Lieutenant general (United States)
| Lieutenant general |
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|---|---|
Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force three-star insignia of the rank of lieutenant general. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.
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| Country |
 United States
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| Service branch | |
| Abbreviation | LTG / Lt Gen / LtGen |
| Rank | Three-star |
| NATO rank | OF-8 |
| Non-NATO rank | O-9 |
| Next higher rank | General |
| Next lower rank | Major general |
| Equivalent ranks | |
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general (abbreviated LTG in the Army, Lt Gen in the Air Force, and LtGen in the Marine Corps) is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general. Lieutenant general is equivalent to the rank of vice admiral in the other uniformed services.
The United States Code explicitly limits the total number of generals that may be concurrently active to 230 for the Army, 60 for the Marine Corps, and 208 for the Air Force. For the Army and Air Force, no more than about 25% of the service's active duty general officers may have more than two stars. Some of these slots can be reserved by statute. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against either limit, including the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The President may also add three-star slots to one service if they are offset by removing an equivalent number from other services. Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at the president's discretion during time of war or national emergency.
The Superintendent of the United States Military Academy is almost always a U.S. Army lieutenant general; either upon appointment or shortly thereafter.
The three-star grade goes hand-in-hand with the position of office to which it is linked, so the rank is temporary. Officers may only achieve three-star grade if they are appointed to positions that require the officer to hold such a rank. Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute. Lieutenant generals are nominated for appointment by the president from any eligible officers holding the rank of brigadier general or above, who also meet the requirements for the position, with the advice of the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate before the appointee can take office and thus assume the rank. The standard tour length for most lieutenant general positions is three years but some are set four or more years by statute.
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