Pay grades
Five-star ranks: reserved for wartime
The rank chart shows a level above O-10 in four services, marked "reserved for wartime only". What it is, who held it, and why it is not on the 2026 pay tables.
Look up the four-star ranks below them
Army, O-10 · Commissioned officer
General (GEN)
General officer
| Marine Corps | General (Gen) |
| Navy | Admiral (ADM) |
| Air Force | General (Gen) |
| Space Force | General (Gen) |
| Coast Guard | Admiral (ADM) |
| 2026 basic pay, over 34 years | $18,999.90 a month |
Limited to the Executive Schedule level II rate for 2026 (DFAS officer note 4).
Same pay grade means the same basic pay in every service. Basic pay only: housing, food and special pays are not included.
Everything about O-10The Department of War rank chart places a five-star rank above general and admiral in four services, each marked "reserved for wartime only": General of the Army, Fleet Admiral in the Navy, General of the Air Force, and Fleet Admiral in the Coast Guard. The Marine Corps and the Space Force have none. The Army explains that the rank "is only used in time of war where the commanding officer must be equal or of higher rank than those commanding armies from other nations", and that the last officers to hold it served during and immediately after World War II. It names the five who held the 1944 version of General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry H. Arnold and Omar N. Bradley. No one holds a five-star rank today, and the DFAS 2026 officer table stops at O-10, where pay is capped at $18,999.90 a month.
Quick check: 2026 basic pay
O-10, over 34 years
$18,999.90 / mo
| Over a year | $227,999 |
| Lowest rate of the grade | $18,999.90 |
| Highest rate of the grade | $18,999.90 |
Limited to the Executive Schedule level II rate for 2026 (DFAS officer note 4).
Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The five-star ranks on the chart
| Service | Five-star rank | Insignia | Four-star rank below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | General of the Army (reserved for wartime only) |  | General |
| Marine Corps | none | General | |
| Navy | Fleet Admiral (reserved for wartime only) |  | Admiral |
| Air Force | General of the Air Force (reserved for wartime only) |  | General |
| Space Force | none | General | |
| Coast Guard | Fleet Admiral (reserved for wartime only) | Admiral |
Four stars, the top of the pay table
In practice the ladder ends at O-10: general in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, admiral in the Navy and the Coast Guard. In 2026 the O-10 row starts at $18,999.90 with 20 years of service, and every O-7 to O-10 rate is limited to level II of the Executive Schedule, $18,999.90 a month, so the whole O-10 row is paid at that figure.
What is this rank called in another service?
Army General (GEN) in the Navy
Admiral
| Pay grade | O-10 |
| Group | Flag officer |
| Abbreviation | ADM |
Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.
Why the rank existed
The Army's reason is one of precedence among allies: in a coalition, the U.S. commander had to rank with or above the commanders of armies from other nations. The Army speaks of a "1944 version" of General of the Army, the one held by the five officers it names; none has been appointed since that generation.