Lieutenant-General - Definition and Overview

A Lieutenant General ranks immediately below a General and above a Major General.

In three branches of the United States military—the Army, Marines and Air Force—a Lieutenant General is a "three-star general," named for the three stars worn on the uniform. In the British Army a Lieutenant General wears a pip over a crossed sword and baton.

A Lieutenant General is equivalent to a Vice Admiral in both the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy. Its equivalent rank in the Royal Air Force and air forces of many Commonwealth countries is Air Marshal.

The Bundeswehr (military of Germany) refers to the rank of Lieutenant General as Generalleutnant. In the modern age, the rank is considered a three-star equivalent, but in World War II it was more equal to a Major General.

The military of France begins the general ranks with two stars; thus, the French equivalent is a four-star general, which is called Général de corps d'armée ("general of army corps").

See also

• Comparative military ranks

British commissioned officer ranks
	Student Officer	OF(D)	OF-1	OF-2	OF-3	OF-4	OF-5	OF-6	OF-7	OF-8	OF-9	OF-10
Royal Navy:	OCdt	Mid	SLt	Lt	Lt Cdr	Cdr	Capt	Cdre	RAdm	VAdm	Adm	Admiral of the Fleet
Royal Marines:	OCdt		2Lt - Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj Gen	Lt Gen	Gen
Army:	OCdt	OD	2Lt - Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig	Maj Gen	Lt Gen	Gen	Field Marshal
Royal Air Force:	OCdt	OD	PO - FO	Flt Lt	Sqn Ldr	Wg Cdr	Gp Capt	ACdre	AVM	AM	ACM	MRAF