Pay grades
O-9: lieutenant general and vice admiral
Three stars, and in the Army the command of a corps. Titles in six services, insignia and the 2026 rate.
O-9: rank in each service, insignia and 2026 pay
Army, O-9 · Commissioned officer
Lieutenant General (LTG)
General officer
| Marine Corps | Lieutenant General (LtGen) |
| Navy | Vice Admiral (VADM) |
| Air Force | Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) |
| Space Force | Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) |
| Coast Guard | Vice Admiral (VADM) |
| 2026 basic pay, over 30 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-9O-9 is the ninth commissioned officer pay grade, marked by three stars. It is lieutenant general in the Army (LTG), the Marine Corps (LtGen), the Air Force and the Space Force (Lt Gen), and vice admiral (VADM) in the Navy and the Coast Guard. The Army describes its lieutenant generals as commanders of corps-sized units of 20,000 to 40,000 Soldiers; the Army has three active corps headquartered in the continental United States, according to army.mil. The DFAS table has no O-9 rate before over twenty years of service. In 2026 every O-9 cell is $18,999.90 a month, the level II cap of the Executive Schedule that DFAS applies to O-7 through O-10. That is why an O-9 and an O-10 with the same years earn the same basic pay in 2026.
What is a promotion worth in basic pay?
O-9 to O-10, over 30 years
+$0.00 / mo
| O-9 | $18,999.90 |
| O-10 | $18,999.90 |
| Over a year | +$0 |
Same years of service in both grades, 2026 DFAS table.
Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
A flat, capped row
The O-9 row has eleven cells, from over 20 to over 40 years, and in 2026 all of them equal the cap of $18,999.90. Without the cap the statutory rates would be higher; the cap, tied to level II of the Executive Schedule, decides what is actually paid. A raise in 2027 would only reach O-9 if the cap rises too.
What is this rank called in another service?
Army Lieutenant General (LTG) in the Navy
Vice Admiral
| Pay grade | O-9 |
| Group | Flag officer |
| Abbreviation | VADM |
Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.
Vice admiral
The vice admiral ranks just below the admiral at O-10, as the lieutenant general ranks below the general. The insignia is three stars in every service.
O-9 in the six services
| Service | Rank | Abbreviation | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Lieutenant General | LTG | |
| Marine Corps | Lieutenant General | LtGen |  |
| Navy | Vice Admiral | VADM |  |
| Air Force | Lieutenant General | Lt Gen |  |
| Space Force | Lieutenant General | Lt Gen | |
| Coast Guard | Vice Admiral | VADM |  |
O-9 basic pay in 2026, by years of service
| Years of service | Monthly basic pay | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Over 20 | $18,999.90 | $227,999 |