How Many Generals Are in the U.S. Armed Forces?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 01, 2020

There are 11 four-star generals in the U.S. Army, 9 admirals (equivalent to four-star general) in the Navy, 4 in the Marine Corps and 14 in the Air Force. The general rank comes above the other general officer ranks: lieutenant general, major general and brigadier general.

All active duty military personnel currently include 38 generals, 141 lieutenant generals, 310 major generals and 420 brigadier generals.

The maximum numbers of general officers on active duty are set by U.S. Code 526. The caps are 231 personnel in the Army, 162 in the Navy, 198 in the Air Force, and 61 in the Marine Corps.