Fleet admiral ( United States ) Fleet admiral of the United States Navy , or more commonly referred to as fleet admiral ( FADM ) , is a five - star flag officer rank , and it is considered to be the highest possible rank attainable in the United States Navy . Fleet admiral ranks immediately above admiral and is equivalent to general of the army and general of the Air Force . The fleet admiral rank is reserved for wartime use only and the grade is not currently active . A special grade of admiral of the Navy , which ranks above fleet admiral , was once conferred to Admiral George Dewey following the Spanish – American War ( 1898 ) in 1903 , but it ceased to exist after his death on 16 January 1917 . The insignia for a fleet admiral is composed of five silver stars in a pentagon al design . Worn on the service dress uniform sleeve is a two - inch rank stripe , then four half inch stripes , and then a single five - pointed star , point down . In keeping with a tradition dating back to the 18th - century Royal Navy , a fleet admiral is entitled to full admiral ' s pay and fringe benefits , including a small staff , for the remainder of his life . Fleet admirals of the United States . The United States rank of fleet admiral was created by an Act of Congress on a temporary basis under Pub . L . on December 14 , 1944 , and made permanent by on March 23 , 1946 . It was held during and after World War II by the following officers : The timing of the first three appointments was carefully planned , such that a clear order of seniority and a near - equivalence between the services was established for the generals of the army promoted at the same time . A close contender to receive the rank of fleet admiral was Admiral Raymond A . Spruance . However , U . S . Representative Carl Vinson , a strong supporter of Admiral Halsey , reportedly blocked the final promotion of Spruance to fleet admiral on several occasions . However , Congress then responded by passing an Act of Congress , unprecedented for an individual , that stated that Admiral Spruance would receive a full four - star admiral ' s salary during the rest of his lifetime . Since 1945 , there have been no additional fleet admirals appointed for the U . S . Navy . However , the rank of fleet admiral still remains listed on official rank insignia precedence charts , and if needed , this rank could be re - established at the discretion of Congress and the President . Some documents , especially those teaching new sailors the officer ' s rank structure , have incorrectly stated that the rank officially expired upon the death of Fleet Admiral Nimitz in 1966 . U . S . Naval tradition holds that the rank admiral of the navy is considered senior to that of fleet admiral . The only person ever to hold the rank of admiral of the navy was George Dewey . Dewey was awarded this rank in 1903 to commemorate his service in the Spanish – American War . All five - star officers are unable to retire from active duty . This is more of a convention of honor than a practical matter , since five - star officers continue to be paid full salary and benefits for life , unless ( as Dwight D . Eisenhower did upon his election to the office of President of the United States ) they formally resign their commission . President Eisenhower ' s commission was reinstated back to 1944 by an Act of Congress signed by President John F . Kennedy immediately following Eisenhower ' s leaving office in January 1961 .