Five - star rank - wikipedia Five - star rank The insignia used by US generals and admirals of OF - 10 rank. A five - star rank is a very senior military rank, first established in the United States in 1944, with a five - star insignia, and corresponding ranks in other countries. The rank is that of the most senior operational military commanders, and within NATO 's `` standard rank scale '' it is designated by the code OF - 10. Not all armed forces have such a rank, and in those that do the actual insignia of the `` five - star ranks '' may not contain five stars. For example : the insignia for the French OF - 10 rank maréchal de France contains 7 stars ; the insignia for the Portuguese marechal contains four gold stars ; and many of the insignia of the ranks in Commonwealth of Nations contain no stars at all. Typically, five - star officers hold the rank of general of the army, admiral of the fleet, field marshal, marshal of the air force, general of the air force, and several other similarly named ranks. Five - star ranks are extremely senior -- usually the highest ranks. As an active rank, the position exists only in a minority of countries and is usually held by only a very few officers during wartime. In times of peace, it is usually held only as an honorary rank. Despite the rarity and seniority of five - star officers, even more senior ranks have been adopted in the United States, namely, admiral of the navy and general of the armies. Other names for highly senior ranks from the twentieth century include généralissime ( France ), generalisimo ( Spain ) and generalissimus ( USSR ). Contents 1 Australian five - star ranks 2 Brazilian five - star ranks 3 Croatian five - star ranks 4 Indian five - star ranks 5 Indonesian five - star ranks 6 Italian five - star ranks 7 Pakistani five - star ranks 8 Polish five - star ranks 9 Spanish five - star ranks 10 Thai five - star ranks 11 UK five - star ranks 12 U.S. five - star ranks 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References Australian five - star ranks Admiral of the fleet Field marshal Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force Only one Australian born officer ( Sir Thomas Blamey ) has held a substantive Australian five - star rank ( field marshal ). HM King George VI and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh have held all three Australian five - star ranks in an honorary capacity, and have been the only holders of the Australian ranks of admiral of the fleet and marshal of the RAAF. Australian Army Field Marshal shoulder board RAN Admiral of the Fleet shoulder board Marshal of the RAAF sleeve / shoulder insignia Brazilian five - star ranks Five - star ranks in Brazil are only used in wartime. Marshal ( Brazil ) ( Marechal ) Grand Admiral ( Almirante ) Marshal of the Air ( Marechal - do - Ar ) Almirante Marechal Marechal - do - Ar Croatian five - star ranks Stožerni general ( lit. `` staff general '', usually translated as general of the army ) awarded to six men, none of whom are in active duty. Admiral flote ( admiral of the fleet ). The rank was called stožerni admiral ( lit. `` staff admiral '' ) until 1999 ; only Sveto Letica was awarded this rank -- in March 1996, three months before his retirement. Croatian Armed Forces ( stožerni general ) insignia Croatian Navy ( admiral flote ) insignia Indian five - star ranks Flag used on the official car of Marshal of the Air Force in India. It has five stars on it. Admiral of the fleet, never been held Field marshal, held by K.M. Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw Marshal of the Air Force, held by Arjan Singh Field marshal epaulette Marshal of the Indian Air Force shoulder insignia Marshal of the Indian Air Force sleeve insignia Around 1998, the Indian Air Force introduced gorget patches ( or collar tabs ) for its air officers. For marshals of the Indian Air Force, the patches display five stars. Indonesian five - star ranks The Indonesian five star ranks are : Jenderal besar ( grand general ) - only held by three people : Jenderal Besar Soedirman, Jenderal Besar Abdul Haris Nasution, Jenderal Besar Soeharto ( 2nd President of Indonesia ) Laksamana besar ( grand admiral ) - never awarded Marsekal besar ( grand marshal ) - never awarded Jenderal besar rank insignia Laksamana besar rank insignia Marsekal besar rank insignia Italian five - star ranks General of the Italian Army - shoulder board Admiral of the Italian Navy - sleeve General of the Italian Air Force - sleeve Pakistani five - star ranks Field marshal ( Pakistan Army five - star rank ), Ayub Khan The following ranks have never been awarded : Admiral of the fleet Marshal of the Pakistan Air Force Polish five - star ranks Marshal of Poland ( Marszałek Polski ) is a Polish Army five - star rank. There are today no living marshals of Poland, since this rank is bestowed only on military commanders who have achieved victory in war. Marshal of Poland cap insignia Marshal of Poland shoulder - strap insignia Spanish five - star ranks Captain general ( Army ) Captain general of the Navy Air captain general ( Air Force ) These ranks have been reserved for the reigning monarch. Capitán general ( `` Captain general '' ) shoulder board Capitán general de la Armada ( `` Captain general of the Navy '' ) shoulder board and sleeve Capitán general del Aire ( `` Air captain general '' ) shoulder board and sleeve Thai five - star ranks Chom Phon ( Thai : จอมพล ), Royal Thai Army Chom Phon Ruea ( Thai : จอมพล เรือ ), Royal Thai Navy Chom Phon Akat ( Thai : จอมพล อากาศ ), Royal Thai Air Force Chom Phon ( Field Marshal ) Chom Phon Ruea ( Admiral of the Fleet ) Chom Phon Akat ( Marshal of the Royal Thai Air Force ) The monarch of Thailand is appointed to the three ranks automatically upon accession as he is the constitutional Head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Since 1973 the three ranks have been reserved for members of the royal family. Uk five - star ranks The worn insignia of British five - star commanders do not contain stars ; the vehicle star plate, mounted on the front of a staff car, does display five stars. Admiral of the fleet ( awarded to 121 men to date ) Field marshal ( awarded to 140 men to date ) Marshal of the Royal Air Force ( awarded to 27 men to date ) Captain General Royal Marines ( awarded to Prince Henry of Wales ) Royal Navy admiral of the fleet shoulder board Royal Navy admiral of the fleet sleeve lace Field marshal and captain general Royal Marines epaulette Marshal of the RAF shoulder board Marshal of the RAF sleeve insignia Promotion to the ranks of admiral of the fleet and marshal of the Royal Air Force is now generally held in abeyance in peacetime with exceptions for special circumstances. Promotion to the rank of field marshal was generally stopped in 1995 as a cost - cutting measure but is still made in some cases. The most recent appointments to five - star ranks are the promotions in 2012 of The Prince of Wales to honorary five - star rank in all three services, and of former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank to the honorary rank of field marshal. In 2014 the former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Stirrup was promoted to the honorary rank of marshal of the RAF. During World War II and ( later ) serving NATO, a small number of British five - star commanders have held the additional title Supreme Allied Commander, given operational control over all air, land, and sea units led by the four - star commanders of multi-national forces. US five - star ranks Fleet admiral ( held by four officers ) General of the Army ( held by five officers ) General of the Air Force ( held by one officer ) Before the five - star ranks were established in 1944, two officers had previously been promoted from their four - star ranks to the superior and unique ranks of Admiral of the Navy and General of the Armies : Admiral George Dewey ( appointment 1903 retroactive to 1899, died 1917 ) and General John J. Pershing ( appointed 1919, died 1948 ). In 1944 the Navy and Army specified that these officers were considered senior to any officers promoted to the five - star ranks within their services ( but it was not clear if they were senior by rank or by seniority due to an earlier date of rank ). Five - star ranks were created in the US military during World War II because of the awkward situation created when some American senior commanders were placed in positions commanding allied officers of higher rank. US officers holding five - star rank never retire ; they draw full active duty pay for life. The five - star ranks were retired in 1981 on the death of General of the Army Omar Bradley. Nine Americans have been promoted to five - star rank, one of them, Henry H. Arnold, in two services ( US Army then later in the US Air Force ). As part of the bicentennial celebration, George Washington was, 177 years after his death, permanently made senior to all other US generals / admirals, with the title General of the Armies, effective on 4 July 1976. The appointment stated he was to have `` rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, past or present ''. During World War II and ( later ) serving NATO, a small number of American five - star commanders have also held the additional title of Supreme Allied Commander, given operational control over all air, land, and sea units led by the four - star commanders of multi-national forces. Fleet admiral collar device, sleeve stripes and shoulder board General of the Army shoulder strap General of the Air Force shoulder epaulet See also Ranks and insignia of NATO List of fleet and grand admirals List of field marshals List of marshals of the Air Force Design of US army insignia Heraldic origin of the use of five - pointed star Six - star rank Notes ^ Jump up to : The Australian insignia for admiral of the fleet, field marshal and marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force, depending on the era, are either identical to, or very similar to, the British insignia. Currently, Prince Philip is the only holder of these Australian ranks. Note that although the highest active New Zealand rank is three - star, ( there are no New Zealand four - star rank holders ), Prince Philip holds five - star ranks in the New Zealand Armed Forces. Jump up ^ With the exception of Thomas Blamey and the Englishman William Birdwood, who both held the rank of field marshal, all other holders of Australian five - star ranks have been ceremonial. Jump up ^ The following Americans have been promoted to five - star rank : Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy 15 December 1944 General of the Army George Marshall 16 December 1944 Fleet Admiral Ernest King 17 December 1944 General of the Army Douglas MacArthur 18 December 1944 Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz 19 December 1944 General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower 20 December 1944 General of the Army & Air Force Henry H. Arnold 21 December 1944 & 7 May 1949 Fleet Admiral William Halsey, Jr. 11 December 1945 General of the Army Omar Bradley 20 September 1950 General of the Armies George Washington 4 July 1976, with an effective appointment date of 4 July 1776 The timing of the first seven appointments was to establish both a clear order of seniority and a near - equivalence between the Army and Navy services. In 1949, Arnold was honored by being made the first, and to date only, general of the air force. He is the only American to serve in a five - star rank in two of its military services. By a Congressional Act of 24 March 1903, Admiral George Dewey 's rank was established as admiral of the navy, a rank which was specified to be senior to the four - star rank of admiral and was equal to admiral of the fleet in the British Royal Navy. Admiral Dewey was the only individual ever appointed to this rank, which lapsed with his death on 16 January 1917. Admiral of the navy was considered superior to fleet admiral during World War II. On 3 September 1919, John Pershing was promoted to the rank of general of the armies ( officially general of the armies of the United States ) in recognition of his service during World War I. He is the only person promoted to this rank during their lifetime. ^ a During the United States Bicentennial year, George Washington was posthumously appointed to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States by the congressional joint resolution Public Law 94 - 479 passed on 19 January 1976, with an effective appointment date of 4 July 1976 but having rank and precedence over all other grades of the Army, past or present. This restored Washington 's position as the most senior US military officer. Between the joint resolution concerning Washington 's rank, the fact that Omar Bradley was still alive, and thus still considered to be on active duty, and statements made and actions taken during and after World War II about the relationship between General of the Armies and General of the Army, it appears General of the Armies is superior in rank to General of the Army. References Jump up ^ Oxford English Dictionary ( OED ), 2nd Edition, 1989. `` five ''... `` five - star adj.,... ( b ) U.S., applied to a general or admiral whose badge of rank includes five stars ; '' Jump up ^ Indian Air Force : : Collar Tabs Archived 2009 - 12 - 30 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Dictionary of Vexillology, Rank Plate Archived 2014 - 12 - 16 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Heathcote, Tony ( 1999 ). The British Field Marshals, 1736 -- 1997 : A Biographical Dictionary. Barnsley : Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 85052 - 696 - 7. ^ Jump up to : `` Prince Charles awarded highest military ranks by Queen ''. BBC News. 15 June 2012. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Honorary Five Star Rank appointment ''. The British Monarchy. 16 June 2012. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` 2014 Birthday Honours for service personnel and defence civilians ''. Ministry of Defence. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014. ^ Jump up to : E. Kelly Taylor ( 2009 ). America 's Army and the Language of Grunts : Understanding the Army Lingo Legacy. AuthorHouse. p. 283. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4389 - 6249 - 8. Archived from the original on 2014 - 01 - 07. Jump up ^ Spencer C. Tucker ( 2011 ). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War : A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC - CLIO. pp. 1685. ISBN 978 - 1 - 85109 - 961 - 0. Archived from the original on 2015 - 04 - 07. Star officer grades General officer Flag officer Air officer By star ranks Six - star rank ( proposed ) Five - star rank Four - star rank Three - star rank Two - star rank One - star rank By titles Generalissimo Generalissimus of the Soviet Union Supreme Allied Commander Admiral of the Navy General of the Armies Generalfeldmarschall Field marshal Mareşal Marshal of the air force Marshal of the Russian Federation Marshal of the Soviet Union Mushir Caudillo Magister militum Spahbed Ispahsalar Beylerbey Constable of France Grand Domestic Dux bellorum Grand marshal Hetman Jenderal besar Reichsmarschall Sardar Serasker Strategos autokrator First marshal of the empire Dai - gensui Taewonsu Voivoda Wonsu Yuan Shuai Da yuan shuai Marshal of Yugoslavia Highest military ranks General officer Flag officer Air officer Imperator Marshal of Italy Generalissimo Generalissimus of the Soviet Union Supreme Allied Commander Admiral of the Navy General of the Armies General of the Air Force Generalfeldmarschall Mareşal Marshal of the air force Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Russian Federation Mushir Magister militum Spahbed Ispahsalar Beylerbey Bojni Vojvoda Chom Thap Thai Constable of France Domestic of the Schools Grand Domestic Shōgun Dux bellorum Grand marshal Hetman Jenderal besar Polemarch Reichsmarschall Federal General of Switzerland Sardar Serasker Autokrator First marshal of the empire Da yuan shuai Dai - gensui Taewonsu Yuan shuai Wonsu Marshal of Yugoslavia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Five-star_rank&oldid=822194967 '' Categories : Military ranks 5 star officers Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles containing Thai - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 24 January 2018, at 23 : 22. 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Question: when was the last time we had a 5 star general
Answer: 1981