Rear admiral (O-8)
Rear admiral, sometimes called rear admiral (upper half), is a US Navy flag officer rank, pay grade O-8. On khakis the insignia is two silver stars.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The Congressional Research Service lists rear admiral as a two-star rank, the equivalent of a major general. On the blue coat sleeve it is a 5 cm (2 in) gold stripe with one 13 mm (½ in) stripe above it. Navy.com and the Department of Defense call it rear admiral (upper half); the law listing the Navy’s grades calls it plain rear admiral, beside rear admiral (lower half). It sits above Rear admiral, lower half (O-7) (one star) and below Vice admiral (O-9) (three stars).
Also searched as: RADM, rear admiral upper half, two-star admiral.
Ranks and insignia as the US Navy’s own uniform regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
Stars on the collar
On khaki shirts the uniform regulations have flag officers’ miniature stars joined together, so a rear admiral’s two stars form a single pin.
More navy ranks
Browse symbols drawn with stars.
Sources
- 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; officer introduction
- 37 U.S.C. § 201: Pay grades, 37 U.S. Code § 201, Pay grades: assignment to; general rules, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, § 201(a)
- Navy Uniform Regulations, article 4101: Officer sleeve insignia, United States Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 15665J), art. 4101, Navy Personnel Command (MyNavy HR), art. 4101.3a
- Navy Uniform Regulations, article 4103: Shoulder insignia, United States Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 15665J), art. 4103, Navy Personnel Command (MyNavy HR), art. 4103.2c, 4103.4a
- U.S. Navy Ranks & Insignia, U.S. Navy Ranks & Insignia (navy.com), U.S. Navy Recruiting Command (navy.com), Commissioned Officer Ranks
- Statutory Framework for Congressional Management of DOD General and Flag Officers (CRS R44389), Congressional Research Service, R44389, updated 29 May 2026 (EveryCRSReport.com copy), Congressional Research Service, Table 1
- 10 U.S.C. § 8111: Navy grades above chief warrant officer, W-5, 10 U.S. Code § 8111, with historical and revision notes, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, § 8111(3)–(4)
- Navy Uniform Regulations, article 4104: Collar grade insignia, United States Navy Uniform Regulations (NAVPERS 15665J), art. 4104, Navy Personnel Command (MyNavy HR), art. 4104.2–3
Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research