Lieutenant general ( Lt Gen , LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank originates from the Old European System . The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages , where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general .
15-557: In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks immediately below general (or colonel general ) and above major general ; it is equivalent to the navy rank of vice admiral , and in air forces with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to air marshal . In the United States, a lieutenant general has a three star insignia and commands an army corps , typically made up of three army divisions , and consisting of around 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers. The seeming incongruity that
30-405: A four-star rank (NATO OF-9). Usually it is the most senior peacetime rank, with more senior ranks (for example, field marshal, marshal of the air force, fleet admiral) being used only in wartime or as honorary titles. In some armies, however, the rank of captain general , general of the army , army general or colonel general occupied or occupies this position. Depending on circumstances and
45-504: A lieutenant general outranks a major general (whereas a major outranks a lieutenant ) is due to the derivation of major general from sergeant major general , which was a rank subordinate to lieutenant general (as a lieutenant outranks a sergeant major ). Several countries (e.g. Balkan states) use the rank of lieutenant colonel general instead of lieutenant general, in an attempt to solve this apparent anomaly. In contrast, in Russia and
60-477: A number of other countries of the former Soviet Union , lieutenant general is a rank immediately below colonel general , and above major general – in these systems there is no use of the brigadier general of many Western countries. In addition, some countries use the lieutenant general as the rank of divisional commander, and some have designated them with French revolutionary system . For example, some countries of South America use divisional general as
75-534: Is an air officer, their Royal Navy equivalent ( commodore ) is not considered a flag officer, nor is the British Army or Royal Marines equivalent ( brigadier ) considered a general officer. In 1919 when the RAF introduced its own air officer ranks, the preceding RAF and equivalent army rank was brigadier-general , which was a general officer rank until its abolition in 1922. In some other countries — most notably
90-655: The British Armed Forces , where the term originated, an air officer is equivalent in concept to flag officer and general officer in the Royal Navy and Army respectively. Specifically, while the Army uses General Officer Commanding (GOC), the Air Force uses Air Officer Commanding (AOC) to designate the senior officer in a formation. Note, however, that in the British Armed Forces , while an air commodore
105-498: The air force rank of air chief marshal as the equivalent of the specific army rank of general. This latter group includes the British Royal Air Force and many current and former Commonwealth air forces—e.g. Royal Australian Air Force , Indian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Air Force , Nigerian Air Force , Pakistan Air Force , etc. In most navies , flag officers are the equivalent of general officers, and
120-630: The armed forces of the United States — Army, Air Force and Marine Corps one-star officers are considered to be general officers, and one-star officers of the Navy and Coast Guard are considered to be flag officers. There are multiple air officer command appointments. Additionally the RAF maintains two home country air officer appointments. These are Air Officer Scotland and the Air Officer for Wales. On ceremonial occasions, many RAF air officers are entitled to wear embellished shoulder boards and
135-481: The army in question, these ranks may be considered to be equivalent to a "full" general or to a field marshal five-star rank (NATO OF-10). The rank of general came about as a "captain-general", the captain of an army in general (i.e., the whole army). The rank of captain-general began appearing around the time of the organisation of professional armies in the 17th century. In most countries "captain-general" contracted to just "general". The following articles deal with
150-493: The equivalent of lieutenant general. General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies , and in some nations' air and space forces , marines or naval infantry . In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel . The adjective general had been affixed to officer designations since the late medieval period to indicate relative superiority or an extended jurisdiction. Other nomenclatures for general officers include
165-465: The gold and blue sash. This applies to all officers at or above the rank of air vice-marshal and holders of the following air commodore posts: With the exception of marshals of the RAF, the embellished shoulder boards feature the golden air officers' eagle and wreath device surmounted by a lion statant guardant . For marshals of the RAF, the embellished shoulder boards display the air officer's eagle and wreath, two crossed marshal 's batons and, since
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#1732772040408180-517: The naval rank of admiral is equivalent to the specific army rank of general. A noteworthy historical exception was the Cromwellian naval rank " general at sea ". In recent years in the American service there is a tendency to use flag officer and flag rank to refer to generals and admirals of the services collectively. Air officer An air officer is an air force officer of
195-538: The rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force , air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations who have a similar rank structure to the RAF. Air officers holding command appointments receive the title Air Officer Commanding (AOC), whereas air officers holding commander-in-chief positions are titled as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C). In
210-472: The rank of general, or its equivalent, as it is or was employed in the militaries of those countries: Some countries (such as the United States) use the general officer ranks for both the army and the air force , as well as their marine corps ; other states only use the general officer ranks for the army, while in the air force they use air officers as the equivalent of general officers. They use
225-473: The titles and ranks: In addition to militarily educated generals, there are also generals in medicine and engineering. The rank of the most senior chaplain, (chaplain general), is also usually considered to be a general officer rank. In the old European system, a general, without prefix or suffix (and sometimes referred to informally as a " full general "), is usually the most senior type of general, above lieutenant general and directly below field marshal as
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