General of the Army (United States)

Not to be confused with General of the Armies.

General of the Army
Rank flag of a General of the Army
Army service uniform shoulder strap with the rank of General of the Army
Country United States
Service branch United States Army
AbbreviationGA
Rank groupGeneral officer
RankFive-star
Pay gradeSpecial grade
FormationJuly 25, 1866
Next higher rankGeneral of the Armies
Next lower rankGeneral
Equivalent ranks
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General of the Army (abbreviated as GA)[1] is a five-star general officer rank in the United States Army. It is generally equivalent to the rank of Field Marshal in other countries. In the United States, a General of the Army ranks above generals and is equivalent to a fleet admiral and a general of the Air Force.[2] The General of the Army insignia consisted of five 3⁄8-inch (9.5 mm) stars in a pentagonal pattern, with touching points. The insignia was paired with the gold and enameled United States coat of arms on service coat shoulder loops. The silver colored five-star chain has major insignia alone would be worn for use as a collar insignia of grade and on the garrison cap. Soft shoulder epaulets with five 7⁄16-inch (11 mm) stars in silver thread and gold-threaded United States coat of arms on green cloth were worn with shirts and sweaters.

The rank of "General of the Army" (the highest rank in the army) has had two incarnations. The first was introduced in 1866, following the American Civil War. While it was nominally a four-star rank, structurally it had authority over the entire Army, it was reserved for the Commanding General of the United States Army, and was held by three different men in succession from 1866 to 1888: Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Philip Sheridan. When it was created by Congress for Grant, Grant had already reached the highest rank historically used in the United States, the three star lieutenant general.[3] The "General of the Army" rank was revived during World War II as the modern five-star rank. The rank does not imply command of the entire Army and may be awarded to more than one officer at a time. It has been held by five different men since 1944, four promoted to the rank in December 1944 (George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry H. Arnold), and one promoted in September 1950 (Omar Bradley).

A special rank of General of the Armies, which ranks above the second incarnation of General of the Army, exists but has been conferred only three times — to World War I's John J. Pershing in 1919, and posthumously to George Washington in 1976. In December 2022, the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 authorized Ulysses S. Grant to be posthumously promoted to the rank, 137 years after his death.[4][5] President Joe Biden signed the Act into federal law on December 23, 2022.

  1. ^ Army Command Policy (PDF). Department of the Army. 18 March 2008. p. 3, table 1-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2009.
  2. ^ Army Command Policy (PDF). Department of the Army. 18 March 2008. p. 5, table 1-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2009.
  3. ^ Stilwell, Blake (5 May 2022). "Why Ulysses S. Grant Might Be Getting a Promotion Soon". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  4. ^ "U.S. Army Five Star Generals – Frequently Asked Questions". history.army.mil. U.S. Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pub94-479 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).