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 officer s " and / or " Flag ranks " . In many navies it is referred to as a two - star rank . It originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy . Each Naval Squadron would be assigned an admiral as its head , who would command from the centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron . The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral , who commanded the lead ships which would bear the brunt of a naval battle . In the rear of the Naval Squadron , a third admiral would command the remaining ships and , as this section of the squadron was considered to be in the least danger , the admiral in command of the rear would typically be the most junior of the squadron admirals . This has survived into the modern age , with the rank of rear admiral the most - junior of the admiralty ranks of many navies . In some European navies ( e . g . , that of France ) , and in the Canadian Forces French rank translations , the rank of rear admiral is known as counter admiral . In the Royal Netherlands Navy , this rank is known as " schout - bij - nacht " , ( lit . : supervisor during night ) , denoting the role junior to the squadron admiral , and fleet admiral . Australia . The Royal Australian Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral ; refer to Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia . Since the mid 1990s , the insignia of a Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral is the crown of St Edward above a crossed sword and baton , above two silver stars , above the word " AUSTRALIA " . Note that unlike other Commonwealth countries , the sword is a traditional naval cutlass . The stars have eight points , unlike the four pointed Order of the Bath stars used by the army ( which are often referred to as " pips " ) . Prior to 1995 , the RAN shoulder board was identical to the UK shoulder board . ( The UK shoulder board changed in 2001 ) . Canada . In the Canadian Forces , the rank of rear - admiral ( RAdm ) ( " contre - amiral " or " cam " in French ) is the Navy rank equivalent to major - general of the Army and Air Force . A rear - admiral is a flag officer , the naval equivalent of a general officer . A rear - admiral is senior to a commodore and brigadier - general , and junior to a vice - admiral and lieutenant - general . The rank insignia for a rear - admiral is two gold maple leaves beneath crossed sword and baton , all surmounted by St Edward ' s Crown , worn on shoulder boards and slip - ons on uniforms other than the service dress tunic . The Service Dress features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff and , since June 2010 , above it a narrower strip of gold braid embellished with the executive curl . On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves . Rear - admirals are initially addressed by rank and name ; thereafter by subordinates as " Sir " or " Ma ' am " , as applicable . Rear - admirals are normally entitled to staff car s . Canadian Forces ranks and insignia India . Indian Navy also maintains a Rear Admiral post senior to Commodore and Captain posts and junior to Vice Admiral ( and Admiral ) posts . United Kingdom . The Royal Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral . Note that the rank of rear admiral is quite different from the honorary office Rear - Admiral of the United Kingdom . United States . In the United States since 1984 , there have been two ranks with the title of Rear Admiral : Rear Admiral ( Lower Half ) ( RDML ) , a one star rank ; and Rear Admiral ( Upper Half ) ( RADM ) , a 2 star rank . Prior to that , a combination of ranks were used - see the main article and Commodore ( United States ) for the history and evolution of these ranks . Vietnam . In Vietnam , the equivalent to Rear Admiral is the " Chuẩn Đô đốc " or " Đề đốc " , literally " master of the rowboat " .