleeve lace) File:British Army OF-10.svg, Field marshal of the

epaulette File:British RAF OF-10 (ceremonial shoulder board).svg, Marshal of the Royal Air Force (shoulder board) File:British RAF OF-10.svg, Marshal of the Royal Air Force (sleeve insignia) Promotion to the ranks of admiral of the fleet and marshal of the Royal Air Force is now generally held in abeyance in peacetime with exceptions for special circumstances. Promotion to the rank of field marshal was generally stopped in 1995 as a cost-cutting measure but is still made in some cases. The most recent appointments to five-star ranks are the promotions in 2012 of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the ruler ...

to honorary five-star rank in all three services, and of former Chief of the Defence Staff

Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank Field Marshal Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, (born 17 November 1938) is a retired senior officer of the British Army who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1994 to 1997 and Chief of the Defence Staff from ...

to the honorary rank of field marshal. In 2014 the former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Stirrup was promoted to the honorary rank of marshal of the Royal Air Force. During World War II and after, serving NATO, a small number of British five-star commanders have held the additional title Supreme Allied Commander, given operational control over all air, land, and sea units led by the four-star commanders of multi-national forces.

United States

* Fleet admiral (held by four officers) * General of the Army (held by five officers) *

General of the Air Force General of the Air Force (GAF) is a five-star general officer rank and is the highest possible rank in the United States Air Force. General of the Air Force ranks immediately above a general and is equivalent to General of the Army in the U ...

(held by one officer) Before the five-star ranks were established in 1944, two officers had previously been promoted from their four-star ranks to the superior and unique ranks of

Admiral of the Navy Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

and

General of the Armies General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States Army. The rank has been conferred three times: to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accolad ...

: Admiral

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...

(appointment 1903 retroactive to 1899, died 1917) and General John J. Pershing (appointed 1919, died 1948). In 1944 the Navy and Army specified that these officers were considered senior to any officers promoted to the five-star ranks within their services (but it was not clear if they were senior by rank or by seniority due to an earlier date of rank). Five-star ranks were created in the U.S. military during World War II because of the awkward situation created when some American senior commanders were placed in positions commanding allied officers of higher rank. U.S. officers holding five-star rank draw full active duty pay for life, both before and after retiring from active duty. The five-star ranks were retired in 1981 on the death of General of the Army Omar Bradley. Nine Americans have been promoted to five-star rank, one of them, Henry H. Arnold, in two services (U.S. Army then later in the U.S. Air Force). As part of the bicentennial celebration,

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

was, 177 years after his death, permanently made senior to all other U.S. generals and admirals with the title ''

'' effective on 4 July 1976. The appointment stated he was to have "rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, past or present". The following Americans have been promoted to five-star rank: The timing of the first seven appointments was to establish both a clear order of seniority and a near-equivalence between the Army and Navy services. In 1949, Arnold was honored by being made the first, and to date only, General of the Air Force. He is the only American to serve in a five-star rank in two of its military services. By a Congressional Act of 24 March 1903, Admiral

's rank was established as

admiral of the Navy Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

, a rank which was specified to be senior to the four-star rank of admiral and was equal to admiral of the fleet in the British

. Admiral Dewey was the only individual ever appointed to this rank, which lapsed with his death on 16 January 1917. Admiral of the Navy was considered superior to fleet admiral during World War II. On 3 September 1919,

John Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...

was promoted to the rank of

(officially General of the Armies of the United States) in recognition of his service during World War I. He is the only person promoted to this rank during their lifetime. : During the United States Bicentennial year, George Washington was posthumously appointed to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States by the congressional joint resolution Public Law 94-479 passed on 19 January 1976, with an effective appointment date of 4 July 1976 but having rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, past or present. This restored Washington's position as the most senior U.S. military officer. Between the joint resolution concerning Washington's rank, the fact that Omar Bradley was still alive, and thus still considered to be on active duty, and statements made and actions taken during and after World War II about the relationship between General of the Armies and General of the Army, it appears General of the Armies is superior in rank to General of the Army. : No official law or regulation established exact seniority or reciprocity between Admiral of the Navy Dewey, and Generals of the Armies Washington and Pershing. While Congress clearly indicated that Washington was senior to Pershing, and also all other "officers of the United States Army," and by decades of custom Pershing was considered senior to all 5-star and other 4-star generals of the U.S. Army, nowhere is Dewey's exact seniority established. As Washington was explicitly made senior only to Pershing and other officers of the U.S. Army, ambiguity remains whether Admiral Dewey, with a date of rank as early as 1899 above a 4-star, and senior to all later 5-stars, is not actually senior to Washington by date of rank, and by operation of naval custom making Dewey senior to all 5-stars. As Dewey died (and his rank died with him) before Pershing was appointed to his final rank, and the Army and Navy were far more independent before the creation of the Department of Defense unified them, this could indicate Admiral of the Navy Dewey, not General of the Armies Washington, is actually the most senior ranking U.S. military officer in U.S. history. By definition, officers of each Armed Force rank amongst themselves by seniority. And when they serve with other Armed Services (Army and Navy, for example), they rank amongst themselves by date of rank notwithstanding their parent Service. In the case of Dewey, he is undisputedly the seniormost Navy officer ever to have served in the U.S. Navy, and he had nearly 20 years of seniority over Pershing as a "special rank, above 4-star." Washington's own, revised, date of rank in 1976 does not precede Dewey's date of rank nearly 75 years before, nor did Congress describe in unambiguous wording that Washington was -- in fact -- senior to all officers of the U.S. Army, as well as all other U.S. Armed Forces including the U.S. Navy. Had Congress chosen to explicitly so state, there would be no ambiguity, but it remains unsettled if -- in spite of the desired outcome that Washington be the senior U.S. military officer to have ever served -- Congress' ways and means achieved their object. During World War II and (later) serving NATO, a small number of American five-star commanders have also held the additional title of Supreme Allied Commander, given operational control over all air, land, and sea units led by the four-star commanders of multi-national forces. File:US Navy O11 insignia.svg, Fleet admiral collar device, sleeve stripes and shoulder board File:US Army O11 (Army greens).svg, General of the Army shoulder epaulet US Air Force O11 shoulderboard.svg, General of the Air Force shoulder epaulet

Law enforcement usage

In various law enforcement agencies, such as the

Detroit Police Department The Detroit Police Department (DPD) is a municipal police force based in and responsible for the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1865, it has nearly 2,500 officers, making it the largest law enforcement organization in Michigan. Histo ...

and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, their respective heads wear five-star ranks.

Notes

References

{{Highest Military Ranks Military ranks