Vice admiral (O-9)
Vice admiral is a US Navy flag officer rank, pay grade O-9. On khakis the insignia is three silver stars.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The Congressional Research Service lists vice admiral as a three-star rank, the equivalent of a lieutenant general, between Rear admiral (O-8) and Admiral (O-10). On the blue coat sleeve it is a 5 cm (2 in) gold stripe with two 13 mm (½ in) stripes above it. Navy.com says vice admirals hold some of the Navy’s most senior leadership positions.
Also searched as: three-star admiral, VADM.
Ranks and insignia as the US Navy’s own uniform regulations and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
Why “vice”
The Naval History and Heritage Command explains that vice is Latin for a deputy, one who acts in another’s place: the vice admiral was the admiral’s deputy. The US Navy’s first vice admiral was David Glasgow Farragut, appointed from among the rear admirals in 1864.
Read next
- Next in Navy ranksAdmiral (O-10)Admiral is the highest active-duty rank in the US Navy, pay grade O-10. On khakis the insignia is four silver stars.
- The same shape in Flags of partially recognised statesFlag of KosovoKosovo’s flag is dark blue with a gold map of Kosovo in the centre under an arc of six white five-pointed stars. Store norske leksikon says the stars stand for the country’s six largest peoples: Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorani, Roma and Bosniaks.
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, “Admiral”, Naval Traditions: Names of Rank, Officer, “Admiral”, Naval History and Heritage Command, paras. 2–3; para. 3
- 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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