Four-star rank

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Main articles: Ranks and insignia of NATO armies officers, Ranks and insignia of NATO air forces officers, and Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers
A US general's rank insignia[a]

A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army general, or in the case of those air forces with a separate rank structure, air chief marshal. This designation is also used by some armed forces that are not North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) members.

Australia[]

Australian admiral's shoulder board.
RAN admiral
Australian Army general's shoulder board.
Army general
Australian air chief marshal's shoulder board.
RAAF air chief marshal

In the Australian Defence Force, the following ranks of commissioned officers are awarded four-star ranks:

The four-star rank is reserved in Australia for the Chief of the Defence Force, the highest position in peacetime.

In times of major conflict, the highest ranks are the five-star ranks: admiral of the fleet, field marshal, and marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Bangladesh[]

Brazil[]

Brazilian general de exército

The four-star rank is reserved in Brazil for the highest post in the military career. The officers in this position take part of the high command of their corporations. The commanders of army, navy and air force are also four-star generals, but they have precedence to all the others military in this rank.

Cambodia[]

Canada[]

  • Admiral/amiral (Canadian Forces officers authorized to wear naval uniform four-star-equivalent rank)
  • General/général (Canadian Forces officers authorized to wear army and air force uniform four-star-equivalent rank)

General/admiral is the highest rank within the Canadian Armed Forces as defined within the National Defence Act.[1] Usually, only one officer, the Chief of the Defence Staff, carries the rank of full admiral or general at any one time. However, the crown may authorize additional officers at that rank for special cases such as for Canadian officers in the position of Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, who are usually former Chiefs of the Defence Staff seconded to NATO for that duty.

The Queen of Canada, Elizabeth II, is Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces.[2] However, in line with the Letters Patent, 1947, the duties and title of commander-in-chief are normally exercised by the Governor General of Canada.[3] The Minister of National Defence, since not a member of the Canadian forces nor within the military chain of command, has no rank. Prince Philip held the four-star rank of admiral in the Royal Canadian Navy in an honorary capacity from 2011 until his death in April 2021.

Before unification in 1968, the rank of air chief marshal (maréchal en chef de l'air) was the four-star equivalent for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Germany[]

The equivalent modern German four-star ranks (OF-9) of the Bundeswehr are as follows:

Not to be confused with Generaloberst and Generaladmiral, the Wehrmacht and Kriegsmarine equivalent until 1945, or Armeegeneral and Flottenadmiral, the National People's Army (NVA) and Volksmarine (East Germany) equivalent until 1990.

India[]

Indian Army General's shoulder badges
Indian Army General
Indian Navy Admiral's shoulder board.
Indian Navy Admiral
Indian air chief marshal's rank insignia
IAF Air Chief Marshal

These four star rank officers from respective services are appointed as Chiefs of the Army (COAS), Navy (CNS), Air Force (CAS). A four star rank officer from either service is appointed to the post of Chief of Defence Staff.

Indonesia[]

Italy[]

  • Generale di Corpo d'Armata con Incarichi Speciali (general with special duties) – Chief-of-Staff of the Italian Army
  • Ammiraglio di Squadra con Incarichi Speciali (admiral with special duties) – Chief-of-Staff of the Italian Navy
  • Generale di Squadra Aerea con Incarichi Speciali (general with special duties) – Chief-of-Staff of the Italian Air Force
  • Generale di Corpo d'Armata Comandante Generale (commander general) – Commander of the Carabinieri

Japan[]

  • General or Admiral - 統合幕僚長たる陸将、海将または空将 (Tōgōbakuryōchō-taru-rikushō,- kaishō-matawa-kūshō, (LTG, VADM or Lt.Gen serving as Chief of Staff, Joint Staff)) - Japan Self-Defense Forces four-star rank. 　
  • General – 陸上幕僚長たる陸将 (Rikujōbakuryōchō-taru-rikushō, (Lieutenant general serving as Chief of Staff JGSDF)) – Japan Ground Self-Defense Force four-star rank
  • Admiral – 海上幕僚長たる海将 (Kaijōbakuryōchō-taru-kaishō, (Vice admiral serving as Chief of Staff JMSDF)) – Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force four-star rank
  • General – 航空幕僚長たる空将 (Kōkūbakuryocho-taru-kūshō, (Lieutenant general serving as Chief of Staff JASDF)) – Japan Air Self-Defense Force four-star rank

The rank designations of general and admiral are merely the status and treatment of the position of chief of staff, with lieutenant general and vice admiral being the highest ranks.

Nepal[]

In Nepal the Chief of the Army Staff holds a four-star rank.

Pakistan[]

Portugal[]

See also:

Sri Lanka[]

Sri Lanka Army general's shoulder rank badge.
Sri Lanka Army general
Sri Lanka Navy admiral's shoulder board.
Sri Lanka Navy admiral

Philippines[]

Philippine Navy admiral's shoulder rank badge.
Philippine Navy Admiral
Philippine Army general's shoulder rank badge.
Philippine Army General
Philippine Air Force general's shoulder rank badge.
Philippine Air Force General

United Kingdom[]

See also:

United States[]

See also:

Former USSR and Russia[]

Army general (Soviet Armed Forces)
Army general (Russian Army since 2013)
Admiral of the fleet (Russian Navy)
  • General armii (infantry and marines of the Red Army, Russian Army and Air Force four-star rank)
  • Glavnii marshal and marshal (four-star equivalents of the Soviet Air Force, and of the other branches of the Red Army)
  • Admiral flota (four star equivalent of the Soviet and the Russian navies)

While the general armii wore shoulder insignia with four small stars, the marshal and admiral flota wore one single large star on their shoulder boards, and the glavnii marshal the same large star with a laurel wreath, very similar to the modern army general insignia of the Russian Army.

Upon their formation, the Russian armed forces discontinued the ranks of marshal and glavnii marshal.

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ This rank insignia is not worn by all NATO officers.

References[]

  1. ^ Canada – Department of Justice "Laws of Canada: National Defence Act, Schedule I"
  2. ^ Lagassé, Philippe (December 2013). "The Crown's Powers of Command-in Chief: Interpreting Section 15 of Canada's Constitution Act, 1867" (PDF). Review of Constitutional Studies. 18 (2): 189–220.
  3. ^ The Governor General, Commander-in-Chief "[1]"
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2012-08-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ RAF Glossary Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, "Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation", rafweb.org
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