Lieutenant general (O-9)
Lieutenant general, pay grade O-9, US Air Force. The insignia is three silver stars.
How to read it
Lieutenant general sits above major general (two stars) and below General (O-10) (four stars). On the shoulder epaulet, one star sits at the centre point and the other two between it and the button. The President appoints lieutenant generals, with the Senate’s consent, to positions of importance and responsibility designated to carry the grade, and the appointment ordinarily ends when the officer leaves the position (10 U.S.C. 601). The abbreviation is Lt Gen, and the Navy’s O-9 is vice admiral.
Also searched as: Lt 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.
Read next
More air Force ranks
The same shape elsewhere
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, Lieutenant General, United States Military (a United States Air Force lieutenant general’s insignia), National Air and Space Museum, object A19951070000, 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, §4.5.1.1.2.1–4.5.1.1.2.2
- 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)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 29, 2026. How we research
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