General of the Army
Five stars are the insignia of General of the Army, the US Army’s five-star rank, created in 1944 for the Second World War and held by five officers.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The US Army Center of Military History says the grade of General of the Army (five-star) was created as a temporary grade by an act of Congress approved on 14 December 1944 and made permanent on 23 March 1946. The 1944 act made it the highest grade in the Army, with provision for four officers on the active list at any one time. The Army’s ranks page says the rank is only used in time of war, when the commanding officer must be equal to or of higher rank than those commanding armies from other nations, and that the last officers to hold it served during and immediately after the Second World War. The Department of Defense’s insignia chart marks it “reserved for wartime only”. It is one grade above General (O-10), and Army Regulation 600-20 gives its title of address as “General”.
Also searched as: five-star general, GA.
Ranks and insignia as the US Army’s own regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
The five who held it
The Center of Military History lists George C. Marshall (16 December 1944), Douglas MacArthur (18 December 1944), Dwight D. Eisenhower (20 December 1944), Henry H. Arnold (21 December 1944) and Omar N. Bradley (20 September 1950). Arnold’s rank was redesignated General of the Air Force in 1949.
What pay grade is it?
Sources differ in how they write it. The Department of Defense’s insignia chart labels it O-11. Army Regulation 600-20’s table of grades gives its pay grade as “Special”, above O-10.
The earlier General of the Army
The title is older than the five stars. The Center of Military History says Congress created a grade of General of the Army in 1866 for Ulysses S. Grant. Its insignia was four stars until 1872, when it became two silver stars with the arms of the United States in gold between them, worn by Sherman and later Sheridan. The Army’s regulations were changed to five stars after the grade was re-created in 1944.
General of the Armies is a different grade
John J. Pershing held the separate grade of General of the Armies of the United States from 1919. The Center of Military History says he at no time wore more than four stars.
More army ranks
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 21–5a(1)
- 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: general, general-of-the-army
- U.S. Army Ranks, army.mil ranks page (enlisted, warrant officer and officer ranks), U.S. Army, Officer ranks: General of the Army
- 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
- 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
- Frequently Asked Questions: U.S. Army Five-Star Generals, U.S. Army Center of Military History, reference topics, U.S. Army Center of Military History, How many U.S. Army five-star generals have there been
- Fleet Admiral of Navy and General of Army (50 U.S.C. App. 1691–1697, repealed), United States Code, 2011 edition, Title 50 Appendix; Act Dec. 14, 1944, ch. 580, 58 Stat. 802, U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), Section 1692 (note)
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research