Major general - Definition and Overview

Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General

Major General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derieved from the older rank of "Sergeant Major General". A major general is a high-ranking officer subordinate to a full General.

In the United States Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, a Major General ranks immediately below a Lieutenant General and above a Brigadier General. An American Major General is also called a two-star general because of his insignia. A Major General is equivalent to a Rear Admiral (upper half) in the US Navy.

In the British Army the Major General ranks below Lieutenant General and above Brigadier. For insignia in the British Army see General.The Major General is equivalent to Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy. Its equivalent rank in the Royal Air Force and airforces of many Commonwealth countries is Air Vice Marshal

In the Israeli Defence Forces a Major General is called Aluf and it is the second highest rank. It is outranked by Rav Aluf (Lieutenant General or General).

The modern day military of Germany also uses the rank of Major General, referred to as Generalmajor. The rank is a successor to the Second World War title when it was the first of the German General ranks. In the modern age a German Major General ranks above a Brigadegeneral.

In fiction, the best-known Major General is Major General Stanley, the "modern major general" from Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 operetta, The Pirates of Penzance. Stanley satirizes the aristocratic, learned officers in the British army of the day. He sings the immortal "Major General's Song."

See also

• Comparative military ranks
• U.S. Army officer rank insignia
• British Army officer rank insignia

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