Rear admiral is a senior naval

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

rank, equivalent to a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and air vice marshal and above that of a

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often regarded as a two-star rank with a NATO code of OF-7. The term originated in the days of naval sailing squadrons and can trace its origins to the

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 ...

. Each naval squadron was assigned an admiral as its head, who commanded from the centre vessel and directed the squadron's activities. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships that bore the brunt of a battle. In the rear of the squadron, a third admiral commanded the remaining ships and, as this section was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of it was typically the most junior. This has continued into the modern age, with rear admiral the most junior admiralty of many navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.

Australia

The

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

maintains a rank of rear admiral; refer to

Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia The Australian Defence Force's (ADF) ranks of officers and enlisted personnel in each of its three service branches of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) inherited their rank structures ...

. The abbreviation is RADM. Since the mid-1990s, the insignia of a Royal Australian Navy rear admiral is the Crown of St. Edward above a crossed sword and baton, above two silver stars, above the word "Australia". Like the

version, the sword is a traditional naval

cutlass A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. It was a common naval weapon during the early Age of S ...

. The stars have eight points, unlike the four pointed

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

stars used by the army (which are often referred to as "pips"). Prior to 1995, the RAN shoulder board was identical to the

shoulder board. The Royal Navy shoulder board changed again in 2001 and the Australian and UK shoulder boards are now identical except for the word "Australia". Rear Admiral

Robyn Walker Rear Admiral Robyn Margaret Walker, (born 1 July 1959) is an Australian medical practitioner and a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Walker became the first female admiral in the RAN when she was appointed Surgeon-Gener ...

became the first female admiral in the Royal Australian Navy when she was appointed Surgeon-General of the Australian Defence Force on 16 December 2011.

Canada

In the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

, the rank of rear-admiral (RAdm) (''contre-amiral'' or ''CAm'' in French) is the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

rank equivalent to

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

of the

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 ...

. A rear-admiral is a

, the naval equivalent of a general officer. A rear-admiral is senior to a

and brigadier-general, and junior to a vice-admiral and lieutenant-general. The rank insignia for a rear-admiral is two silver maple leaves beneath a silver crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by

St Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th cen ...

, worn on gold shoulder boards on the white short-sleeved shirt or the tropical white tunic. The service dress features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff and, since June 2010, above it a narrower strip of gold braid embellished with the executive curl. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves. File:Canada-Navy-OF-7-collected.svg, Image:Navy slip-on RAdm.png, Image:Navy olive RAdm.png,

India

Pakistan

A rear admiral in the Pakistani Navy is a senior and two-star rank naval officer, appointed in higher naval commands. Like most Commonwealth navies, the rear admiral rank is superior to commodore and captain. However, the rank is junior to the three-star rank vice-admiral and four-star rank admiral, who is generally a Chief of Naval Staff of the Navy.

Netherlands

() is a Dutch Naval rank, equivalent to rear admiral in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

. It is the second most junior admiral position of the Dutch Navy, ranking above ''commandeur'' ("

") and below a ''vice-admiraal'' (" vice admiral"). The rank of originated between the 15th and 16th century. Interpreted as "watch-at-night", the was the officer who supervised the ship when the captain was asleep. In later times the was also the officer who supervised an entire naval squadron, in the absence of a senior admiral, and by the 17th century was the common rank held by the naval commander of a battle fleet's rear squadron. In the 17th century the navies of Sweden and Denmark-Norway adopted the rank as and the early

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

as шаутбенахт ("shautbenakht"). In 1724 the Russians, followed in 1771 by both the Swedish Navy and the

Dano-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, when King John appointed his vassal Henrik Krummedige to become "chief captain and head of all our captains, men and servants whom we now ...

changed the name of the rank to the originally German counter admiral (''контр-адмирал'' in Russian, ''konteramiral'' in Swedish, in Danish and Norwegian).

New Zealand

The highest ordinary rank currently filled in the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

is rear admiral and this is the rank held by the Chief of Navy unless that person is also Chief of Defence Force.

Singapore

The Republic of Singapore Navy uses two ranks with the title of rear admiral: rear-admiral (one-star), a one-star rank; and rear-admiral (two-star), a two-star rank.

Sri Lanka

Rear admiral is a two-star rank in the

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

Sweden

In Sweden, rear admiral is a two-star admiral rank of the Swedish Navy.

United Kingdom

The

maintains a rank of rear admiral. Note that the rank of rear admiral is quite different from the honorary office

Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom The Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is a now honorary office generally held by a senior (possibly retired) Royal Navy admiral, though the current incumbent is a retired Royal Marine General. Despite the title, the Rear-Admiral of the Unit ...

United States

In the United States, there have been two ranks with the title of rear admiral since 1985: rear admiral (lower half) (RDML), a one-star rank; and rear admiral (RADM), a two-star rank. Prior to that, a combination of ranks was used.10 U.S.C. 5501 Notes
/ref> Both the rear admiral (lower half) and rear admiral ranks exist in four of the

uniformed services of the United States The United States has eight federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10 and subsequently structured and organized by Titles 10, 14, 32, 33 and 42 of the U.S. Code. Uniformed services The uniformed services ...

: the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

, United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, and

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ ...

(NOAA Corps).

Admiral insignia by country

File:Australia-Navy-OF-7-collected.svg, Rear admiral
(

) File:12.BNF-VADM.svg, Rear admiral
(

Bangladesh Navy The Bangladesh Navy ( bn, বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী, Bangladesh Nou Bahini) is the naval warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, responsible for Bangladesh's of maritime territorial area, and the defence of imp ...

) File:Belize_Coast_Guard_OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
(

Belize Coast Guard The Belize Coast Guard (until 2016, the Belize National Coast Guard Service) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and the maritime and law enforcement service branch of Belize. The new service began operations with seven impounded Eduar ...

) File:Canada-Navy-OF-7-collected.svg, Rear admiral
)
(

) File:blank.svg,

(

Ethiopian Navy The Ethiopian Navy (), known as the Imperial Ethiopian Navy until 1974, was a branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force founded in 1955. It was disestablished in 1996 after the independence of Eritrea in 1991 left Ethiopia landlocked. The ...

) File:Fiji Navy Commodore.png, Rear admiral
(

Republic of Fiji Navy The Fijian Navy was created when Fiji ratified the recently created United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea. The Convention established that maritime nation had an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 kilometres, which extended Fiji's waters twe ...

) File:British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
(

Gambian Navy The Gambia Armed Forces, also known as the Armed Forces of The Gambia, consists of three branches: the Gambia National Army (GNA), the Gambia Navy, and the Republican National Guard (RNG). It formerly included the Gambia National Gendarmerie (GNG) ...

) File:13-Ghana Navy-RADM.svg, Rear admiral
(

Ghana Navy The Ghana Navy (GN) is the naval warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The Ghanaian Navy, along with the Ghanaian Army (GA) and Ghanaian Air Force (GHF), make up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF) which are co ...

) File:Guyana Rear Admiral Insignia.svg, Rear admiral
( Guyana Coast Guard) File:12-Indian Navy-RADM.svg, Rear admiral
(

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

) File:Generic-Navy-(star)-O9.svg, Rear admiral
)
( Irish Naval Service) File:British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
(

Jamaican Coast Guard The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The JDF is based upon the British military model, with ...

) File:14-Namibia Navy-RADM.svg, Rear admiral
(

Namibian Navy The Namibian Navy is the maritime warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force. History Development of Namibia's navy has been slow, and the force was only formally established on 11 September 1998 as a maritime wing and in 2004 as a fully ...

) File:RNZN-SHOULDER-OF07.png, Rear admiral
(

) File:Nigeria-Navy-OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
(

Nigerian Navy The Nigerian Navy (NN) is a branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is among the largest navies on the African continent, consisting of several thousand personnel, including those of the Coast Guard. History The Nigerian Navy owes its origin t ...

) File:Pakistan-Navy-OF-7-collected.svg, Rear admiral
)
( Pakistan Navy) File:British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
( Papua New Guinea Maritime Element) File:PN RADM WhtDr.svg, Rear admiral
( Philippine Navy) File:British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
( Sierra Leone Navy) File:09-RSN-OF07.svg, Rear admiral
( Republic of Singapore Navy) File:SA-Navy-OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
( South African Navy) File:13-Sri Lanka Navy-RADM.svg, Rear admiral
(

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

) File:British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
(

Tanzania Naval Command The Tanzania Naval Command ( sw, Kamandi ya Jeshi la Majini) is the naval military branch of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF). It was established in 1971 with assistance from China. History In the years immediately following independ ...

) File:Trinidad-&-Tobago-Navy-OF-7.svg, Rear admiral
(

Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the ...

) File:British Royal Navy OF-7-collected.svg, Rear admiral
(

) File:US Navy O8 insignia.svg, Rear admiral
(

) File:US CG O8 insignia.svg, Rear admiral
(

)

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rear Admiral Military ranks of Canada Military insignia Military ranks of Australia Military ranks of Pakistan Naval ranks