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.
How to read it
Lieutenant general follows major general (O-8) and comes before General (O-10) (O-10), the highest Marine Corps rank. The uniform regulations describe three silver-colored stars, arranged like a general’s.
Also searched as: LtGen.
Ranks and insignia as the Marine Corps’ own orders and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
Three stars in the Navy
The Navy’s O-9, vice admiral, wears three silver five-pointed stars on the collar.
More marine Corps ranks
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.b, 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-9
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research