Vice admiral (United States)
| Vice Admiral |
|
|---|---|
Flag of the vice admiral of the United States Navy.
|
|
The stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy vice admiral of the "line".
|
|
| Country |
 United States
|
| Service branch | |
| Abbreviation | VADM |
| Rank | Three-star |
| NATO rank | OF-09 |
| Non-NATO rank | O-10 |
| Next higher rank | Admiral |
| Next lower rank | Rear admiral |
| Equivalent ranks | Lieutenant general (Uniformed services of the United States) |
Vice admiral (abbreviated as VADM) is a three-star commissioned naval officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, with the pay grade of O-9. Vice admiral ranks above rear admiral and below admiral. Vice admiral is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant general in the other uniformed services.
U.S. Code of law explicitly limits the total number of vice admirals that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active-duty flag officers is capped at 160 for the Navy. For the Navy, no more than 16.7% of the service's active-duty flag officers may have more than two stars. Some of these slots can be reserved by statute. Officers serving in certain Defense Agency Director positions such as the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), when filled by a Naval Officer, are Vice Admirals.</ref> The Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy is usually always a vice admiral, either upon nomination or shortly thereafter. The President may also add vice admirals to the Navy if they are offset by removing an equivalent number of three-star officers from other services. Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at the President's discretion during time of war or national emergency.
The three-star grade goes hand-in-hand with the position of office it is linked to, 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. Vice admirals are nominated for appointment by the President from any eligible officers holding the rank of rear admiral (lower half) or above, who also meet the requirements for the position, under the advice and/or suggestion of their respective department secretary, service secretary, and if applicable, the Joint Chiefs. 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 vice admiral positions is three years but some are set four or more years by statute.
...
Wikipedia