Major general (United States) Major general (United States) In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general. A major general typically commands division-sized units of 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. Major general is equivalent to the two-star rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard and is the highest permanent rank during peacetime in the uniformed services. Higher ranks are technically temporary ranks linked to specific positions, although virtually all officers
Colonel general some post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States armies (for example in Belarus), there are no generals of the army or marshals, and so colonel general is the highest rank, usually held by the minister of the defense. The corresponding naval rank is admiral, which is also denoted by three stars. Colonel general ("generalöverste") has also been a senior military rank in Sweden, used principally before the 19th century. The Syrian Arab Army uses the rank of colonel general ( ""Imad-awwal"عماد أول) only for the senior-most rank of the army beneath that of field marshal. Usually, only defence ministers have held this