Major general (O-8)
Major general, pay grade O-8, US Air Force. The insignia is two silver stars.
How to read it
Its two stars are one more than a brigadier general’s and one fewer than a lieutenant general’s. The abbreviation is Maj Gen, and the Navy’s O-8 is rear admiral.
Also searched as: Maj 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.
Does a major general outrank a lieutenant general?
No. A major general is one grade below a lieutenant general, although a major outranks a lieutenant lower down. 10 U.S.C. 741 lists the grades in order: general, lieutenant general, major general, brigadier general.
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, Major General, United States Air Force, National Air and Space Museum, object A19951071001, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Physical Description
- 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, 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
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 30, 2026. How we research
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