Brigadier general (O-7)
Brigadier general, pay grade O-7: the first general officer rank in the US Air Force. The insignia is one silver star.
How to read it
Brigadier general sits above Colonel (O-6) and below major general (two silver stars). General officers are O-7 and above. The abbreviation is Brig Gen, and the Navy’s O-7 is rear admiral (lower half). On the shoulder epaulet, the single star is centred between the button and the sleeve seam (DAFI 36-2903).
Also searched as: Brig Gen.
Ranks and insignia as the Department of the Air Force’s own instructions and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
Clouds and darts on the cap
General officers’ service caps have three clouds and darts on each side of the visor, where field grade officers have two (the Airman handbook).
More air Force ranks
Browse symbols drawn with stars.
Sources
- U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Resources: U.S. Military Rank Insignia (enlisted and officer insignia by paygrade), U.S. Department of Defense (defense.gov), Officer insignia table, Air Force; officer introduction
- 37 U.S.C. 201, Pay grades: assignment to; general rules, United States Code, 2023 edition, Title 37, § 201, U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 201(a)(1) table
- 10 U.S.C. 741, Rank: commissioned officers of the armed forces, United States Code, 2024 edition, Title 10, § 741, U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 741(a) and its table
- Insignia, Rank, Brigadier General, United States Air Force, National Air and Space Museum, object A19951073000, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Physical Description
- Insignia, Rank, Major General, United States Air Force, National Air and Space Museum, object A19951071001, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Physical Description
- DAFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force and Space Force Personnel, DAFI 36-2903, 29 February 2024, with guidance changes, Department of the Air Force, §4.5.1.1.2.4
- AFH 1, Airman, Air Force Handbook 1, Airman, 15 February 2025, Department of the Air Force, Service Cap Rank Indicators and Insignia
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research