Vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank , which is equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal . A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral . In many navies , vice admiral is a three - star rank with a NATO Code of OF - 8 , although in some navies like the French Navy it is an OF - 7 rank , the OF - 8 code corresponding to the four - star rank of squadron vice - admiral . Rank Insignia . The rank insignia for a vice admiral usually involves three stars , but this is not always the case . In the navy of Iraq , vice admiral insignia involves one star . In the navies of Azerbaijan , Bangladesh , China , Cuba , Iran , Mexico , North Korea , and Russia , vice admiral insignia involves two stars , and in the navy of Turkey , vice admiral insignia involves four stars . Australia . In the Royal Australian Navy , the rank of vice admiral is held by the Chief of Navy and , when the positions are held by navy officers , by the Vice Chief of the Defence Force , the Chief of Joint Operations , and / or the Chief of Capability Development Group . Vice admiral is the equivalent of air marshal in the Royal Australian Air Force and lieutenant general in the Australian Army . Canada . In the Royal Canadian Navy , the rank of vice - admiral ( VAdm ) ( " vice - amiral " or " Vam " in French ) is equivalent to lieutenant - general of the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force . A vice - admiral is a flag officer , the naval equivalent of a general officer . A vice - admiral is senior to a rear - admiral and major general , and junior to an admiral and general . The rank insignia of a Canadian vice - admiral is as follows : Two rows of gold oak leaves are located on the black visor of the white service cap . From 1968 to June 2010 , the winter service dress tunic featured only a wide gold braid around the cuff with three gold maple leaves , beneath crossed sword and baton , all surmounted by a St . Edward ' s Crown located on cloth shoulder straps . Vice - admirals are addressed by rank and name ; thereafter by subordinates as " Sir " or " Ma ' am " . Vice - admirals are normally entitled to a staff car ; the car will normally bear a flag , dark blue with three gold maple leaves arranged one over two . A vice - admiral generally holds only the most senior command or administrative appointments , barring only Chief of Defence Staff , which is held by a full admiral or general . Appointments held by vice - admirals may include : Charles , Prince of Wales holds the honorary rank of vice admiral in the Royal Canadian Navy . France . In France , " vice - amiral " is the most senior of the ranks in the French Navy ; higher ranks , " vice - amiral d ' escadre " and " amiral " , are permanent functions , style and position ( in French " rang et appellation " ) given to a " vice - amiral " - ranking officer . The " vice - amiral " rank used to be an OF - 8 rank in NATO charts , but nowadays , it is more an OF - 7 rank . The rank of " vice - amiral d ' escadre " ( literally , " squadron vice - admiral " , with more precision , " fleet vice - admiral " ) equals a NATO OF - 8 rank . In the " ancien régime " Navy , between 1669 and 1791 . The office of " Vice - Admiral of France " ( " Vice - amiral de France " ) was the highest rank , the supreme office of " Admiral of France " being purely ceremonial . Distincts offices were : India . In India , vice admiral is a three star admiral . Italy . In Italy , the equivalent to vice admiral is the " ammiraglio di squadra " . Philippines . In Philippines , the rank vice admiral is the highest - ranking official of the Philippine Navy . He is recognized as the flag officer in - charge of the Navy . The rank vice - admiral in the Philippines , has the same ranking in the U . S Navy . United Kingdom . In the Royal Navy the rank of vice - admiral should be distinguished from the office of " Vice - Admiral of the United Kingdom " , which is an Admiralty position usually held by a retired " full " admiral , and that of " Vice - Admiral of the Coast " , a now obsolete office dealing with naval administration in each of the maritime counties . Vietnam . In Vietnam , the equivalent to vice admiral is the " phó đô đốc " .