Afive-star rankis the highestmilitary rankin many countries.[1]The rank is that of the most senior operational military commanders, and withinNATO's standard rank scale it is designated bythe 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 rankmaréchal de Francecontains seven stars; the insignia for the Portuguesemarechalcontains four gold stars. The stars used on the variousCommonwealth of Nationsrank insigniasare sometimes colloquially referred to as pips, but in fact either are stars of theordersof theGarter,ThistleorBathor are Eversleigh stars, depending on the wearer's original regiment or corps,[2]and are used in combination with other heraldic items, such as batons, crowns, swords or maple leaves.

The insignia used by the United States generals and admirals of OF-10 rank

Typically, five-star officers hold the rank ofgeneral of the army,admiral of the fleet,field marshal,marshalorgeneral of the air force,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 duringwartime.In times of peace, it is usually held only as anhonorary rank.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 byheads of statein 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 ofgeneral of the armieswas adopted in the United States. Other names for highly senior ranks from the twentieth century includegénéralissime(France),reichsmarschall(Nazi Germany),generalísimo(Spain) andgeneralissimus(USSR).

Australia

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Only one Australian-born officer, Field MarshalSir Thomas Blamey,has held a substantive Australian five-star rank.William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood,aBritish Armyofficer who commanded theAustralian Imperial Forcein theFirst World War,was appointed to honorary five-star rank in theAustralian Military Forcescorresponding to his promotion to field marshal in the British Army in 1925.[3][4]King George VI,Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,andKing Charles IIIhave 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.

Brazil

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

  • Marshal (Marechal)
  • Admiral (Almirante)
  • Marshal of the air (Marechal-do-Ar)

Cambodia

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Croatia

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  • Stožerni general(lit. "staff general", usually translated as general of the army) awarded to six men, none of whom are in active duty.
  • Admiral flote(admiral of the fleet). The rank was calledstožerni admiral(lit. "staff admiral" ) until 1999; onlySveto Leticawas awarded this rank—in March 1996, three months before his retirement.

France

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In France, the term "five-star general/admiral" refers commonly to the highest full general or admiral rank,[5][6]equivalent to other armed forces' four-starOF-9rank, as, due to historical complications and the former existence of a rank ofbrigadierdistinct from that ofbrigade general,French general officers have one more star than their equivalent-rank counterparts in most countries.[7][8]

The ranks of equivalent stature and precedence to other countries' 5-star ranks are known in France as the Marshal of France (Maréchal de France) and the Admiral of France (Amiral de France), and are nominally 7-star "dignities" (there is no 6-star rank). As of late 2023, there have been 342 Marshals of France, of which 78 have been appointed since theNapoleonicrevival of the office in the early 19th Century, the most recent beingPierre Kœnig,elevated posthumously to the Marshalcy in 1984. In the same period, there have been 14 Admirals of France, the last being appointed in 1869.[9]Of the 78 Marshals, 77 Marshals have been drawn from the ranks of theArmy,and one from theGendarmerie,Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey,who also had a significant service history as an army officer duringforeign campaigns.No officer from theFrench Air Forcehas been elevated to the Marshalcy to date. Moreover, one French officer,Darlan,was appointed to thesui generisrank of "Admiral of the Fleet",outranking ordinary full admirals, in order to grant him equal rank and status to his then-Britishcounterpart,who held the higher rank. Darlan does not appear to have received any particular insignia at home in France.[10]

Germany

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German Empire

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Nazi Germany

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It is also worth noting that this was not the apex and there was asix-star rankalso present in theWehrmachtknown asReichsmarschall,however it was only ever present in theLuftwaffeand only ever held by one man:Hermann Göring,arguably the second most powerful man inNazi Germany.[11]

German Democratic Republic

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In 1982, the five-star rankMarshal of the German Democratic Republicwas introduced (although the insignia did not display five actual stars). The rank was never held by any person, however (it was probably intended for wartime).

India

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GeneralSam Manekshawwas the first officer to be promoted to five-star rank. He was promoted to the rank of field marshal on 1 January 1973 after theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971.GeneralK. M. Cariappa,the first Indiancommander-in-chiefof theIndian Armywas promoted to the rank of field marshal in 1986. In 2001,Air Chief MarshalArjan Singhwas promoted to the rank of marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF). Around 1998, theIndian Air Forceintroducedgorget patches(or collar tabs) for itsair officers.The MIAF's patches display five stars.[12]

Indonesia

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According to Government Regulation No. 32/1997,[13]the Indonesian five-star ranks are:

The five-star ranks above are honorary rank and does not provide additional authority or responsibility.

However, Government Regulation No. 32/1997 has been revoked and replaced by Government Regulation No. 39/2010,[14]and the latest regulation does not mention a five-star rank. Therefore, it is unlikely that there will be any Indonesian military personnel awarded five-star rank in the future.

Italy

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These ranks are used by the Italian chief of the general staff only.

Myanmar

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Senior general(Burmese:ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး) is the highestrankinMyanmar Armed Forces.It is the single rank for all three branches, and held by thecommander-in-chief of Defence Services(CinCDS). It was created during the expansion of Armed Forces structure in 1990, and the first person to hold isSaw Maungpromoted by himself directly from general to senior general on 18 March 1990.[15]

Burmese title English title Rank insignia Golden strap
[16]
Rank medal
[16][17]
Car insignia
[18][19]
ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး Senior general
Insignia on
regular uniform
Myanmar Army Myanmar Navy
[20]
Myanmar Air Force
[21]

Netherlands

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Admiral(Dutch:Admiraal) is theoretically the highest possiblemilitary rankin theRoyal Netherlands Navy,although this five-star rank is no longer awarded.

Pakistan

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Philippines

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Under Article VII, Section 18 of the constitution,the presidentholds the position of commander-in-chief, which isnotconsidered and recognized to be a five-star rank.[22]Emilio Aguinaldo,the first president of the Philippines, held the titlegeneralissimoandMinistro Mariskaland is considered as the first commander-in-chief of theArmed Forces of the Philippines.

Historically, five-star ranks were held byfield marshals.US Army GeneralDouglas MacArthurwas 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 thecommonwealth government of the Philippineswith a rank of major general. PresidentQuezonconferred the rank of field marshal on 24 August 1936 and MacArthur's duty included the supervision of the creation of the Philippines nation-state.

Poland

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Marshal of Poland(Marszałek Polski) is aPolish Armyfive-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 toMarian Spychalski.

Portugal

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Different from most other countries, the marshals (ArmyandAir Force) and admirals of the fleet (Navy) ofPortugalare 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

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Mareșal al Armatei Române(marshal of the Romanian Army) is the highest military rank in the Romanian military forces. This rank can be bestowed to persons from theroyal familyor to four-star generals or admirals during wartime only. After World War II, the latest surviving marshal of Romania wasKing Michael I,who was bestowed this rank on May 10, 1941 (the national day of Romania). He died in December 2017.

South Vietnam

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  • General of the army (Thống tướng),Army-held by one officer
  • Admiral of the fleet (Thủy sư Đô đốc),Navy
  • General of the air force (Thống tướng),Air Force

Five-star ranks were used by the formerRepublic of Vietnam Military Forcesduring theVietnam War,from 1955 to 1975. The ranks were changed in 1964 to resembleUS ranksmore closely. The rank only bestowed toLê Văn Tỵ

Spain

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Since 1922 it is not properly a rank but a "military dignity". The only fullcapitán generalis currently His Majesty the King of Spain, the last not-royal appointment (honorary) was in 1994 toManuel Gutiérrez Mellado.The rank ofcapitán generalis currently bestowed also to several images of theVirgin Mary,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 properlycapitana 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.

Sri Lanka

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Thailand

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Themonarch of Thailandis appointed to the three ranks automatically upon accession as he is the constitutionalhead of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.Since 1973 the three ranks have been reserved for members of theroyal family.

United Kingdom

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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.[23]

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.[24][25]As of 2024the most recent appointments to five-star ranks were the promotions in 2012 of thePrince of Walesto honorary five-star rank in all three services, and of former Chief of the Defence StaffLord Guthrie of Craigiebankto the honorary rank of field marshal.[25][26]In 2014 the former Chief of the Defence StaffLord Stirrupwas promoted to the honorary rank of marshal of the Royal Air Force.[27]

DuringWorld War IIand after, servingNATO,a small number of British five-star commanders have held the additional titleSupreme Allied Commander,given operational control over all air, land, and sea units led by thefour-star commandersof multi-national forces.

United States

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Gravestone ofOmar Bradley,with five-star insignia

Before the five-star ranks were established in 1944,[1]two officers had previously been promoted from their four-star ranks to the superior and unique ranks ofAdmiral of the NavyandGeneral of the Armies:AdmiralGeorge Dewey(appointment 1903 retroactive to 1899, died 1917) and GeneralJohn 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 duringWorld War IIbecause of the awkward situation created when some American senior commanders were placed in positions commanding allied officers of higher rank.[28]U.S. officers holding five-star rank draw full active duty pay for life, both before and after retiring from active duty.[29]The five-star ranks were retired in 1981 on the death of General of the ArmyOmar Bradley.[28]

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 Washingtonwas, 177 years after his death, permanently made senior to all other U.S. generals and admirals with the titleGeneral of the Armieseffective on 4 July 1976. The appointment stated he was to have "rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, past or present".[nb 1]

DuringWorld War IIand (later) servingNATO,a small number of American five-star commanders have also held the additional title ofSupreme Allied Commander,given operational control over all air, land, and sea units led by thefour-star commandersof multi-national forces.

Law enforcement usage

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In various law enforcement agencies, such as theDetroit Police DepartmentandLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department,their respective heads wear five-star ranks.[30]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The following Americans have been promoted to five-star rank:
    Fleet AdmiralWilliam D. Leahy 15 December 1944
    General of the ArmyGeorge Marshall 16 December 1944
    Fleet AdmiralErnest King 17 December 1944
    General of the ArmyDouglas MacArthur 18 December 1944
    Fleet AdmiralChester W. Nimitz 19 December 1944
    General of the ArmyDwight D. Eisenhower 20 December 1944
    General of the Army & Air ForceHenry H. Arnold 21 December 1944 & 7 May 1949
    Fleet AdmiralWilliam Halsey, Jr. 11 December 1945
    General of the ArmyOmar Bradley 20 September 1950
    General of the ArmiesGeorge Washington 4 July 1976, with an effective appointment date of 4 July 1776a

    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, AdmiralGeorge Dewey's rank was established asadmiral of the Navy,a rank which was specified to be senior to the four-star rank of admiral and was equal toadmiral of the fleetin the BritishRoyal Navy.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 Pershingwas promoted to the rank ofGeneral of the Armies(officially General of the Armies of the United States) in recognition of his service duringWorld War I.He is the only person promoted to this rank during their lifetime.

    ^aDuring theUnited States Bicentennialyear, George Washington was posthumously appointed to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States by the congressional joint resolutionPublic Law 94-479[dead link]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.
    ^bNo 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 five-star and other four-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 four-star, and senior to all later five-stars, is not actually senior to Washington by date of rank, and by operation of naval custom making Dewey senior to all five-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.

References

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  1. ^abOxford 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;"
  2. ^"ARMY DRESS REGULATIONS (ALL RANKS) Part 4 – THE INFANTRY REGIMENTAL DRESS REGULATIONS"(PDF).whatdotheyknow.May 2012.Retrieved17 August2022.
  3. ^Hill, A. J. (1979)."Birdwood, William Riddell (Baron Birdwood) (1865–1951)".Australian Dictionary of Biography.Vol. 7. Canberra: National Centre of Biography,Australian National University.pp. 293–296.ISBN978-0-522-84459-7.ISSN1833-7538.OCLC70677943.
  4. ^"Australian Military Forces".Commonwealth of Australia Gazette.14 January 1926.Retrieved14 March2019.
  5. ^"Jean-Louis Georgelin, un général cinq étoiles au chevet de Notre-Dame".Les Echos(in French). 2019-04-17.Retrieved2023-11-07.
  6. ^rédaction, La (2023-11-06)."De la Marine à l'Élysée, la destinée" 5 étoiles "de l'amiral Bernard Rogel".Nice-Matin(in French).Retrieved2023-11-07.
  7. ^à 07h48, Par Yassine El Azzaz Le 20 juillet 2017 (2017-07-20)."Général cinq étoiles ou quatre étoiles: quelle est la différence?".leparisien.fr(in French).Retrieved2023-11-07.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^"Pourquoi n'y a-t-il pas de généraux à une étoile?"[Why are there no one-star generals?](PDF).Association Nationale des Officiers de Carrière en Retraite(in French). Groupement du Gers de l'Association Nationale des Officiers de Carrière en Retraite.
  9. ^"Les maréchaux et amiraux de France (du Premier Empire à nos jours) - Cimetières de France et d'ailleurs"[The Marshals and Admirals of France (from the First Empire to now) - Cemeteries of France and elsewhere].landrucimetieres.fr(in French).Retrieved2023-11-07.
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  11. ^Haskew, Michael (2011).The Wehrmacht.Amber Books. p. 46.ISBN978-1-907446-95-5.
  12. ^"Collar Tabs".Bharat-rakshak.Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2009.Retrieved28 July2022.
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  14. ^Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 39 Tahun 2010 Tentang Administrasi Prajurit Tentara Nasional Indonesia[Government Regulation No 39 Year 2010 Regarding Administration of Armed Forces Personnel](PDF)(39) (in Indonesian). Government of Indonesia. 2010.
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  17. ^KoKo LinnMaung (23 July 2019).တပ်မတော် ရာထူးအဆင့်အတန်း အင်္ဂလိပ်လိုအခေါ်အဝေါ်များ[Tatmadaw appointment ranks' nomenclature in English].Facebook(in Burmese and English).[user-generated source]
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  20. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2022-04-16.Retrieved2022-04-20.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^"Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing receives a model plane from Gen. Maung Maung Kyaw in 2019. | OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT WEBSITE OF SENIOR GEN. MIN AUNG HLAING".Cdn-japantimes.Retrieved28 July2022.
  22. ^"THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES – ARTICLE VII".Official Gazette.RetrievedJune 30,2022.
  23. ^"Dictionary of Vexillology: R (Race Signals – Rays)".Fotw.info.Archived fromthe originalon 16 December 2014.Retrieved28 July2022.
  24. ^ Heathcote, Tony (1999).The British Field Marshals, 1736–1997: A Biographical Dictionary.Barnsley:Pen and Sword Books.ISBN978-0-85052-696-7.
  25. ^ab"Prince Charles awarded highest military ranks by Queen".BBC News.15 June 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2012.Retrieved17 June2012.
  26. ^"Honorary Five Star Rank appointment".The British Monarchy.16 June 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2012.Retrieved22 June2012.
  27. ^"2014 Birthday Honours for service personnel and defence civilians".Ministry of Defence. 13 June 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 6 July 2014.Retrieved22 June2014.
  28. ^ab E. Kelly Taylor (2009).America's Army and the Language of Grunts: Understanding the Army Lingo Legacy.AuthorHouse. p.283.ISBN978-1-4389-6249-8.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-01-07.
  29. ^ Spencer C. Tucker (2011).The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History.ABC-CLIO. pp.1685.ISBN978-1-85109-961-0.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-04-07.
  30. ^"Five-Star Sheriff Reflects Military Usage".Los Angeles Times.20 February 2002.Retrieved28 July2022.