General (O-10)
General, pay grade O-10: the highest Air Force rank in use. The insignia is four stars.
How to read it
General sits above lieutenant general (three stars); the four stars are evenly spaced between the epaulet’s button and the sleeve seam (DAFI 36-2903). Generals, like lieutenant generals, are appointed by the President with the Senate’s consent to positions designated to carry the grade, and the Air Force’s Chief of Staff holds the grade of general while serving (10 U.S.C. 601 and 9033). The abbreviation is Gen, and the Navy’s O-10 is admiral.
Also searched as: four-star general, 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.
Above general
The five-star General of the Air Force is listed by the Department of War as reserved for wartime only.
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
- 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, §4.5.1.1.2.1
- 10 U.S.C. 9033, Chief of Staff, United States Code, 2024 edition, Title 10, § 9033, U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 9033(b)
- 10 U.S.C. 601, Positions of importance and responsibility, United States Code, 2024 edition, Title 10, § 601, U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 601(a)
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research