5 star rank

An officer of 5 star rank is a very senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-10. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, 5 star officers would hold the rank of Admiral of the Fleet, Grand Admiral, Field Marshal, General of the Army or, in the case of those air forces with a separate rank structure, Marshal of the Air Force. Five-star ranks are extremely senior and thus very rare; the position only exists in a minority of countries and is usually only held by a very few officers during wartime.

Australian 5 star ranks

• Admiral of the Fleet
• Field Marshal
• Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force

Indian 5 star ranks

• Admiral of the Fleet
• Field Marshal
• Marshal of the Indian Air Force

United Kingdom 5 star ranks

• Admiral of the Fleet
• Field Marshal
• Marshal of the Royal Air Force

United States 5 star ranks

• Fleet Admiral
• General of the Army
• General of the Air Force

The following people were promoted to five star rank:

•	Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy	15 December 1944
•	General of the Army George C. Marshall	16 December 1944
•	Fleet Admiral Ernest King	17 December 1944
•	General of the Army Douglas MacArthur	18 December 1944
•	Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz	19 December 1944
•	General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower	20 December 1944
•	General of the Army Henry H. Arnold	21 December 1944
•	Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr.	11 December 1945
•	General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold	7 May 1949
•	General of the Army Omar Bradley	20 September 1950

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.

See also

• General of the Armies

References