Lieutenant general (O-9)
Three silver stars are the insignia of a lieutenant general (LTG), pay grade O-9 in the US Army.
Easily confused with
How to read it
DA Pamphlet 670-1 describes the lieutenant general insignia as three silver-colored, five-pointed stars, each 1 inch in diameter, worn “point to V” on shoulder loops. The Department of Defense lists the grade as O-9. The Army’s ranks page says a lieutenant general typically commands a corps of 20,000 to 40,000 soldiers, assisted by a command sergeant major and an extensive corps staff. A Major general (O-8) has one star fewer and a General (O-10) one more.
Also searched as: LTG, three-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.
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 ranksGeneral (O-10)Four silver stars are the insignia of a general (GEN), pay grade O-10, the highest rank in the US Army today.
- The same grade (O-9) in the Marine Corps.Lieutenant general (O-9)Lieutenant general (LtGen) is the third Marine Corps general officer rank, pay grade O-9. Its insignia is three silver stars in a row.
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 21–5a(3), 21–5a(2), 21–5a(1); 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: major-general, lieutenant-general, general
- 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
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 30, 2026. How we research
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