five-star general
Highest Army rank
A five-star general is the highest rank in the U.S.
Army and Air Force, equivalent to fleet admiral in the Navy.
The rank was created during World War II for commanders overseeing massive operations across multiple theaters.
Only nine Americans have held it, including Eisenhower and MacArthur.
The five stars appear in a pentagonal arrangement on the insignia.
- military rankArmed forces title
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- admiralSenior naval commander
- war heroOne honored for combat bravery
- World War IISecond global military conflict
Dwight D. Eisenhower · Douglas MacArthur · chain of command · medals · tactics · field marshal · commander-in-chief · top brass · Cold War · uniform insignia · ceremonial duties · colonel · decorated officer · military awards · logistics · Pearl Harbor · salutes · decision-making
- generalsfield marshal, Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur, Washington
- military officerscolonel, officers, major, admirals, field marshals
- military rankscaptain, major, sergeant, private, officer
- Top Brassadmiral, commander, colonel, brigadier, commodore
- Air Force Ranksairman, staff sergeant, master sergeant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant
- Five-Star Generalsfleet admiral, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, MacArthur, Eisenhower
five-star generalprivate
Restricted to certain parties
buck private · raw recruit · private first class · corporal · lance corporal
five-star generalfoot soldier
Basic infantry combatant
grunt · rank and file · subordinate · raw recruit · underling
five, star, general, fiver, fives, fifteen, stars, starred, starring