Lieutenant general Lieutenant general Lieutenant general, lieutenant-general and similar (abbrev Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general. In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks immediately below general and above major general; it is equivalent to the navy rank of vice admiral, and in air forces with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to air marshal. A lieutenant general
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