Rear admiral (United States)
Encyclopedia
Rear admiral
is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral
. The uniformed services of the United States
are unique in having two grades of rear admiral
s.
, the United States Coast Guard
, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, rear admiral (lower half) (RDML) is a one-star flag officer
, with the pay grade of O-7. Rear admiral (lower half) ranks above captain and below rear admiral. Rear admiral (lower half) is equivalent to the rank of brigadier general
in the other uniformed services
, and equivalent to the rank of commodore
in most other navies. In the United States uniformed services, rear admiral (lower half) replaced the rank of commodore
in 1985.
, the United States Coast Guard
, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps and the United States Maritime Service
, rear admiral (RADM), also referred to as rear admiral (upper half), is a two-star flag officer, with the pay grade of O-8. Rear admiral ranks above rear admiral (lower half) and below vice admiral
. Rear admiral is equivalent to the rank of major general
in the other uniformed services
. It is the highest permanent rank during peacetime in the uniformed services; all higher ranks are temporary ranks linked to specific positions (although virtually all officers who are promoted to three-star rank or higher are approved to retire at their highest earned rank).
. After only 11 months, the rank was reverted to just commodore but kept the one-star insignia. Then in 1985, renamed commodore to the current grade of rear admiral (lower half). Up until 1981, all rear admirals wore two stars on their shoulder bars and rank insignia. Since then, rear admirals (lower half) wear one star while rear admirals wear two; verbal address remains "rear admiral" for both ranks. On correspondence, where the rear admiral's rank is spelled out, an (LH) and (UH) follows the rear admiral's rank title to distinguish between one and two stars.
The Navy, Coast Guard, and NOAA Corps use the rank abbreviations RDML (one star) and RADM (two stars), while the Public Health Service use the abbreviation RADM for both. The flags flown for rear admirals of the unrestricted line have one or two white, single-point-up stars on blue fields for the lower half or upper half, respectively. The flags of restricted line officers and staff corps officers have blue stars on a white field. and officially lists the two-star grade as rear admiral and not rear admiral (upper half). However, the four uniformed services tend to list the rank as rear admiral (upper half) to help the general public distinguish between the two grades.
does use the rank of rear admiral (upper half) and rear admiral (lower half). By law, the Service has the same rank structure of the United States Coast Guard
, but its uniforms are more similar to the United States Navy
.
, through the defense secretary for consideration. The president nominates officers to be promoted from this list with the advice of the Secretary of Defense
, the service secretary, and if applicable, the service's chief of staff or commandant. The President may nominate any eligible officer who is not on the recommended list if it serves in the interest of the nation, but this is uncommon. The Senate
must then confirm the nominee by a majority vote before the officer can be promoted. Once confirmed, a nominee is promoted once he or she assumes an office that requires or allows an officer to hold that rank. For positions of office that are reserved by statute, the President nominates an officer for appointment to fill that position. For the Navy and the Coast Guard, because the one-star and two-star grades are permanent ranks, the nominee may still be screened by an in-service promotion board to add their input on the nominee before the nomination can be sent to the Senate for approval; for the two commissioned corps, they normally go directly to the Senate. The standard tour length for most rear admiral positions is three years, but some are set at four or more years by statute. Since both grades of rear admiral are permanent, the ranks do not expire when the officer vacates a one-star or two-star position.
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
. The uniformed services of the United States
Uniformed services of the United States
The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 33 and Title 42 of the United States Code.-Uniformed services:...
are unique in having two grades of rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
s.
Rear admiral (lower half)
In the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, rear admiral (lower half) (RDML) is a one-star flag officer
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
, with the pay grade of O-7. Rear admiral (lower half) ranks above captain and below rear admiral. Rear admiral (lower half) is equivalent to the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in the other uniformed services
Uniformed services of the United States
The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 33 and Title 42 of the United States Code.-Uniformed services:...
, and equivalent to the rank of commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
in most other navies. In the United States uniformed services, rear admiral (lower half) replaced the rank of commodore
Commodore Admiral
Commodore Admiral was a short lived military rank of the United States Navy that existed for less than 11 months during the year 1982. The rank of Commodore Admiral was established as the Navy's one-star admiral rank after nearly forty years of all Navy captains receiving promotion directly to the...
in 1985.
Rear admiral
In the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps and the United States Maritime Service
United States Maritime Service
The United States Maritime Service, abbreviated as USMS, was established in 1938 under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. The mission of the organization is to train people to become officers and crewmembers on merchant ships that form the United States Merchant Marine...
, rear admiral (RADM), also referred to as rear admiral (upper half), is a two-star flag officer, with the pay grade of O-8. Rear admiral ranks above rear admiral (lower half) and below vice admiral
Vice admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the United States Maritime Service, vice admiral is a three-star flag officer, with the pay grade of...
. Rear admiral is equivalent to the rank of major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
in the other uniformed services
Uniformed services of the United States
The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 33 and Title 42 of the United States Code.-Uniformed services:...
. It is the highest permanent rank during peacetime in the uniformed services; all higher ranks are temporary ranks linked to specific positions (although virtually all officers who are promoted to three-star rank or higher are approved to retire at their highest earned rank).
History
In 1981, expanded commodore from a title to an official permanent grade by creating the one-star rank of commodore admiralCommodore Admiral
Commodore Admiral was a short lived military rank of the United States Navy that existed for less than 11 months during the year 1982. The rank of Commodore Admiral was established as the Navy's one-star admiral rank after nearly forty years of all Navy captains receiving promotion directly to the...
. After only 11 months, the rank was reverted to just commodore but kept the one-star insignia. Then in 1985, renamed commodore to the current grade of rear admiral (lower half). Up until 1981, all rear admirals wore two stars on their shoulder bars and rank insignia. Since then, rear admirals (lower half) wear one star while rear admirals wear two; verbal address remains "rear admiral" for both ranks. On correspondence, where the rear admiral's rank is spelled out, an (LH) and (UH) follows the rear admiral's rank title to distinguish between one and two stars.
The Navy, Coast Guard, and NOAA Corps use the rank abbreviations RDML (one star) and RADM (two stars), while the Public Health Service use the abbreviation RADM for both. The flags flown for rear admirals of the unrestricted line have one or two white, single-point-up stars on blue fields for the lower half or upper half, respectively. The flags of restricted line officers and staff corps officers have blue stars on a white field. and officially lists the two-star grade as rear admiral and not rear admiral (upper half). However, the four uniformed services tend to list the rank as rear admiral (upper half) to help the general public distinguish between the two grades.
United States Maritime Service
Although it exists largely as a maritime training organization, the United States Maritime ServiceUnited States Maritime Service
The United States Maritime Service, abbreviated as USMS, was established in 1938 under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. The mission of the organization is to train people to become officers and crewmembers on merchant ships that form the United States Merchant Marine...
does use the rank of rear admiral (upper half) and rear admiral (lower half). By law, the Service has the same rank structure of the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, but its uniforms are more similar to the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Statutory limits
U.S. Code of law explicitly limits the total number of flag officers that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty flag officers is capped at 160 for the Navy. Some of these slots are reserved or set by statute. For example the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy is a two-star rear admiral in the Navy. In the Coast Guard, the Chief Medical Officer is also two-star rear admiral In the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, at least half of the Assistant Surgeons General are one-star rear admirals and no more than half are two-star rear admirals. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against the statutory limit.Promotion, appointment, and tour length
For the Navy and the Coast Guard, to be promoted to the permanent grade of rear admiral (lower half) or rear admiral, officers who are eligible for promotion to these ranks are screened by an in-service promotion board comprising other flag officers from their branch of service. This promotion board then generates a list of officers it recommends for promotion to flag rank. This list is then sent to the service secretary and the joint chiefs for review before it can be sent to the PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, through the defense secretary for consideration. The president nominates officers to be promoted from this list with the advice of the Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
, the service secretary, and if applicable, the service's chief of staff or commandant. The President may nominate any eligible officer who is not on the recommended list if it serves in the interest of the nation, but this is uncommon. The Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
must then confirm the nominee by a majority vote before the officer can be promoted. Once confirmed, a nominee is promoted once he or she assumes an office that requires or allows an officer to hold that rank. For positions of office that are reserved by statute, the President nominates an officer for appointment to fill that position. For the Navy and the Coast Guard, because the one-star and two-star grades are permanent ranks, the nominee may still be screened by an in-service promotion board to add their input on the nominee before the nomination can be sent to the Senate for approval; for the two commissioned corps, they normally go directly to the Senate. The standard tour length for most rear admiral positions is three years, but some are set at four or more years by statute. Since both grades of rear admiral are permanent, the ranks do not expire when the officer vacates a one-star or two-star position.