General of the Air Force

Five-star General of the Air Force insignia

General of the Air Force (GAF)^[1] is a five-star general officer rank and is the highest possible rank in the United States Air Force. General of the Air Force ranks immediately above a general and is equivalent to General of the Army in the United States Army and Fleet Admiral in the United States Navy; there is no established equivalent five-star rank in the other four uniformed services. The General of the Air Force rank is reserved for war-time use only and the grade is not currently active.

History

General of the Air Force Henry "Hap" Arnold

Following the establishment of the United States Air Force in 1947, the Air Force rank of General of the Air Force was established as an equivalent to the Army rank of General of the Army. The insignia for General of the Army and General of the Air Force were originally the same. The insignia for General of the Air Force was slightly modified in the 1950s for wear on the new blue Air Force dress uniform. General of the Air Force, however, has never been worn by an officer of the modern Air Force on active duty.

The only person to hold the rank of General of the Air Force was Henry H. Arnold. Arnold was a General of the Army (promoted 21 December 1944) and became inactive (five star officers do not retire, but remain on active duty for life) while the Army Air Force (AAF) was a component of the U.S. Army. On 7 May 1949, he was awarded the rank of General of the Air Force, and was photographed in an Air Force uniform wearing the insignia of that rank.

During the Cold War, with the rise of the Strategic Air Command, it was proposed that General of the Air Force be reestablished and granted to General Curtis LeMay, with the rank continued for use and granted to such senior generals such as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and the commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). As a result, General of the Air Force can be seen on modern insignia charts and it is still considered an official rank of the United States Air Force.

All five star officers are, technically, unable to retire from active duty. This is more of a convention of honor than a practical matter, as five star officers continue to be paid full salary for life, unless (as Dwight D. Eisenhower did upon his election to the Presidency) they formally resign their commission. President Eisenhower's commission was retroactively reinstated back to 1944 by Pub.L. 87-3 on 23 March 1961, signed by President John F. Kennedy after President Eisenhower left office.

Equivalent Ranks

Shoulder strap of the General of the Air Force, featuring the US Coat of Arms

The Air Force's rank of General of the Air Force is equivalent to the U.S. Army's rank of General of the Army and the U.S. Navy's rank of Fleet Admiral.

The United States' rank of General of the Air Force is equivalent to the Air Force rank of Marshal of the Air Force in other countries.

References

See also

• List of United States four-star officers
• List of United States Air Force four-star generals
• List of United States military leaders by rank
• United States Air Force officer rank insignia

Sources

United States Air Force portal

• Service record of Henry Arnold, Military Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri
• Service record of Curtis Lemay, Military Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri

v • d • e United States commissioned officer and officer candidate ranks
	Officer candidate	O-1	O-2	O-3	O-4	O-5	O-6	O-7	O-8	O-9	O-10	Special	Special
Approximate insignia:	(no universal insignia)												(no authorized insignia)
Air Force:	CDT / OT	2d Lt	1st Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig Gen	Maj Gen	Lt Gen	Gen	GOAF[1][4]	[2]
Army:	CDT / OC	2LT	1LT	CPT	MAJ	LTC	COL	BG	MG	LTG	GEN	GA[1][4]	General of the Armies[1][4]
Marine Corps:	Midn / Cand	2ndLt	1stLt	Capt	Maj	LtCol	Col	BGen	MajGen	LtGen	Gen	[2]	[2]
Navy:	MIDN / OC	ENS	LTJG	LT	LCDR	CDR	CAPT	RDML	RADM	VADM	ADM	FADM[1][4]	Admiral of the Navy[1][4]
Coast Guard:	CDT	ENS	LTJG	LT	LCDR	CDR	CAPT	RDML	RADM	VADM	ADM	[2]	[2]
Public Health Service:	[2]	ENS	LTJG	LT	LCDR	CDR	CAPT	RADM	RADM	VADM	ADM	[2]	[2]
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:	[2]	ENS	LTJG	LT	LCDR	CDR	CAPT	RDML	RADM	VADM[1][4]	[3]	[2]	[2]
Grade inactive [1] Grade never created [2] Grade is authorized for use by U.S. Code but has not been created [3] Grade requires Congressional approval for re-activation [4]