General (United States)

Formally, the term "General" is always used when referring to a four-star general. However, a number of different terms may refer to them informally, since lower-ranking generals may also be referred to as simply "General". ==Statutory limits==

, United States Marine Corps, and United States Army participate in a Change of Command ceremony. The United States Code explicitly limits the total number of general officers (termed flag officers in the Navy and Coast Guard) that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty general officers is capped at 219 for the Army, 64 for the Marine Corps, 171 for the Air Force, 150 for the Navy, and 21 for the Space Force. No more than about 25% of a service's active duty general or flag officers may have more than two stars (for the Space Force, the ratio is instead one-third), and statute sets the total number of four-star officers allowed in each service. is a general under active duty in the Army or Air Force. There are several exceptions to these limits allowing more than allotted within the statute: • An officer serving as chairman or vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; • an officer serving as chief of the National Guard Bureau counts only against their service's four-star cap; • the commander of a Unified Combatant Command; • the commander of United States Forces Korea; • officers serving in four-star slots added by the president to one service which are offset by removing an equivalent number from other services. ==Appointment and tour length==

is sworn in as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Four-star grades go hand-in-hand with the positions of office to which they are linked, so the rank is temporary; the active rank of general can only be held for so long- though upon retirement, if satisfactory service requirements are met, the general or admiral is normally allowed to hold that rank in retirement, rather than reverting to a lower position, as was formerly the usual case. Their active rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute. The nominee must be confirmed by the United States Senate before the appointee can take office and assume the rank. General ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare. The standard tour for most general/flag officers is a two-year term with the possibility of being renominated for an additional term(s). The chairman and the vice chairman of the JCS, the service chiefs, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau, normally serve a single four-year term. Appointment of general/flag officers (3-star or above) is a temporary promotion lasting only for the duration of the job assignment. Upon retirement general/flag officers revert to their permanent two-star rank of major general or rear admiral unless they are nominated by the president to retire at a higher rank (which has become the normal practice in recent years.) Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits but these are rare, as they block other officers from being promoted. Some statutory limits can be waived in times of national emergency or war. File:Flag of a United States Army general.svg|Flag of a general in the United States Army. File:Flag of a United States Chaplain general.svg|Flag of a Chaplain's Corps general in the United States Army. (There has never been a chaplain who ranked higher than a major general) File:Flag of a United States Army Medical Department general.svg|Flag of a general in the United States Army Medical Department. (The highest-ranking Army surgeon general has been a LTG) File:Flag of a United States Marine Corps general.svg|Flag of a general in the United States Marine Corps. File:Flag of a United States Air Force general.svg|Flag of a general in the United States Air Force. File:Flag of a United States Space Force general.svg|Flag of a general in the United States Space Force. ==Retirement==

Other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement. A general must retire after 40 years of service unless they are reappointed to serve longer. Otherwise all general officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. However, the secretary of defense can defer a general's retirement until the officer's 66th birthday ==See also==