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
Major general used as a rank in the Portuguese military, but as an appointment title conferred to the general officer that acted as the military head of a service branch. The roles of Major-General of the Navy ("Major-General da Armada") and Major-General of the Army ("Major-General do Exército") became extinct in 1950, with their roles being unified in the then created Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. In the Russian Army, the rank "Major general" is known as "Генера́л-майо́р". In Somalia, major general is used within the Somali Armed Forces (SAF) for the highest-ranking military official. In Sweden, the