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There are currently 41 active-duty four-star officers in the uniformed services of the United States: 11 in the Army, three in the Marine Corps, nine in the Navy, 14 in the Air Force, three in the Space Force, one in the Coast Guard, and none in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Of the eight federal uniformed services, the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps is the only service that does not have an established four-star position.
| Position insignia | Position | Photo | Incumbent | Service branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) |  |
General Charles Q. Brown Jr.[1] |
 U.S. Air Force |
 |
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS) | .jpg) |
Admiral Christopher W. Grady[2] |
 U.S. Navy |
| Position insignia | Position | Photo | Incumbent | Service branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Guard | ||||
 |
Chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) |  |
General Steven S. Nordhaus[15][16] |
U.S. Air Force |
 |
Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau (VCNGB) |  |
Vacant[a] | |
| Sub-unified commands | ||||
   |
Korea Commander, United Nations Command (UNC), Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) |
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General Xavier T. Brunson[17] |
 U.S. Army |
| Position insignia | Position | Photo | Incumbent | Service branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters Marine Corps | ||||
 |
Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) |  |
General Eric M. Smith[27] |
 U.S. Marine Corps |
 |
Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC) | .jpg) |
General Christopher J. Mahoney[28] |
U.S. Marine Corps |
| Position insignia | Position | Photo | Incumbent | Service branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Chief of Space Operations | ||||
 |
Chief of Space Operations (CSO) |  |
General B. Chance Saltzman[47] |
 U.S. Space Force |
 |
Vice Chief of Space Operations (VCSO) |  |
General Michael A. Guetlein[48] |
U.S. Space Force |
| Position insignia | Position | Photo | Incumbent | Service branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Commandant | ||||
 |
Commandant of the Coast Guard | .jpg) |
Admiral Kevin E. Lunday[49] Acting[50] |
 U.S. Coast Guard |
 |
Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard | |||
| Position insignia | Position | Photo | Incumbent | Service branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health | ||||
 |
Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH)[d] | |
Vacant |  U.S. Public Health Service |
The U.S. Code explicitly limits the total number of four-star officers that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active-duty general or flag officers is capped at 219 for the Army, 150 for the Navy, 171 for the Air Force, 64 for the Marine Corps, and 21 for the Space Force.[51] For the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force, no more than 28%[e] of each service's active-duty general or flag officers may have more than two stars,[52] and statute sets the total number of four-star officers allowed in each service.[52] This is set at eight four-star Army generals,[52] six four-star Navy admirals,[52] nine four-star Air Force generals,[52] two four-star Marine generals,[52] two four-star Space Force generals,[52] and two four-star Coast Guard admirals.[53]
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Several of these slots are reserved by statute. For the Army and the Air Force, the chief of staff[54][55] and the vice chief of staff[56][57] for both services are all four-star generals. For the Navy, the chief[58] and vice chief of naval operations[59] are both four-star admirals. For the Marine Corps, the commandant[60] and the assistant commandant[61] are both four-star generals. For the Space Force, the chief of space operations is a four-star general.[62][f] For the Coast Guard, the commandant[63] and the vice commandant[64] are both four-star admirals. And for the National Guard, the chief[65] and vice chief of the National Guard Bureau[66][67][68] are four-star generals under reserve active duty in the Army or Air Force. And for the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the assistant secretary for health[69] is a four-star admiral if they hold an active-duty appointment to the regular corps.
There are several exceptions to the limits allowing more than allotted four-star officers within the statute. Four-star officers serving as chairman[70] or vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff[70] do not count against their service's general- or flag-officer cap, likewise for joint positions such as the unified combatant commanders,[71] the commander of U.S. Forces Korea,[71] and the chief[72] and vice chief of the National Guard Bureau.[66][68] Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are also not counted against statutory limits, including the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.[73] The president can also appoint up to five additional four-star officers in any one service in excess of that service's four-star limit, as long as they are offset by reducing an equivalent number of four-stars from other services.[52] Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at the president's discretion during time of war or national emergency.[74]
Four-star rank and grade are temporary in nature; officers may only achieve four stars if they are appointed to positions that require or allow the officer to hold the rank.[75] Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute.[75] Four-star officers are nominated for appointment by the president from any eligible officers holding a one-star rank or above, who also meets the other requirements for the position, under the advice or suggestion of their respective executive department secretary, service secretary, and if applicable the Joint Chiefs.[75] The nominee must be confirmed via majority by the Senate before they can take office and thus assume the rank.[75] The Senate, normally in committee,[g] may hold hearings to consider any nominee for appointment or reappointment to four-star rank,[76] but usually only convene for nominations of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, vice chairman, service chiefs,[h] the chief of the National Guard Bureau, unified combatant commanders, and the commander of U.S. Forces Korea.
It is extremely unusual for a four-star nominee to draw even token opposition in a Senate vote, either in committee or on the floor, because the administration usually withdraws or declines to submit nominations that draw controversy before or during the confirmation process.
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When a doomed nomination is not withdrawn, the Senate typically does not hold a vote to reject the candidate, but instead allows the nomination to expire without action at the end of the legislative session.
Additionally, events that take place after confirmation may still delay or even prevent the nominee from assuming office, necessitating that another nominee be selected and considered by the Senate.
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Any billet in the armed forces may be designated as a position of importance requiring the position holder to be of three-star or four-star rank.[75] One-star and two-star billets may be elevated to three-star or four-star level as appropriate, either by act of Congress, or within statutory limits by the services at their discretion. Congress may propose such elevations or reductions to the president and Department of Defense.[98]
An officer leading a command or office elevated to four-star rank can be promoted while in their present position, reassigned to another office of equal rank, or retire if another nominee is selected as their replacement.
A lower level billet may be elevated to four-stars to highlight importance to the overall defense apparatus or to achieve parity with equivalent commands in the same area of responsibility or service branch.
The standard tour length for most four-star positions is three years, bundled as a two-year term plus a one-year extension, with the following exceptions:
All appointees serve at the pleasure of the president. Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the secretary of defense, the president, and/or Congress but these are rare, as they block other officers from being promoted. Some statutory limits of tour length under the U.S. Code can be waived in times of national emergency or war.[114][115] Four-star ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare.
Other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement. Regular four-star officers must retire after 40 years of active commissioned service unless reappointed to rank to serve longer.[117] Reserve four-star officers must retire after five years in rank or 40 years of commissioned service, whichever is later, unless reappointed to rank to serve longer.[118] Otherwise all general and flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday.[119] However, the secretary of defense can defer a four-star officer's retirement until the officer's 66th birthday[119] and the president can defer it until the officer's 68th birthday.[119] Officers that served several years in the enlisted ranks prior to receiving their commission typically don't make it to the 40 years of commissioned service mark, because they are still subject to the age restrictions for retirement.
Senior officers typically retire well in advance of the statutory age and service limits, so as not to impede the upward career mobility of their juniors. Since there are a finite number of four-star slots available to each service, typically one officer must leave office before another can be promoted.[120] Once an officer vacates a position bearing that rank, they have no more than 60 days to be appointed or reappointed to a position of equal or greater importance before they are expected to retire.[75] Historically, officers leaving four-star positions were allowed to revert to their permanent two-star ranks to mark time in lesser jobs until statutory retirement, but now such officers are expected to retire immediately to avoid obstructing the promotion flow.
To retire at four-star rank, or pay grade of rank, an officer must accumulate at least three years of satisfactory active-duty service in that rank, as determined by the secretary of defense.[121] The president and Congress must also receive certification by the secretary of defense that the retiree served satisfactorily in rank.[121] The secretary of defense may reduce this requirement to two years, and the president may waive this requirement altogether, but only if the officer is not being investigated for misconduct.[121][122] Four-star officers who do not meet the service-in-rank requirement will revert to the next highest rank in which they served satisfactorily for at least six months which is normally the three-star rank.[121] Since three-star ranks are also temporary, if the retiree is also not certified by the secretary of defense or the president to retire as a three-star, the retiree will retire at the last permanent rank he or she satisfactorily held for six months.[121] The retiree may also be subject to congressional approval by the Senate before the retiree can retire in grade. It is rare for a four-star officer not to be certified to retire in grade or for the Senate to seek final approval.
Four-star officers who are under investigation for misconduct typically are not allowed to retire until the investigation completes, so that the Secretary of Defense can decide whether to certify that their performance was satisfactory enough to retire in their highest rank.[121][131]
Furthermore, retired four-star officers may still be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and disciplinary action, including reduction in retirement rank, by the secretary of defense or the president if they are deemed to have served unsatisfactorily in rank, post-retirement.[135]
Four-star officers typically step down from their posts up to 60 days in advance of their official retirement dates. Officers retire on the first day of the month, so once a retirement month has been selected, the relief and retirement ceremonies are scheduled by counting backwards from that date by the number of days of accumulated leave remaining to the retiring officer. During this period, termed transition leave or terminal leave, the officer is considered to be awaiting retirement but still on active duty.
A statutory limit can be waived by the president with the consent of Congress if it serves national interest. However, this is extremely rare.
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