General (O-10)
General (Gen) is the highest Marine Corps rank, pay grade O-10. Its insignia is four silver stars in a row.
How to read it
General follows lieutenant general (O-9). The Marine Corps says the commandant of the Marine Corps and the assistant commandant are four-star ranks. There is no Marine Corps rank above it: the Army, Navy and Air Force each have a five-star grade, O-11, reserved for wartime, and defense.gov lists none for the Marine Corps. The uniform regulations describe four silver, five-pointed, pyramid-shaped stars.
Also searched as: commandant, Gen.
Ranks and insignia as the Marine Corps’ own orders and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
Four stars in the Navy
The Navy’s O-10, admiral, wears four silver five-pointed stars on the collar.
Read next
- Next in Marine Corps ranksPrivate first class (E-2)Private first class (PFC) is the second enlisted rank in the US Marine Corps, pay grade E-2. Its insignia is a single chevron, point up.
- 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.
More marine Corps ranks
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with stars.
Sources
- Marine Corps Ranks, marines.mil, Ranks, United States Marine Corps, Officer
- Marine Corps Uniform Regulations (MCO 1020.34H), MCO 1020.34H, 1 May 2018, Commandant of the Marine Corps, para 4005.2.a, p. 1-99
- Officer Knowledge (Officer Development School), Officer Training Command Newport, ODS Knowledge Book, Naval Service Training Command, U.S. Navy, Navy and Marine Corps Officer Rank Structure
- 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, O-10 and O-11
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 29, 2026. How we research
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