Lieutenant general |
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The LTGEN insignia of Crown of St Edward above a crossed sword and baton, with the word 'Australia' at the bottom.
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Country | Australia |
Service branch | Australian Army |
Abbreviation | Lieutenant General |
Rank | Three-star |
NATO rank | OF-8 |
Non-NATO rank | O-9 |
Formation | 1917 |
Next higher rank | General |
Next lower rank | Major general |
Equivalent ranks |
Lieutenant general (abbreviated LTGEN and pronounced 'Lef-tenant General') is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank.
The rank of lieutenant general is held by the Chief of Army. The rank is also held when an army officer is the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, the Chief of Joint Operations, or the Chief of Capability Development.
Lieutenant general is a higher rank than major general, but lower than general. Lieutenant general is the equivalent of vice admiral in the Royal Australian Navy and air marshal in the Royal Australian Air Force.
The insignia for a lieutenant general is the Crown of St Edward above a crossed sword and baton.
As of May 2015[update] there is currently only one lieutenant general in the Australian Defence Force:
Although not an Australian, Field Marshal William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, was a popular general with the Australians. He commanded the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, and when he was promoted to the rank of field marshal in the British Army in 1925, he was awarded the honorary rank of field marshal in the Australian Army.