Discover

In the United States Air Force, 'General of the Air Force' is the highest rank, equivalent to a five star General. The rank has only been held by one person in history: Henry H. Arnold.

General of the Army is the equivalent rank in the United States Army and the insignia for the two positions were originally the same. The insignia for General of the Air Force was slightly modified in the 1950s for wear on the new blue Air Force dress uniform. General of the Air Force, however, has never been worn by an officer of the modern Air Force on active duty. Arnold was a General of the Army and retired before the Air Force was made a separate service, but on May 7, 1949 he was awarded the rank of General of the Air Force after his retirement, and was photographed in an Air Force uniform wearing the insignia of that rank.
During the Cold War, with the rise of the Strategic Air Command, it was proposed that General of the Air Force be reestablished and granted to senior Air Force generals, such as the commander of NORAD. As a result, General of the Air Force can still be seen on modern insignia charts and it is still considered an official rank of the United States Air Force. To date, however, no one except Henry Arnold has ever held the rank General of the Air Force.
The United States Navy equivalent of General of the Air Force is Fleet Admiral. In the Royal Air Force, the equivalent rank is Marshal of the Royal Air Force.

Contents

See also

See also

★ U.S. Air Force officer rank insignia

★ List of U.S. military leaders by rank