List of active duty United States three-star officers

===Department of Defense=== ====Joint Staff==== ====Unified combatant commands==== Other joint positions ===Department of the Army=== ====United States Army==== ===Department of the Navy=== ====United States Marine Corps==== ====United States Navy==== ===Department of the Air Force=== ====United States Air Force==== ====United States Space Force==== ===Department of Homeland Security=== ====United States Coast Guard==== ===Department of Health and Human Services=== ====United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps==== ==List of pending appointments==

on 29 June 1984. As with four-star officers, the U.S. Code explicitly limits the number of three-star officers that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active-duty general or flag officers is capped at 219 for the Army, 150 for the Navy, 171 for the Air Force, 64 for the Marine Corps, and 21 for the Space Force. Statute also sets the total number of three-star officers allowed in these services, which equates to about 23% of each service's total active-duty general or flag officer pool. The number is set at 46 three-star Army generals, , director of the Joint Staff, updates the media on Operation Odyssey Dawn from the Pentagon on 24 March 2011. While a number of these positions are set by statute, most do not have the accompanying statutory three-star rank. By convention, however: • For the Army, lieutenant generals include corps and field army commanders, deputy and assistant chiefs of staff of the Army staff, deputies of Army four-star commands, commanders of high-level geographic or component commands, the chief of Army reserve, as well as high-level specialty positions including the inspector general and surgeon general. • For the Navy, vice admirals include numbered fleet commanders, deputy chiefs of naval operations, deputies of Navy four-star commands, commanders of high-level geographic and component commands, • For the Air Force, lieutenant generals include commanders of large numbered air forces or major commands, deputy and assistant chiefs of staff of the Air staff, deputies of four-star major commands, the chief of Air Force Reserve, as well as the specialty positions of the inspector general and surgeon general. • For the Marine Corps, lieutenant generals include commanders of high-level geographic and functional Marine commands including the marine expeditionary forces, deputy commandants attached to Headquarters Marine Corps and commander of the Marine Forces Reserve. • For the Space Force, lieutenant generals include the deputy chiefs of staff of the Space Staff and commanders of high-level field commands. • For the Coast Guard, vice admirals include the deputy commandants for operations and mission support, By statute, there may not be more than five three-star positions in the Coast Guard • Although the rank of vice admiral exists in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), its use is rare. Only three officers of the NOAA Corps or its ancestor organizations have reached the rank of vice admiral. has his third star pinned on by his family at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, 21 October 2020. The president may also designate positions of importance and responsibility to other agencies in the executive branch aside from the Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be held by an officer with the rank of vice admiral, with corresponding pay and allowance. For three-star officers, these include senior positions on the Joint Staff such as the director of the Joint Staff and deputy commanders of unified combatant commands. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against statutory limits, including the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, The president can appoint additional three-star officers in any one service, in excess of that service's three-star limit, as long as they are offset by reducing an equivalent number of three-stars from other services. ==Appointment==

addresses guests after becoming director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on 24 July 2012. Like with four-stars, three-star grade of ranks are temporary in nature; officers may only achieve three stars if they are appointed to positions that require or allow the officer to hold the rank. Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is normally set by statute. • For example, the nomination of Major General Ryan F. Gonsalves to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as commanding general of U.S. Army Europe in 2017 was withdrawn, after an investigation was launched into the general's inappropriate comment to a female congressional staffer. was not confirmed to be director of the Defense Information Systems Agency in 2008 • Rear Admiral Elizabeth L. Train was once the leading candidate to be director of naval intelligence in 2015, due to controversy related to the Fat Leonard corruption scandal. • The president withdrew the nomination of Lieutenant General Susan J. Helms to become vice commander of Air Force Space Command in 2013 after eight months of inaction in the Senate, owing to concerns about her overturning the ruling in a sexual assault case under her command. • Lieutenant General Mary A. Legere was widely considered a leading candidate to succeed Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, but her name was removed from consideration, following congressional backlash over her involvement in several controversial Army intelligence projects. • Major General Raphael J. Hallada was withdrawn from consideration to become commanding general of Fifth Army in 1991, in connection to his decision not to prosecute two soldiers responsible for an artillery accident at his command of Fort Sill. • Major General Joseph J. Taluto withdrew himself from consideration to become director of the Army National Guard in 2010, due to public controversy and subsequent Senate inaction over his handling of the deaths of Phillip Esposito and Louis Allen. • And Rear Admiral Elizabeth A. Hight's nomination to be director of the Defense Information Systems Agency in 2008 was withdrawn, due to concerns about a possible conflict of interest with her husband, a retired Air Force general who was employed by a prominent defense contractor. (right) poses with Coast Guard Rear Adm. Daniel Abel (left) in front of USCGC Elderberry on 27 October 2014. Nominations that are not withdrawn are allowed to expire without action at the end of the legislative session, with said nominations being returned to the president. • For example, the Senate declined to schedule a vote for Major General Charles M. Gurganus to the rank of lieutenant general in 2013, and assigned as director of the Marine Corps staff, due to concerns of negligence leading to the September 2012 Camp Bastion raid. • The nomination of Rear Admiral Thomas P. Ostebo to be the Coast Guard's deputy commandant for mission support in 2014 was returned to the president, as it was procedurally delayed by a senator who opposed the closure of two Coast Guard facilities in response to sequestration cuts. Additionally, events that occur after Senate confirmation may delay or even prevent the nominee from assuming office, necessitating that another nominee be selected and considered by the Senate. • For example, Major General John G. Rossi, who had been confirmed to the rank of lieutenant general, and assignment as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in April 2016 committed suicide two days before he was to assume command. Lieutenant General David L. Mann, the incumbent commander who was scheduled to retire, remained in command beyond customary term limits until another nominee, Major General James H. Dickinson was confirmed by the Senate. • Vice Admiral Scott A. Stearney assumed command of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, Fifth Fleet, and Combined Maritime Forces in May 2018. His death in December 2018 resulted in the speedy confirmation of Rear Admiral James J. Malloy in the same month for elevation to the rank of vice admiral as his replacement. ==Command elevation and reduction==

became the first three-star judge advocate general in any service, following passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. (center) with living former chiefs of the Army Reserve on 13 June 2001. Any billet in the armed forces may be designated as a position of importance requiring the holder of the position to be of three-star or four-star rank. An officer leading a command or office elevated to three-star rank can be promoted while in their present position, reassigned to another office of equal rank, or retire if another nominee is selected as their replacement. • For example, Major General Scott C. Black became judge advocate general of the Army in October 2005. With the elevation of the office to three-star in 2008, Black was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general, and assumed the rank in December 2008. • Vice Admiral Henry H. Mauz Jr., commander of U.S. Seventh Fleet, was dual-hatted as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in August 1990. The incumbent commander, Captain Robert Sutton, was not appointed to the rank of vice admiral and was thus reassigned as commander of the U.S. Naval Logistics Support Force under Mauz's command. A lower-level billet may be elevated to three-stars, in accordance with being designated as a position of importance, to highlight importance to the defense apparatus or achieve parity with equivalent commands in the same area of responsibility or service branch. • The National Defense Authorization Act of 2001 elevated all service reserve and National Guard components to three-star level. Consequently, all affected components (the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, and Marine Forces Reserve) had their existing commanders promoted to three-star rank, or promoted the first commander assigned after passage of the Act to three-star rank. • The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 elevated the vice chief of the National Guard Bureau to the rank of lieutenant general, achieving parity with the three-star directors of the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. Major General Joseph L. Lengyel was subsequently confirmed for promotion to lieutenant general, and assumed office on 18 August 2012. • Headquarters Marine Corps Bulletin 5400 directed the elevation of U.S. Marine Corps Training and Education Command to three-stars and making it a direct reporting unit responsible to the commandant of the Marine Corps. Its commander, Major General William F. Mullen III, subsequently relinquished command to Lieutenant General Lewis A. Craparotta on 3 August 2020. A four-star billet may also be reduced to three-stars, usually to compensate for another billet being elevated to four-star level and thus remain within statutory limits. • For example, Air Education and Training Command, a four-star major command since 1975, was downgraded to three-stars to compensate for the elevation of Air Force Global Strike Command to four-stars, as congressional approval was required to bypass the authorized limit of nine four-star commands. Lieutenant General Darryl Roberson relieved General Robin Rand as AETC commander on 21 July 2015. ==Tour length==

is pinned with his vice admiral's rank insignia by his sister Rashimi as Vice President Joe Biden looks on at his swearing-in ceremony on 22 April 2015. The standard tour length for a three-star officer is three years, specifically a two-year term with a one-year extension. Unlike with four-star ranks, many three-star positions have stipulated term lengths in the U.S. Code: • Deputy commanders of unified combatant commands, as a joint duty assignment, serve for one to two years. • Inspectors general of the Army, Navy, and Air Force serve for a nominal four-year term. • Three-star chiefs of service reserve components serve for a nominal four-year term, renewable once for a total of eight years. • The surgeon general of the United States serves for a nominal four-year term. All appointees serve at the pleasure of the president. Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the secretary of defense, the president, and/or Congress but these are rare, as they block other officers from being promoted. Some statutory limits of tour length under the U.S. Code can be waived in times of national emergency or war. Three-star grades may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare. • Rear Admiral John D. Bulkeley was promoted to vice admiral on the retired list in the Senate by unanimous voice vote in 1988, in recognition of his years of service to the country, including the rescue of General Douglas MacArthur from Corregidor that earned him the Medal of Honor. ==Retirement==

, Army chief of staff, presents retiring Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, West Point superintendent, with a certificate authorizing his presentation of the Army Distinguished Service Medal on 22 June 2018. Besides voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement. Regular three-star officers may serve for a maximum of 38 years of commissioned service unless reappointed to rank to serve longer or appointed to a higher rank. Three-star officers on reserve active duty must retire after five years in rank or 38 years of commissioned service, whichever is later, unless reappointed to rank to serve longer. Three-star reserve officers of the Army and Air Force can have their retirements deferred by their service secretary until the officer's 66th birthday, which the secretary of defense may do for all active-duty officers, and the president can defer it until the officer's 68th birthday. U.S. Naval Academy, must retire upon completion of their assignment, The secretary of defense must also notify the House and Senate Armed Services committees and include a written notification of intent from the president to nominate the officer for reassignment. Williams, who had been superintendent of the United States Military Academy since 2018, was subsequently confirmed for appointment to the four-star position, and assumed command on 28 June 2022. is thanked by Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson at his retirement ceremony on 20 May 2014. Senior officers typically retire well in advance of the statutory age and service limits, so as not to impede the upward career mobility of their juniors. The higher number of available three-star slots overall (over 100) means that reassignment within rank is more likely for three-star officers before they either retire or are appointed to four-star rank. An officer who vacates a position bearing that rank has no more than 60 days to be appointed or reappointed to a position of equal or greater importance, including positions of four-star rank, before involuntary retirement. as he had not been assigned to another three-star position within 60 days of his relief as director of the Army National Guard. After his nomination was returned to the president without action, he was certified to retire as a lieutenant general in 2020. • Vice Admiral John Poindexter reverted to his permanent grade of rear admiral in 1986, as he was not appointed by the Senate to another three-star post within 90 days after resigning as national security advisor to the president due to controversy surrounding the Iran-Contra affair, and was reassigned to the Navy staff until retirement in 1987. , pose for a photo after Flynn's retirement ceremony, 9 May 2013. To retire at three-star rank, or pay grade of rank, an officer must accumulate at least three years of satisfactory active-duty service in that rank, as determined by the secretary of defense. The president and Congress must also receive certification by either the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, or the secretary of defense that the retiree served satisfactorily in rank. The president may also reduce these requirements even further, or waive the requirements altogether, if he so chooses. • Lieutenant General Craig A. Franklin retired on 1 April 2014, with two years and two days in grade, in response to charges of partiality in overseeing cases of sexual assault in Third Air Force. Despite not being penalized for misconduct, his retirement before accumulating statutory time in grade resulted in his reduction to major general on the retired list. • Lieutenant General Ronald F. Lewis was relieved as senior military assistant to the secretary of defense on 12 November 2015, with approximately four months in grade. He subsequently reverted to his permanent grade of major general pending an investigation by the Department of Defense inspector general for misconduct. His certification of satisfactory service as a major general was revoked, thus reducing his retirement grade to brigadier general. , Air Force chief of staff, presents the Defense Distinguished Service Medal to Lt. Gen. Benjamin N. Bellis during his retirement ceremony on 17 July 1981. Officers who are under investigation for misconduct typically are not allowed to retire until the investigation completes, so that the secretary of defense can decide whether to certify that their performance was satisfactory enough to retire in their highest grade. but remained on active duty for over a year after his retirement ceremony in his permanent grade of major general pending an investigation by the Air Force inspector general, before being allowed to retire as a major general. • Vice Admiral Michael H. Miller relinquished his three-star command as scheduled in 2014, but remained on active duty for almost a year in his permanent grade of rear admiral while under investigation for the Fat Leonard corruption scandal. He was permitted to retire at three-star grade after being censured by the secretary of the Navy. Furthermore, all retired officers may still be subjected to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and disciplinary action, including reduction in retirement grade, by the secretary of defense or the president if they are deemed to have served unsatisfactorily in grade, after their retirement. • Lieutenant General Philip R. Kensinger Jr. retired in his three-star grade on 1 February 2006, but a subsequent investigation by the Department of Defense inspector general of the 2004 Pat Tillman friendly fire incident under his command resulted in a general officer memorandum of reprimand stating that Kensinger lied to previous investigators. The secretary of the Army waived a court-martial, but issued a letter of censure and overrode a grade review board to recommend that the secretary of defense withdraw the certification of satisfactory service issued by his predecessor, lowering Kensinger's retired grade to major general on 16 May 2008. Officers holding a temporary three-star or four-star rank typically step down from their posts up to 60 days in advance of their official retirement dates. Officers retire on the first day of the month, so once a retirement month has been selected, the relief and retirement ceremonies are scheduled by counting backwards from that date by the number of days of accumulated leave remaining to the retiring officer. During this period, termed transition leave or terminal leave, the officer is considered to be awaiting retirement but still on active duty. • For example, Lieutenant General Donald C. Wurster was relieved as commander of Air Force Special Operations Command on 24 June 2011, and held his retirement ceremony the same day, but remained on active duty until his official retirement date on 1 August 2011. == See also ==