Rear admiral, lower half (O-7)
Rear admiral (lower half) is the first flag officer rank in the US Navy, pay grade O-7. On khakis the insignia is one silver star.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The Congressional Research Service lists it as a one-star rank, the Navy’s equivalent of a brigadier general. On the blue coat sleeve it is a single 5 cm (2 in) gold stripe. A Captain (O-6) is one grade below, and a Rear admiral (O-8), with two stars, one grade above. Navy.com says officers at this rank oversee large organisations and operational commands.
Also searched as: one-star admiral, RDML.
Ranks and insignia as the US Navy’s own uniform regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
Commodore, then rear admiral (lower half)
The Naval History and Heritage Command gives the rank’s recent names: from 1982 O-7 officers were commodore admirals, wearing the broad stripe and single star; in 1983 the title became commodore; and from the 1986 defense bill it has been rear admiral (lower half). The broad stripe on the sleeve goes back to commodores in 1866.
Two rear admirals
Both O-7 and O-8 are called rear admiral in speech. The star count tells them apart: one for lower half, two for upper half.
Read next
- Next in Navy ranksRear 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.
- The same shape in Army ranksMajor general (O-8)Two silver stars are the insignia of a major general (MG), pay grade O-8 in the US Army.
More navy ranks
The same shape elsewhere
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
- Naval Traditions: Names of Rank, “Commodore”, Naval Traditions: Names of Rank, Officer, “Commodore”, Naval History and Heritage Command, paras. 3–5
- 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
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 30, 2026. How we research
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