Brigadier general (O-7)
One silver star is the insignia of a brigadier general (BG), pay grade O-7, the lowest general officer rank in the US Army.
Easily confused with
How to read it
A brigadier general wears one silver-colored, five-pointed star, 1 inch in diameter, in DA Pamphlet 670-1’s description. The Department of Defense lists the grade as O-7, where the general officer ranks begin. The Army’s ranks page says a brigadier general is deputy commander to the commanding general of an Army division, helping oversee the staff’s planning and coordination of a mission. Below is the Colonel (O-6), with an eagle; above is the Major general (O-8), with two stars.
Also searched as: BG, one-star general.
Ranks and insignia as the US Army’s own regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
The first stars
The Army Institute of Heraldry dates the Army’s system of officer insignia to 18 June 1780, when brigadier generals were given one star and major generals two stars on each epaulette.
How a general is addressed
Army Regulation 600-20 gives “General” as the title of address for every general officer grade, from brigadier general to General of the Army. The Army Recruiting Command’s customs training says general officers are addressed as “Sir” or “Ma’am” in person, and as “General” with the last name when others speak of them.
Read next
- Next in Army ranksMajor general (O-8)Two silver stars are the insignia of a major general (MG), pay grade O-8 in the US Army.
- The same grade (O-7) in the Marine Corps.Brigadier general (O-7)Brigadier general (BGen) is the first Marine Corps general officer rank, pay grade O-7. Its insignia is one silver star.
More army ranks
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with stars.
Sources
- DA Pamphlet 670-1, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, DA PAM 670-1, 26 January 2021, Headquarters, Department of the Army (Army Publishing Directorate), para 21–6a(1), 21–5a(4), 21–5a(3); para 21–5b(1)(a)
- U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Resources: U.S. Military Rank Insignia (enlisted and officer insignia by paygrade), U.S. Department of Defense (defense.gov), Insignia chart: colonel, brigadier-general, major-general; Officer insignia
- U.S. Army Ranks, army.mil ranks page (enlisted, warrant officer and officer ranks), U.S. Army, Officer ranks
- Army Regulation 600-20, Army Command Policy, AR 600-20, 6 February 2025 (administrative revision 20 February 2025), Headquarters, Department of the Army (copy hosted by the Army Transportation Corps, transportation.army.mil), para 1–7b; table 1–1; table 1–1
- Military Customs and Courtesies (Initial Soldier Training), U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Future Soldier training slides, 14 April 2020, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Officer rank, slide 18
- Officer Insignia of Rank: Origin, The Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army heraldry, insignia of grade, The Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army, Officer Insignia of Rank: Origin
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 30, 2026. How we research
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