List of United States Army four-star generals

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The rank of general (or full general, or four-star general) is the highest rank normally achievable in the United States Army. It ranks above lieutenant general (three-star general) and below general of the Army (five-star general).

There have been 262 four-star generals in the history of the U.S. Army. Of these, 248 achieved that rank while on active duty in the U.S. Army; eight were promoted after retirement; five were promoted posthumously; and one (George Washington) was appointed to that rank in the Continental Army, the U.S. Army's predecessor. Generals entered the Army via several paths: 165 were commissioned via the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), 54 via Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at a civilian university, 15 via Officer Candidate School (OCS), 13 via direct commission (direct), 11 via ROTC at a senior military college, one via ROTC at a military junior college, one via direct commission in the Army National Guard (ARNG), one via the aviation cadet program, and one via battlefield commission.

List of generals

Entries in the following list of four-star generals are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was promoted to that rank while on active duty, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty in the U.S. Army. Each entry lists the general's name, date of rank, active-duty positions held while serving at four-star rank, number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank (Yrs), year commissioned and source of commission, number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank (YC), and other biographical notes.

List of United States Army four-star generals
# Name Photo Date of rank Position Yrs Commission YC Notes
* George Washington 15 Jun 1775   8 1775 (direct) 0 (1732–1799) Promoted to General of the Armies, 4 Jul 1976. Chancellor, College of William & Mary, 1788–1799; U.S. President, 1789–1797. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1776.
1 Ulysses S. Grant 25 Jul 1866   3 1843 (USMA) 23 (1822–1885) Promoted to General of the Armies, 19 Apr 2024. U.S. President, 1869–1877. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1863. Married great-aunt of Navy four-star admiral U. S. Grant Sharp Jr.
2 William Tecumseh Sherman 4 Mar 1869   14 1840 (USMA) 29 (1820–1891) Superintendent, Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, 1860–1861. Brother of U.S. Secretary of State John Sherman.
3 Philip H. Sheridan 1 Jun 1888   0 1853 (USMA) 35 (1831–1888) Died in office.
4 Tasker H. Bliss 6 Oct 1917   2 1875 (USMA) 42 (1853–1930) President, U.S. Army War College, 1903–1905, 1909; Governor, U.S. Soldiers' Home, 1920–1927.
5 John J. Pershing 6 Oct 1917   7 1886 (USMA) 31 (1860–1948) Promoted to General of the Armies, 3 Sep 1919. Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1923–1948; Chairman, Tacna-Arica Plebiscitary Commission, 1925–1926. Awarded Pulitzer Prize for History, 1932; Congressional Gold Medal, 1946.
6 Peyton C. March 20 May 1918   2 1888 (USMA) 30 (1864–1955)
7 Charles P. Summerall 23 Feb 1929   1 1892 (USMA) 37 (1867–1955) President, The Citadel, 1931–1953.
8 Douglas MacArthur 21 Nov 1930   9 1903 (USMA) 27 (1880–1964) Promoted to general of the Army, 18 Dec 1944. Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1919–1922. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1942; Congressional Gold Medal, 1962. Grandson of Wisconsin Governor Arthur MacArthur Sr.
9 Malin Craig 2 Oct 1935   8 1898 (USMA) 37 (1875–1945) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1935.
10 George C. Marshall Jr. 1 Sep 1939   5 1902 (VMI) 38 (1880–1959) Promoted to general of the Army, 16 Dec 1944. Special Representative of the President in China, 1945–1947; U.S. Secretary of State, 1947–1949; Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1949–1959; President, American Red Cross, 1949–1950; U.S. Secretary of Defense, 1950–1951. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1946; Nobel Peace Prize, 1953.
* John L. Hines 15 Jun 1940  
  • (retired)
 0 1891 (USMA) 49 (1868–1968) Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1924–1926.
11 Dwight D. Eisenhower 11 Feb 1943  
  • Commander in Chief, Allied (Expeditionary) Force (CINC Allied Forces), 1942–1943.
  • Commander in Chief, Allied Forces/Commander in Chief, Mediterranean Theater of Operations/Commanding General, North African Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (CINC Allied Forces/CINC MTO/CG NATOUSA), 1943–1944.
  • Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force/Commanding General, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (SCAEF/CG ETOUSA), 1944–1945.
 1 1915 (USMA) 28 (1890–1969) Promoted to general of the Army, 20 Dec 1944. President, Columbia University, 1948–1953; U.S. President, 1953–1961.
12 Henry H. Arnold 19 Mar 1943  
  • Commanding General, Army Air Forces (CG AAF), 1942–1944.
  • Commanding General, Army Air Forces/Commanding General, Twentieth Air Force (CG AAF), 1944–1945.
 1 1907 (USMA) 36 (1886–1950) Promoted to general of the Army, 21 Dec 1944; to general of the Air Force, 7 May 1949.
13 Joseph W. Stilwell 1 Aug 1944  
  • Deputy Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia/Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces, China Burma India Theater (DSACSEA/CG USAFCBI), 1943–1944.
  • Commanding General, Army Ground Forces (CG AGF), 1945.
  • Commanding General, Tenth Army, 1945.
  • Commanding General, Western Defense Command, 1945–1946.
  • Commanding General, Sixth Army, 1946.
 2 1904 (USMA) 40 (1883–1946) Died in office.
14 Walter Krueger 5 Mar 1945  
  • Commanding General, Sixth Army, 1943–1946.
 1 1901 (direct) 44 (1881–1967)
15 Brehon B. Somervell 6 Mar 1945  
  • Commanding General, Army Service Forces (CG ASF), 1942–1946.
 1 1914 (USMA) 31 (1892–1955)
16 Joseph T. McNarney 7 Mar 1945  
  • Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean/Commanding General, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (DSACMED/CG MTOUSA), 1944–1945.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Forces European Theater/Military Governor, U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany (CG USFET), 1945–1947.
  • Senior Member, United Nations Military Staff Committee, 1947.
  • Commanding General, Air Materiel Command (CG AMC), 1947–1949.
  • Chairman, Department of Defense Management Committee, 1949–1952.
 7 1915 (USMA) 30 (1893–1972)
17 Jacob L. Devers 8 Mar 1945  
  • Commanding General, Sixth Army Group, 1944–1945.
  • Commanding General, Army Ground Forces (CG AGF), 1945–1948.
  • Chief, Army Field Forces (CAFF), 1948–1949.
 4 1909 (USMA) 36 (1887–1979) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1960–1969.
18 George C. Kenney 9 Mar 1945  
  • Commanding General, Allied Air Forces, South West Pacific Area (CG AAFSWPA), 1942–1945.
  • Member, Military Staff Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1945–1946.
  • Commanding General, Strategic Air Command (CG SAC), 1946–1948.
  • Commander, Air University, 1948–1951.
 6 1917 (cadet) 28 (1889–1977)
19 Mark W. Clark 10 Mar 1945  
  • Commanding General, Fifteenth Army Group, 1944–1945.
  • U.S. High Commissioner, Austria/Commanding General, U.S. Forces Austria, 1945–1947.
  • Commanding General, Sixth Army, 1947–1949.
  • Chief, Army Field Forces (CAFF), 1949–1952.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, Far East Command/Military Governor of the Ryukyu Islands (CINCUNC/CINCFE), 1952–1953.
 8 1917 (USMA) 28 (1896–1984) President, The Citadel, 1954–1965; Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1969–1984.
20 Carl A. Spaatz 11 Mar 1945   3 1914 (USMA) 31 (1891–1974)
21 Omar N. Bradley 12 Mar 1945   5 1915 (USMA) 30 (1893–1981) Promoted to general of the Army, 22 Sep 1950. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, 1977.
22 Thomas T. Handy 13 Mar 1945  
  • Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (DCSA), 1944–1947.
  • Commanding General, Fourth Army, 1947–1949.
  • Commander in Chief, European Command (CINCEUR), 1949–1952.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1952.
  • Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (DCINCEUR), 1952–1954.
 9 1916 (VMI) 29 (1892–1982)
23 George S. Patton Jr. 14 Apr 1945  
  • Commanding General, Third Army, 1944–1945.
  • Commanding General, Fifteenth Army, 1945.
 0 1909 (USMA) 36 (1885–1945) Died in office. Father-in-law of Army four-star general John K. Waters.
24 Courtney H. Hodges 15 Apr 1945  
  • Commanding General, First Army, 1944–1949.
 4 1909 (direct) 36 (1887–1966)
25 Jonathan M. Wainwright IV 5 Sep 1945  
  • Commanding General, Fourth Army, 1946.
 1 1906 (USMA) 39 (1883–1953) National Commander, Disabled American Veterans, 1948–1949. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1945.
26 Lucius D. Clay 28 Mar 1947  
  • Commander in Chief, European Command/Military Governor, U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany (CINCEUR), 1947–1949.
 2 1918 (USMA) 29 (1897–1978) Special Representative of the President in Berlin, 1961–1962. Son of U.S. Senator Alexander S. Clay; father of Air Force four-star general Lucius D. Clay Jr.
27 J. Lawton Collins 24 Jan 1948   8 1917 (USMA) 31 (1896–1987) U.S. Special Representative to Vietnam, 1954–1955.
28 Wade H. Haislip 1 Oct 1949   2 1912 (USMA) 37 (1889–1971) President, Association of the United States Army, 1950–1951; Governor, U.S. Soldiers' Home, 1951–1966.
* Walton H. Walker 20 Dec 1950  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1912 (USMA) 38 (1889–1950) Died in office. Father of Army four-star general Sam S. Walker.
29 Matthew B. Ridgway 11 May 1951  
  • Supreme Commander, Allied Powers/Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, Far East Command/Military Governor of the Ryukyu Islands (SCAP/CINCUNC/CINCFE), 1951.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, Far East Command/Military Governor of the Ryukyu Islands (CINCUNC/CINCFE), 1951–1952.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), 1952.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/USCINCEUR), 1952–1953.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1953–1955.
 4 1917 (USMA) 34 (1895–1993) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1986; Congressional Gold Medal, 1990.
30 Walter Bedell Smith 1 Jul 1951  
  • Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), 1950–1953.
 2 1917 (direct) 34 (1895–1961) U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1946–1948; U.S. Under Secretary of State, 1953–1954.
31 John E. Hull 30 Jul 1951  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1951–1953.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, Far East Command/Military Governor of the Ryukyu Islands (CINCUNC/CINCFE), 1953–1955.
 4 1917 (direct) 34 (1895–1975) Chairman, President's Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities, 1958–1961.
32 James A. Van Fleet 31 Jul 1951  
  • Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CG EUSA), 1951–1953.
 2 1915 (USMA) 36 (1892–1992) Special Representative of the President in the Far East, 1954.
33 Alfred M. Gruenther 1 Aug 1951   5 1917 (USMA) 34 (1899–1983) President, American Red Cross, 1957–1964.
34 John R. Hodge 5 Jul 1952  
  • Chief, Army Field Forces (CAFF), 1952–1953.
 1 1917 (direct) 35 (1893–1963)
35 Maxwell D. Taylor 23 Jun 1953  
  • Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CG EUSA), 1953–1954.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Far East/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CG USAFFE/CG EUSA), 1954–1955.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, Far East Command/Military Governor of the Ryukyu Islands (CINCUNC/CINCFE), 1955.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1955–1959.
  • Military Representative of the President (MILREP), 1961–1962.
  • Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), 1962–1964.
 9 1922 (USMA) 31 (1901–1987) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1945–1949; U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam, 1964–1965; Chairman, President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, 1965–1969; President, Institute for Defense Analyses, 1966–1969.
36 Charles L. Bolte 30 Jul 1953   2 1917 (direct) 36 (1895–1989)
37 William M. Hoge 23 Oct 1953  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1953–1955.
 2 1916 (USMA) 37 (1894–1979)
* Robert L. Eichelberger 19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1909 (USMA) 45 (1886–1961) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1940–1942.
* Lucian K. Truscott Jr. 19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1917 (direct) 37 (1895–1965) Deputy Director for Coordination, Central Intelligence Agency, 1953–1959.
* Leonard T. Gerow 19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1911 (VMI) 43 (1888–1972)
* William H. Simpson 19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1909 (USMA) 45 (1888–1980)
* Ben Lear 19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1901 (direct) 53 (1879–1966)
* Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. 19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1908 (USMA) 46 (1886–1945) Killed in action. Son of Kentucky Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr.
* Alexander M. Patch 19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1913 (USMA) 41 (1889–1945) Died in office.
* Lesley J. McNair 19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1904 (USMA) 50 (1883–1944) Killed in action.
* John L. DeWitt 19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1898 (direct) 56 (1880–1962) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1937–1939.
* Albert C. Wedemeyer 19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1918 (USMA) 36 (1897–1989) Special Representative of the President in China and Korea, 1947. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1985.
* Robert C. Richardson Jr. 19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1904 (USMA) 50 (1882–1954) Military Governor of Hawaii, 1943–1944.
38 John E. Dahlquist 18 Aug 1954  
  • Chief, Army Field Forces (CAFF), 1953–1955.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1955–1956.
 2 1917 (direct) 37 (1896–1975)
39 Anthony C. McAuliffe 1 Mar 1955  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1955–1956.
 1 1918 (USMA) 37 (1898–1975) Chairman, New York State Civil Defense Commission, 1960–1963.
40 Lyman L. Lemnitzer 25 Mar 1955   14 1920 (USMA) 35 (1899–1988) President, Association of the United States Army, 1955. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1987.
41 Williston B. Palmer 1 May 1955  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1955–1957.
  • Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (DCINCEUR), 1957–1959.
  • Director of Military Assistance, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, 1959–1962.
 7 1919 (USMA) 36 (1899–1973) Brother of Army four-star general Charles D. Palmer.
42 Isaac D. White 22 Jun 1955  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Far East/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CG USAFFE/CG EUSA), 1955–1957.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1957–1961.
 6 1922 (Norwich) 33 (1901–1990)
43 Willard G. Wyman 1 Mar 1956  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1956–1958.
 2 1919 (USMA) 37 (1898–1969)
44 Cortlandt V. R. Schuyler 18 May 1956   3 1922 (USMA) 34 (1900–1993) Commissioner, New York State Office of General Services, 1960–1971.
45 George H. Decker 31 May 1956  
  • Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (DCINCEUR), 1956–1957.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1957–1959.
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1959–1960.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1960–1962.
 6 1924 (ROTC) 32 (1902–1980) President, Association of the United States Army, 1952–1955.
46 Henry I. Hodes 1 Jun 1956  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1956–1959.
 3 1920 (USMA) 36 (1899–1962)
47 Bruce C. Clarke 1 Aug 1958  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1958–1960.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1960–1962.
 4 1925 (USMA) 33 (1901–1988)
48 Clyde D. Eddleman 1 Apr 1959   3 1924 (USMA) 35 (1902–1992) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1955.
49 Carter B. Magruder 1 Jul 1959  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1959–1961.
 2 1923 (USMA) 36 (1900–1988)
50 Charles D. Palmer 1 Oct 1959  
  • Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (DCINCEUR), 1959–1962.
 3 1924 (USMA) 35 (1902–1999) Brother of Army four-star general Williston B. Palmer.
51 Clark L. Ruffner 1 Mar 1960  
  • U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), 1960–1962.
 2 1924 (VMI) 36 (1903–1982)
52 James E. Moore 21 Apr 1960   3 1924 (USMA) 36 (1902–1986) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1953–1955; U.S. High Commissioner, Ryukyu Islands, 1955–1958.
53 Herbert B. Powell 1 Oct 1960  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1960–1963.
 3 1926 (ROTC) 34 (1903–1998) U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, 1963–1967.
54 James F. Collins 1 Apr 1961  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1961–1964.
 3 1927 (USMA) 34 (1905–1989) President, American Red Cross, 1964–1970.
55 Guy S. Meloy Jr. 1 Jul 1961  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1961–1963.
 2 1927 (USMA) 34 (1903–1964)
56 Paul D. Adams 3 Oct 1961  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command (USCINCSTRIKE), 1961–1963.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa South of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA), 1963–1966.
 5 1928 (USMA) 33 (1906–1987)
57 Paul D. Harkins 2 Jan 1962  
  • Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (COMUSMACV), 1962–1964.
 2 1929 (USMA) 33 (1904–1984) Relieved, 1964.
58 Earle G. Wheeler 1 Mar 1962   8 1932 (USMA) 30 (1908–1975) Widow married Army four-star general Frank S. Besson Jr.
59 Barksdale Hamlett 2 Apr 1962   2 1930 (USMA) 32 (1908–1979) President, Norwich University, 1966–1972.
60 Paul L. Freeman Jr. 1 May 1962  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1962–1965.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1965–1967.
 5 1929 (USMA) 33 (1907–1988)
61 Robert J. Wood 1 Sep 1962  
  • Director of Military Assistance, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, 1962–1965.
  • Director, Overseas Base Requirements Study Group, 1968–1969.
 4 1930 (USMA) 32 (1905–1986)
62 John K. Waters 28 Feb 1963  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1963–1964.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1964–1966.
 3 1931 (USMA) 32 (1906–1989) Son-in-law of Army four-star general George S. Patton.
63 Andrew P. O'Meara 6 Jun 1963  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1961–1965.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1965–1967.
 4 1930 (USMA) 33 (1907–2005)
64 Theodore W. Parker 1 Jul 1963   6 1931 (USMA) 32 (1909–1994) Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, 1969–1972.
65 Hamilton H. Howze 1 Aug 1963  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1963–1965.
 2 1930 (USMA) 33 (1908–1998)
66 Hugh P. Harris 1 Mar 1964  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1964–1965.
 1 1931 (USMA) 33 (1909–1979) President, The Citadel, 1965–1970.
67 Frank S. Besson Jr. 27 May 1964   6 1932 (USMA) 32 (1910–1985) Incorporator, National Rail Passenger Corporation, 1970–1971; Member, Board of Directors, Amtrak, 1971–1977. Married widow of Army four-star general Earle G. Wheeler.
68 Harold K. Johnson 3 Jul 1964   4 1933 (USMA) 31 (1912–1983)
69 William C. Westmoreland 1 Aug 1964  
  • Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (COMUSMACV), 1964–1965.
  • Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam/Commanding General, U.S. Army Vietnam (COMUSMACV/CG USARV), 1965–1968.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1968–1972.
 8 1936 (USMA) 28 (1914–2005) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1960–1963; candidate for Republican Party nomination for Governor of South Carolina, 1974.
70 Creighton W. Abrams Jr. 4 Sep 1964  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1964–1967.
  • Deputy Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Deputy COMUSMACV), 1967–1968.
  • Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam/Commanding General, U.S. Army Vietnam (COMUSMACV/CG USARV), 1968–1972.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1972–1974.
 10 1936 (USMA) 28 (1914–1974) Died in office. Father of Army four-star generals John N. Abrams and Robert B. Abrams.
71 Robert W. Porter Jr. 18 Mar 1965  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1965–1969.
 4 1930 (USMA) 35 (1908–2000)
72 Dwight E. Beach 1 Jul 1965  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1965–1966.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1966–1968.
 3 1932 (USMA) 33 (1908–2000)
73 Charles H. Bonesteel III 1 Sep 1966  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1966–1969.
 3 1931 (USMA) 35 (1909–1977)
74 Theodore J. Conway 1 Nov 1966  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa South of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA), 1966–1969.
 3 1933 (USMA) 33 (1909–1990)
75 James H. Polk 31 May 1967  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1967–1971.
 4 1933 (USMA) 34 (1911–1992) Distant cousin of U.S. President James K. Polk.
76 Ralph E. Haines Jr. 1 Jun 1967  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1967–1968.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1968–1970.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1970–1973.
 6 1935 (USMA) 32 (1913–2011)
77 James K. Woolnough 1 Jul 1967  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1967–1970.
 3 1932 (USMA) 35 (1910–1996)
78 Andrew J. Goodpaster 3 Jul 1968  
  • Deputy Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Deputy COMUSMACV), 1968.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/USCINCEUR), 1969–1974.
 6 1939 (USMA) 29 (1915–2005) White House Staff Secretary, 1954–1961; Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1977–1981; President, Institute for Defense Analyses, 1983–1985; Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1985–1990. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1984.
79 Ben Harrell 4 Jul 1968  
  • Commander, Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (COMLANDSOUTHEAST), 1968–1971.
 3 1933 (USMA) 35 (1911–1981)
80 Berton E. Spivy Jr. 31 Jul 1968  
  • U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), 1968–1971.
 3 1934 (USMA) 34 (1911–1997)
81 Bruce Palmer Jr. 1 Aug 1968   6 1936 (USMA) 32 (1913–2000)
82 George R. Mather 1 Mar 1969  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1969–1971.
 2 1932 (USMA) 37 (1911–1993)
83 Ferdinand J. Chesarek 10 Mar 1969   1 1938 (USMA) 31 (1914–1993)
84 William B. Rosson 15 May 1969  
  • Deputy Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Deputy COMUSMACV), 1969–1970.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1970–1973.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1973–1975.
 6 1940 (ROTC) 29 (1918–2004)
85 John L. Throckmorton 1 Aug 1969  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa South of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA), 1969–1972.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command (USCINCRED), 1972–1973.
 4 1935 (USMA) 34 (1913–1986)
86 John H. Michaelis 1 Oct 1969  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1969–1972.
 3 1936 (USMA) 33 (1912–1985)
87 Lewis B. Hershey 23 Dec 1969  
  • Presidential Advisor on Manpower Mobilization, 1970–1973.
 4 1913 (ARNG) 56 (1893–1977) Relieved, 1973. Director, Selective Service System, 1941–1970.
88 Frederick C. Weyand 31 Oct 1970  
  • Deputy Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Deputy COMUSMACV), 1970–1972.
  • Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam/Commanding General, U.S. Army Vietnam (COMUSMACV/CG USARV), 1972–1973.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1973.
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1973–1974.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1974–1976.
 6 1938 (ROTC) 32 (1916–2010)
89 Henry A. Miley Jr. 1 Nov 1970   5 1940 (USMA) 30 (1915–2010)
90 Frank T. Mildren 1 Apr 1971  
  • Commander, Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (COMLANDSOUTHEAST), 1971–1973.
 2 1939 (USMA) 32 (1913–1990)
91 Michael S. Davison 26 May 1971  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1971–1975.
 4 1939 (USMA) 32 (1917–2006) Aunt married Navy four-star admiral Arthur W. Radford.
92 George V. Underwood Jr. 1 Oct 1971  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1971–1973.
 2 1937 (USMA) 34 (1913–1984)
93 Donald V. Bennett 1 Sep 1972  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1972–1973.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Pacific (CINCUSARPAC), 1973–1974.
 2 1940 (USMA) 32 (1915–2005) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1966–1969; Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, 1969–1972.
94 Alexander M. Haig Jr. 4 Jan 1973 5 1947 (USMA) 26 (1924–2010) Deputy National Security Advisor, 1970–1973; U.S. Secretary of State, 1981–1982; candidate for Republican Party nomination for U.S. President, 1988.
95 Walter T. Kerwin Jr. 1 Feb 1973  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC), 1973.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1973–1974.
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1974–1978.
 5 1939 (USMA) 34 (1917–2008) Married widow of Marine Corps four-star general Keith B. McCutcheon.
96 William E. DePuy 1 Jul 1973  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1973–1977.
 4 1941 (ROTC) 32 (1919–1992)
97 Richard G. Stilwell 31 Jul 1973  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1973–1976.
 3 1938 (USMA) 35 (1917–1991) U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, 1981–1985.
98 Melvin Zais 1 Aug 1973  
  • Commander, Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (COMLANDSOUTHEAST), 1973–1976.
 3 1937 (ROTC) 36 (1916–1981)
99 Bernard W. Rogers 7 Nov 1974  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1974–1976.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1976–1979.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/USCINCEUR), 1979–1987.
 13 1943 (USMA) 31 (1921–2008)
101 John J. Hennessey 8 Nov 1974  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command (USCINCRED), 1974–1979.
 5 1944 (USMA) 30 (1921–2001)
101 John R. Deane Jr. 12 Feb 1975   2 1942 (USMA) 33 (1919–2013)
102 George S. Blanchard 1 Jul 1975  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1975–1979.
 4 1944 (USMA) 31 (1920–2006)
103 William A. Knowlton 1 Jun 1976  
  • Commander, Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (COMLANDSOUTHEAST), 1976–1977.
  • U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), 1977–1980.
 4 1943 (USMA) 33 (1920–2008) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1970–1974. Father-in-law of Army four-star general David H. Petraeus.
104 Frederick J. Kroesen Jr. 1 Oct 1976  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1976–1978.
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1978–1979.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1979–1983.
 7 1943 (OCS) 33 (1923–2020)
105 John W. Vessey Jr. 1 Nov 1976  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1976–1978.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1978–1979.
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1979–1982.
  • Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), 1982–1985.
 9 1944 (battlefield) 32 (1922–2016) Special Presidential Emissary to Vietnam for POW/MIA Affairs, 1987–1997. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1992.
106 John R. Guthrie 1 May 1977   4 1942 (ROTC) 35 (1921–2009)
107 Sam S. Walker Jul 1977  
  • Commander, Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (COMLANDSOUTHEAST), 1977–1978.
 1 1946 (USMA) 31 (1925–2015) Superintendent, Virginia Military Institute, 1981–1988. Son of Army four-star general Walton H. Walker.
108 Donn A. Starry 1 Jul 1977  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1977–1981.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command (USCINCRED), 1981–1983.
 6 1948 (USMA) 29 (1925–2011)
109 Robert M. Shoemaker 22 Aug 1978  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1978–1982.
 4 1946 (USMA) 32 (1924–2017)
110 Edward C. Meyer 22 Jun 1979   4 1951 (USMA) 28 (1928–2020)
111 John A. Wickham Jr. 10 Jul 1979  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1979–1982.
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1982–1983.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1983–1987.
 8 1950 (USMA) 29 (1928–2024)
112 Volney F. Warner 1 Aug 1979  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command (USCINCRED), 1979–1981.
 2 1950 (USMA) 29 (1926–2019)
113 Glenn K. Otis 1 Aug 1981  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1981–1983.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1983–1988.
 7 1953 (USMA) 28 (1929–2013)
114 Donald R. Keith 1 Sep 1981   3 1949 (USMA) 32 (1927–2004)
115 Richard E. Cavazos 19 Feb 1982  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1982–1984.
 2 1951 (ROTC) 31 (1929–2017) Awarded Medal of Honor posthumously, 2025. Brother of U.S. Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos. First Hispanic to achieve the rank of general in the Army.
116 Robert W. Sennewald 24 May 1982  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1982–1984.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1984–1986.
 4 1951 (ROTC) 31 (1929–2023)
117 Roscoe Robinson Jr. 30 Aug 1982  
  • U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), 1982–1985.
 3 1951 (USMA) 31 (1928–1993) First African-American to achieve the rank of general in the Army.
118 William R. Richardson 28 Feb 1983  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1983–1986.
 3 1951 (USMA) 32 (1929–2023)
119 Paul F. Gorman 25 May 1983  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1983–1985.
 2 1950 (USMA) 33 (1927–        )
120 Wallace H. Nutting 25 May 1983  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command (USCINCRED), 1983–1985.
 2 1950 (USMA) 33 (1928–2023)
121 Maxwell R. Thurman 23 Jun 1983  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1983–1987.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1987–1989.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1989–1990.
 7 1953 (ROTC) 30 (1931–1995)
122 William J. Livsey 3 May 1984  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1984–1987.
 3 1952 (ROTC) 32 (1931–2016)
123 Richard H. Thompson 29 Jun 1984   3 1950 (direct) 34 (1926–2016)
124 Robert C. Kingston 6 Nov 1984  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command (USCINCCENT), 1983–1985.
 1 1949 (OCS) 35 (1928–2007)
125 John R. Galvin 25 Feb 1985  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1985–1987.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/USCINCEUR), 1987–1992.
 7 1954 (USMA) 31 (1929–2015) U.S. Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1994.
126 Fred K. Mahaffey 17 Jun 1985  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command (USCINCRED), 1985–1986.
 1 1955 (ROTC) 30 (1934–1986) Died in office.
127 Jack N. Merritt 1 Dec 1985  
  • U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), 1985–1987.
 2 1953 (OCS) 32 (1930–2018) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1980–1982; President, Association of the United States Army, 1988–1998.
128 Carl E. Vuono 1 Jul 1986  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1986–1987.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 1987–1991.
 5 1957 (USMA) 29 (1934–        )
129 Joseph T. Palastra Jr. 1 Jul 1986  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1986–1987.
  • Commander in Chief, Forces Command (CINCFOR), 1987–1989.
 3 1954 (USMA) 32 (1931–2015)
130 James J. Lindsay 10 Oct 1986   4 1953 (OCS) 33 (1932–2023)
131 Louis C. Wagner Jr. 13 Apr 1987   2 1954 (USMA) 33 (1932–2025)
132 Frederick F. Woerner Jr. 6 Jun 1987  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1987–1989.
 2 1955 (USMA) 32 (1933–2023) Relieved, 1989. Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1994–2001.
133 Arthur E. Brown Jr. 24 Jun 1987   2 1953 (USMA) 34 (1929–        )
134 Louis C. Menetrey 24 Jun 1987  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1987–1990.
 3 1953 (ROTC) 34 (1929–2009)
135 Crosbie E. Saint 24 Jun 1988  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1988–1992.
 4 1958 (USMA) 30 (1936–2018)
136 H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. 23 Nov 1988  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command (USCINCCENT), 1988–1991.
 3 1956 (USMA) 32 (1934–2012) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1991; Congressional Gold Medal, 1991.
137 Robert W. RisCassi 17 Jan 1989  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1989–1990.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth U.S. Army (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK/CG EUSA), 1990–1992.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK), 1992–1993.
 4 1958 (ROTC) 31 (1936–        )
138 Colin L. Powell 4 Apr 1989   4 1958 (ROTC) 31 (1937–2021) Deputy National Security Advisor, 1987; National Security Advisor, 1987–1989; U.S. Secretary of State, 2001–2005. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1991; Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1991 and, with distinction, 1993.
139 John W. Foss 2 Aug 1989  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1989–1991.
 2 1956 (USMA) 33 (1933–2020)
140 Edwin H. Burba Jr. 27 Sep 1989  
  • Commander in Chief, Forces Command (CINCFOR), 1989–1993.
 4 1959 (USMA) 30 (1936–        )
141 William G. T. Tuttle Jr. 1 Oct 1989   3 1958 (USMA) 31 (1935–2020)
142 Gordon R. Sullivan 4 Jun 1990   5 1959 (Norwich) 31 (1937–2024) President, Association of the United States Army, 1998–2016.
143 Carl W. Stiner 1 Jul 1990   3 1958 (ROTC) 32 (1936–2022)
144 George A. Joulwan 21 Nov 1990  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1990–1993.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/USCINCEUR), 1993–1997.
 7 1961 (USMA) 29 (1939–        )
145 Dennis J. Reimer 21 Jun 1991   8 1962 (USMA) 29 (1939–        )
146 Frederick M. Franks Jr. 23 Aug 1991  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1991–1994.
 3 1959 (USMA) 32 (1936–        ) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 2005–2009.
147 Jimmy D. Ross 1 Feb 1992   2 1958 (ROTC) 34 (1936–2012)
148 John M. D. Shalikashvili 24 Jun 1992  
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/USCINCEUR), 1992–1993.
  • Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), 1993–1997.
 5 1959 (OCS) 33 (1936–2011) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1997.
149 David M. Maddox 9 Jul 1992  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army/Commander, Central Army Group (CINCUSAREUR/COMCENTAG), 1992–1993.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army (CINCUSAREUR), 1993–1994.
 2 1960 (VMI) 32 (1938–        )
150 J. H. Binford Peay III 26 Mar 1993   4 1962 (VMI) 31 (1940–        ) Superintendent, Virginia Military Institute, 2003–2020.
151 Wayne A. Downing 20 May 1993   3 1962 (USMA) 31 (1940–2007) Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, 2001–2002.
152 Gary E. Luck 1 Jul 1993  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK), 1993–1996.
 3 1960 (ROTC) 33 (1937–2024)
153 Leon E. Salomon 11 Feb 1994   2 1959 (OCS) 35 (1936–        )
154 Barry R. McCaffrey 17 Feb 1994  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1994–1996.
 2 1964 (USMA) 30 (1942–        ) Director, National Drug Control Policy, 1996–2001.
155 John H. Tilelli Jr. 19 Jul 1994  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 1994–1995.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1995–1996.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK), 1996–1999.
 5 1963 (PMC) 31 (1941–        ) President, United Service Organizations, 2000–2002.
156 William W. Hartzog 1 Dec 1994  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1994–1998.
 4 1963 (Citadel) 31 (1941–2020)
157 William W. Crouch 1 Jan 1995   3 1963 (ROTC) 32 (1941–2024)
158 Ronald H. Griffith 6 Jun 1995   2 1960 (ROTC) 35 (1936–2018)
159 H. Hugh Shelton 1 Mar 1996   5 1964 (ROTC) 32 (1942–        ) Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 2002.
160 Johnnie E. Wilson 1 May 1996   3 1967 (OCS) 29 (1944–        )
161 Wesley K. Clark 21 Jun 1996  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 1996–1997.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/USCINCEUR), 1997–2000.
 4 1966 (USMA) 30 (1944–        ) Candidate for Democratic Party nomination for U.S. President, 2004. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2000.
162 David A. Bramlett 1 Sep 1996  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1996–1998.
 2 1964 (USMA) 32 (1941–        )
163 Eric K. Shinseki 5 Aug 1997   6 1965 (USMA) 32 (1942–        ) U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 2009–2014. First Asian-American to achieve four-star rank in any service.
164 Peter J. Schoomaker 4 Oct 1997   7 1969 (ROTC) 28 (1946–        )
165 Thomas A. Schwartz 31 Aug 1998  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1998–1999.
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK), 1999–2002.
 4 1967 (USMA) 31 (1945–        )
166 John N. Abrams 14 Sep 1998  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 1998–2002.
 4 1968 (OCS) 30 (1946–2018) Son of Army four-star general Creighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star general Robert B. Abrams.
167 Montgomery C. Meigs 10 Nov 1998  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army (CG USAREUR), 1998–2002.
 4 1967 (USMA) 31 (1945–2021) Director, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, 2005–2007. Distant cousin of Navy four-star admiral Montgomery M. Taylor.
168 John M. Keane 22 Jan 1999   4 1966 (ROTC) 33 (1943–        ) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2020.
169 John G. Coburn 14 May 1999   2 1963 (ROTC) 36 (1941–        )
170 John W. Hendrix 23 Nov 1999  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 1999–2001.
 2 1965 (ROTC) 34 (1942–        )
171 William F. Kernan Jul 2000  
  • Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic/Commander in Chief, U.S. Joint Forces Command (SACLANT/CINCUSJFCOM), 2000–2002.
 2 1968 (OCS) 32 (1946–2025)
172 Tommy R. Franks 6 Jul 2000  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command (USCINCCENT), 2000–2002.
  • Commander, U.S. Central Command (CDRUSCENTCOM), 2002–2003.
 3 1967 (OCS) 33 (1945–        ) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2004.
173 Paul J. Kern 30 Oct 2001   3 1967 (USMA) 34 (1945–        )
174 Larry R. Ellis 19 Nov 2001  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2001–2004.
 3 1969 (ROTC) 32 (1946–        )
175 Leon J. LaPorte 1 May 2002  
  • Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CINCUNC/CINCCFC/COMUSFK), 2002.
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/COMUSFK), 2002–2006.
 4 1968 (ROTC) 34 (1946–        )
176 James T. Hill 18 Aug 2002  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command (USCINCSO), 2002.
  • Commander, U.S. Southern Command (CDRUSSOUTHCOM), 2002–2004.
 2 1968 (ROTC) 34 (1946–        )
177 Kevin P. Byrnes 7 Nov 2002  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 2002–2005.
 3 1969 (OCS) 33 (1950–        ) Relieved, 2005.
178 Burwell B. Bell III 3 Dec 2002  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army (CG USAREUR), 2002–2005.
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/COMUSFK), 2006–2008.
 6 1969 (ROTC) 33 (1947–        )
179 John P. Abizaid 27 Jun 2003  
  • Commander, U.S. Central Command (CDRUSCENTCOM), 2003–2007.
 4 1973 (USMA) 30 (1951–        ) U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 2019–2021.
180 Bryan D. Brown 25 Aug 2003   4 1970 (OCS) 33 (1948–        ) First army aviator to achieve the rank of general.
181 George W. Casey Jr. 1 Dec 2003   8 1970 (ROTC) 33 (1948–        )
182 Richard A. Cody 24 Jun 2004   4 1972 (USMA) 32 (1950–        )
183 Dan K. McNeill 1 Jul 2004  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2004–2007.
  • Commander, International Security Assistance Force (CDRISAF), 2007–2008.
 4 1968 (ROTC) 36 (1946–        )
184 Benjamin S. Griffin 5 Nov 2004   4 1970 (OCS) 34 (1946–        )
185 Bantz J. Craddock 1 Jan 2005  
  • Commander, U.S. Southern Command (CDRUSSOUTHCOM), 2004–2006.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/CDRUSEUCOM), 2006–2009.
 4 1971 (ROTC) 33 (1949–        )
186 William S. Wallace 13 Oct 2005  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 2005–2008.
 3 1969 (USMA) 36 (1946–        )
187 David D. McKiernan 14 Dec 2005  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army (CG USAREUR), 2005–2008.
  • Commander, International Security Assistance Force (CDRISAF), 2008.
  • Commander, International Security Assistance Force/Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (CDRISAF/CDRUSFOR-A), 2008–2009.
 4 1972 (ROTC) 33 (1950–        ) Resigned, 2009.
188 William E. Ward 3 May 2006  
  • Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command (DCDRUSEUCOM), 2006–2007.
  • Commander, U.S. Africa Command (CDRUSAFRICOM), 2007–2011.
 5 1971 (ROTC) 35 (1949–        ) U.S. Security Coordinator, Israel-Palestinian Authority, 2005.
189 Charles C. Campbell 9 Jan 2007  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2007–2010.
 3 1970 (ROTC) 37 (1948–2016)
190 David H. Petraeus 10 Feb 2007  
  • Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq (CG MNF-I), 2007–2008.
  • Commander, U.S. Central Command (CDRUSCENTCOM), 2008–2010.
  • Commander, International Security Assistance Force/Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (CDRISAF/CDRUSFOR-A), 2010–2011.
 4 1974 (USMA) 33 (1952–        ) Director, Central Intelligence Agency, 2011–2012. Son-in-law of Army four-star general William A. Knowlton.
191 Walter L. Sharp 2 Jun 2008  
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/CDRUSFK), 2008–2011.
 3 1974 (USMA) 34 (1952–        )
192 Peter W. Chiarelli 4 Aug 2008   4 1972 (ROTC) 36 (1950–        )
193 Carter F. Ham 28 Aug 2008  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army (CG USAREUR), 2008–2011.
  • Commander, U.S. Africa Command (CDRUSAFRICOM), 2011–2013.
 5 1976 (ROTC) 32 (1952–        ) Chairman, National Commission on the Future of the Army, 2015–2016; President, Association of the United States Army, 2016–2021.
194 Raymond T. Odierno 16 Sep 2008  
  • Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq (CG MNF-I), 2008–2009.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Forces – Iraq (CG USF-I), 2010.
  • Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (CDRUSJFCOM), 2010–2011.
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (CSA), 2011–2015.
 7 1976 (USMA) 32 (1954–2021)
195 Ann E. Dunwoody 14 Nov 2008   4 1975 (direct) 33 (1953–        ) First woman to achieve four-star rank in any service.
196 Martin E. Dempsey 8 Dec 2008   7 1974 (USMA) 34 (1952–        )
197 Stanley A. McChrystal 15 Jun 2009  
  • Commander, International Security Assistance Force/Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (CDRISAF/CDRUSFOR-A), 2009–2010.
 1 1976 (USMA) 33 (1954–        ) Resigned, 2010.
198 Keith B. Alexander 21 May 2010   4 1974 (USMA) 36 (1952–        ) Director, National Security Agency, 2005–2014.
199 James D. Thurman 3 Jun 2010  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2010–2011.
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/CDRUSFK), 2011–2013.
 3 1975 (ROTC) 35 (1953–        )
200 Lloyd J. Austin III 1 Sep 2010  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Forces – Iraq (CG USF-I), 2010–2011.
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 2012–2013.
  • Commander, U.S. Central Command (CDRUSCENTCOM), 2013–2016.
 6 1975 (USMA) 35 (1953–        ) U.S. Secretary of Defense, 2021–2025.
201 Robert W. Cone 29 Apr 2011  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 2011–2014.
 3 1979 (USMA) 32 (1957–2016)
202 Charles H. Jacoby Jr. 3 Aug 2011   3 1978 (USMA) 33 (1954–        )
203 David M. Rodriguez 12 Sep 2011  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2011–2013.
  • Commander, U.S. Africa Command (CDRUSAFRICOM), 2013–2016.
 5 1976 (USMA) 35 (1954–        )
204 Dennis L. Via 7 Aug 2012   4 1980 (ROTC) 32 (1958–        )
205 Frank J. Grass 7 Sep 2012   4 1981 (OCS) 31 (1951–        ) Served 12 years in the enlisted ranks before receiving his commission in 1981. First Army National Guard officer to achieve the rank of general.
206 John F. Campbell 8 Mar 2013  
  • Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA), 2013–2014.
  • Commander, International Security Assistance Force/Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (CDRISAF/CDRUSFOR-A), 2014–2015.
  • Commander, Resolute Support Mission/Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (CDRRS/CDRUSFOR-A), 2015–2016.
 3 1979 (USMA) 34 (1957–        )
207 Daniel B. Allyn 10 May 2013   4 1981 (USMA) 32 (1959–        )
208 Vincent K. Brooks 2 Jul 2013  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (CG USARPAC), 2013–2016.
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/COMUSFK), 2016–2018.
 5 1980 (USMA) 33 (1958–        )
209 Curtis M. Scaparrotti 2 Oct 2013  
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/COMUSFK), 2013–2016.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/CDRUSEUCOM), 2016–2019.
 6 1978 (USMA) 35 (1956–        )
210 David G. Perkins 14 Mar 2014  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (CG TRADOC), 2014–2015.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command/Chancellor, Army University (CG TRADOC/Ch. ArmyU), 2015–2018.
 4 1980 (USMA) 34 (1957–        )
211 Mark A. Milley 15 Aug 2014   9 1980 (ROTC) 34 (1958–        )
212 Joseph L. Votel 28 Aug 2014   5 1980 (USMA) 34 (1958–        )
213 Robert B. Abrams 10 Aug 2015  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2015–2018.
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/COMUSFK), 2018–2021.
 6 1982 (USMA) 33 (1960–        ) Son of Army four-star general Creighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star general John N. Abrams.
214 John W. Nicholson Jr. 2 Mar 2016  
  • Commander, Resolute Support Mission/Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (CDRRS/CDRUSFOR-A), 2016–2018.
 2 1982 (USMA) 34 (1957–        ) Nephew of U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert J. Nicholson.
215 Raymond A. Thomas III 30 Mar 2016   3 1980 (USMA) 36 (1958–        )
216 Robert B. Brown 30 Apr 2016  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (CG USARPAC), 2016–2019.
 3 1981 (USMA) 35 (1959–        ) President, Association of the United States Army, 2021–present.
217 Gustave F. Perna 30 Sep 2016  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command (CG AMC), 2016–2020.
  • Chief Operating Officer, Operation Warp Speed (COO OWS), 2020–2021.
  • Chief Operating Officer, COVID-19 Response for Vaccine and Therapeutics (COO COVID-19 Response), 2021.
 5 1981 (VFMAC) 35 (1960–        )
218 James C. McConville 16 Jun 2017   6 1981 (USMA) 36 (1959–        )
219 Stephen J. Townsend 2 Mar 2018  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command/Chancellor, Army University (CG TRADOC/Ch. ArmyU), 2018–2019.
  • Commander, U.S. Africa Command (CDRUSAFRICOM), 2019–2022.
 4 1982 (NGCSU) 36 (1959–        )
220 Paul M. Nakasone 4 May 2018   6 1986 (ROTC) 32 (1963–        )
221 Stephen R. Lyons 24 Aug 2018  
  • Commander, U.S. Transportation Command (CDRUSTRANSCOM), 2018–2021.
 3 1983 (ROTC) 35 (c. 1962–        )
222 John M. Murray 24 Aug 2018   3 1982 (ROTC) 36 (c. 1960–        )
223 Austin S. Miller 2 Sep 2018  
  • Commander, Resolute Support Mission/Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (CDRRS/CDRUSFOR-A), 2018–2021.
 3 1983 (USMA) 35 (1961–        )
224 Michael X. Garrett 21 Mar 2019  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2019–2022.
 3 1984 (ROTC) 35 (1961–        ) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 2023–present.
225 Richard D. Clarke Jr. 29 Mar 2019   3 1984 (USMA) 35 (1962–        )
226 Paul E. Funk II 21 Jun 2019  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command/Chancellor, Army University (CG TRADOC/Ch. ArmyU), 2019–2022.
 3 1984 (ROTC) 35 (1962–        )
227 Joseph M. Martin 26 Jul 2019   3 1986 (USMA) 33 (1962–        )
228 Paul J. LaCamera 18 Nov 2019  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (CG USARPAC), 2019–2021.
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/COMUSFK), 2021–2024.
 5 1985 (USMA) 34 (1963–        )
229 Edward M. Daly 2 Jul 2020   3 1987 (USMA) 33 (1965–        )
230 Daniel R. Hokanson 3 Aug 2020   4 1986 (USMA) 34 (1963–        )
231 James H. Dickinson 20 Aug 2020  
  • Commander, U.S. Space Command (CDRUSSPACECOM), 2020–2024.
 4 1985 (ROTC) 35 (c. 1962–        )
232 Christopher G. Cavoli 1 Oct 2020  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa (CG USAREUR-AF), 2020–2022.
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe/Commander, U.S. European Command (SACEUR/CDRUSEUCOM), 2022–2025.
 5 1987 (ROTC) 33 (c. 1964–        )
233 Charles A. Flynn 4 Jun 2021  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (CG USARPAC), 2021–2024.
 3 1985 (ROTC) 36 (c. 1963–        ) Brother of National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn.
234 Laura J. Richardson 29 Oct 2021  
  • Commander, U.S. Southern Command (CDRUSSOUTHCOM), 2021–2024.
 3 1986 (ROTC) 35 (1963–        )
235 Michael E. Kurilla 1 Apr 2022  
  • Commander, U.S. Central Command (CDRUSCENTCOM), 2022–2025.
 3 1988 (USMA) 34 (1966–        )
236 Darryl A. Williams 27 Jun 2022  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa (CG USAREUR-AF), 2022.
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa/Commander, Allied Land Command (CG USAREUR-AF/CDRLANDCOM), 2022–2024.
 2 1983 (USMA) 39 (1961–        ) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 2018–2022.
237 Andrew P. Poppas 8 Jul 2022  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command (CG FORSCOM), 2022–2025.
 3 1988 (USMA) 34 (c. 1966–        )
238 Randy A. George 5 Aug 2022   3 1988 (USMA) 34 (1964–        )
239 Bryan P. Fenton 30 Aug 2022   3 1987 (ROTC) 35 (1965–        )
240 Gary M. Brito 8 Sep 2022  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command/Chancellor, Army University (CG TRADOC/Ch. ArmyU), 2022–2025.
 3 1987 (ROTC) 35 (1964–        )
241 James E. Rainey 4 Oct 2022   3 1987 (ROTC) 35 (c. 1964–        )
242 Charles R. Hamilton 16 Mar 2023   1 1988 (OCS) 35 (c. 1967–        ) Relieved, 2024. Served seven years in the enlisted ranks before receiving his commission in 1988.
243 James J. Mingus 3 Jan 2024   1 1985 (ROTC) 39 (1964–        )
244 Ronald P. Clark 8 Nov 2024  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (CG USARPAC), 2024–present.
 1 1988 (USMA) 36 (1966–        )
245 Christopher T. Donahue 10 Dec 2024  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe and Africa/Commander, Allied Land Command (CG USAREUR-AF/CDRLANDCOM), 2024–present.
 1 1992 (USMA) 32 (1969–        )
246 Xavier T. Brunson 20 Dec 2024  
  • Commander, United Nations Command/Commander, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (CDRUNC/CDRCFC/COMUSFK), 2024–present.
 1 1990 (ROTC) 34 (c. 1965–        )
247 David M. Hodne 2 Oct 2025   0 1991 (USMA) 34 (1969–        )
248 Joseph A. Ryan 5 December 2025  
  • Commanding General, U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command (CG USAWHC), 2025–present.
 0 1991 (USMA) 34 (c. 1969–        )

History

Four-star positions

1775–1799

In June 1775, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington as general and commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. At the war's end in 1783, Washington resigned his commission. As this occurred before the establishment of the United States Army in 1784, he is therefore considered never to have held the U.S. Army rank of general.

In May 1798, Washington was commissioned as a lieutenant general in the United States Army by his successor as president, John Adams, to command the provisional army being raised for the undeclared Quasi-War with France. In March 1799, the United States Congress elevated the lieutenant generalcy to the rank of "General of the Armies of the United States", but Adams thought the new rank infringed on his constitutional role as commander in chief and never made the appointment. Washington died later that year, and the rank lapsed when not mentioned in the Military Peace Establishment Act of 1802. He was promoted posthumously to the rank in 1978, after it was reestablished for him as part of the 1976 United States Bicentennial celebrations.

1866–1941

Civil War and aftermath

The rank of General of the Armies was revived in 1866, with the name "General of the Army of the United States" to reward the Civil War achievements of Ulysses S. Grant, the commanding general of the United States Army (CGUSA). As with the prior rank and that of lieutenant general revived for Grant in 1864, the holder was authorized to command the armies of the United States, subject to presidential authority. Grant vacated his commission to become president in March 1869, and the lieutenant general of the Army, William Tecumseh Sherman, was promoted to succeed him as general. The grade was abolished after Sherman's retirement in February 1884, in accordance with legislation passed in 1870.

After Sherman's retirement, the ban on new appointments to the grade of general was relaxed twice. In March 1885, Grant was out of office, bankrupt, and dying, so Congress authorized the president to reappoint him to the rank and full pay of general on the retired list. Congress made a similar exception in June 1888 to promote the ailing lieutenant general of the Army, Philip Sheridan, by discontinuing the grade of lieutenant general and merging it with the grade of general until Sheridan's death two months later.

Since there was only one active duty four-star general in the Army during this period, the grade was interchangeably referred to as "general", "the General", and "the General of the Army", a title not to be confused with the five-star grade of general of the Army created in 1944.

World War I

In 1917, the rank of general was recreated in the National Army, a temporary force of conscripts and volunteers authorized for the duration of the World War I emergency. To give American commanders parity of rank with their Allied counterparts, Congress allowed the president to appoint two emergency generals in the National Army, specified to be the chief of staff of the Army (CSA), Tasker H. Bliss and later Peyton C. March; and the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (CG AEF) in France, John J. Pershing. When Bliss reached the retirement age of 64 and stepped down as chief of staff, he was reappointed emergency general by brevet to serve alongside full generals from allied nations as the U.S. military representative to the Supreme War Council.

All emergency grades expired at the end of the war, so in July 1919, eight months after the armistice, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to reward March and Pershing by making them both permanent generals, with Pershing senior to March. Pershing's promotion was authorized on 3 September 1919, just in time for the secretary of war to hand him his new commission when he returned from Europe. Congress and Pershing both opposed March's promotion, having clashed with him during the war, so he reverted to major general alongside Bliss when their emergency grades expired on 30 June 1920. Both were restored to their wartime ranks of general on the retired list in 1930.

Interwar

Pershing succeeded March as Army chief of staff in the permanent grade of general, and served from 1921 to 1924. The grade lapsed with his retirement, leaving the rank of major general as the highest available grade in the peacetime Army, and his two-star successors, John L. Hines and Charles P. Summerall, outranked by their four-star Navy counterpart, the chief of naval operations. The temporary rank of general was reauthorized for the chief of staff in 1929, elevating Summerall. In 1940, special legislation advanced Hines to general on the retired list as the only living former chief of staff never to wear four stars.

1941–1991

World War II and aftermath

The United States entered World War II on 7 December 1941 with one Army general, chief of staff George Marshall, authorized. Legislation enacted in 1933 and amended in 1940 allowed the president to appoint officers of the Regular Army, the Army's professional military component, to higher temporary grades in time of war or national emergency. As with the National Army emergency generals, these appointments expired after the end of the war, although postwar legislation allowed officers to retire in their highest active-duty rank. On 19 December 1941, the Senate confirmed Douglas MacArthur to be the first temporary general in the Army of the United States, the reconstituted draft force, as he fought the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.

Three new Army generals were appointed over the next two years. Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed temporary general in February 1943, to command Allied forces in North Africa and later Europe; Henry H. Arnold in March 1943, as commanding general of Army Air Forces and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Joseph W. Stilwell in August 1944, as commander of the China Burma India Theater and chief of staff to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Arnold were further promoted to the temporary five-star grade of general of the Army in December 1944, made permanent in March 1946. Malin Craig, Marshall's predecessor as Army chief of staff, was recalled to active duty in his four-star grade to run the War Department's Personnel Board.

More temporary generals were appointed to command postwar occupation forces in Germany and Japan, as well as the stateside Army commands. Omar Bradley, who had commanded the Twelfth Army Group—the bulk of American forces on the Western Front—also received a permanent promotion to general as a one-time personal honor, with full active-duty pay for life. This was superseded by Bradley's promotion to general of the Army while serving as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1950. By the official termination of the World War II national emergency in April 1952, the Army had eight four-star generals.

Cold War

The modern grade of general was established by the Officer Personnel Act (OPA) of 1947, which authorized the president to designate positions of importance and responsibility to carry the grade ex officio, to be filled by officers with the permanent or temporary grade of major general or higher. The total number of positions allowed to carry the grade was capped at 3.75 percent of the total number of general officers on active duty, which worked out initially to five generals for the Army. The four-star grade caps evolved into Section 525 of Title 10 of the United States Code, which was codified in 1956. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the office of which was created in 1949, was exempted from the caps.

Escalating global commitments during the Cold War created more generals, both at home and abroad; a majority were appointed under renewed national emergency authority in excess of grade caps. Besides the JCS chairman and Army chief of staff, the most prestigious Army-dominated positions of the era were the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR); the commander of multinational and U.S. forces in Korea (UNC/FECOM, later USFK); and until 1973, the commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam (USMACV). At the height of the Vietnam War in 1971, the Army had 17 four-star generals.

The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) of 1980 standardized four-star appointments across all services, replacing the previous service-specific mechanisms. Personal four-star grades held regardless of assignment, once the norm in the post-Civil War era, were abolished under DOPMA. In 1982, Richard E. Cavazos and Roscoe Robinson Jr. became the first Hispanic and first African-American four-star generals in the Army respectively.

1991–present

The distribution of four-star Army generals remains broadly similar to that of 1947, with a statutory chief and vice chief of staff (CSA, VCSA); stateside commands for readiness, materiel, and training; overseas component commands; and joint duty positions that are exempted from grade caps. Among the latter are the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS); the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR); the unified combatant commanders, including the statutory Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and Special Operations Command (USSOCOM); the chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB); and during the war on terror, the wartime theater commanders in Iraq (MNF-I, later USF-I) and Afghanistan (ISAF, later RSM). In 2002, under defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, usage of the title "commander in chief" and its acronym "CINC" was reserved for the president and discontinued for military officers, mostly combatant commanders, who were redesignated as "commander".

In 1997, Eric Shinseki became the first Asian-American four-star general in the Army. In 2007, Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman to achieve the rank of general in the Army, as well as in any armed service. In 2012, Frank J. Grass became the first Army National Guard officer to attain the rank of general, to relieve his Air Force predecessor as CNGB.

In 2009, Congress directly specified the maximum number of four-star officers in each service, replacing the OPA- and DOPMA-era percentage cap formulas. In 2021, the Army was authorized eight four-star generals for positions within the service by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act: the CSA and VCSA; the commanding generals of Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Army Materiel Command (AMC), and Army Futures Command (AFC); and the Army component commanders in Europe/Africa (USAREUR-AF) and the Pacific (USARPAC).

By the end of 2020, the Army had 18 four-star generals on active duty, exceeding the 17 four-star generals it had at the height of the Vietnam War, its previous peak.

Legislation

The following list of Congressional legislation includes major acts of Congress pertaining to appointments to the grade of general in the United States Army.

Legislation Citation Summary
Act of March 3, 1799    1 Stat. 752
  • Authorized 1 grade of General of the Armies (intended for George Washington) [repealed in 1802 (2 Stat. 133)].
Act of July 25, 1866  14 Stat. 223
  • Revived 1 grade of general (Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman) [terminated at next vacancy in 1870 (16 Stat. 318)].
Act of March 1, 1869  15 Stat. 281
  • Authorized brevet ranks for distinguished conduct and public service in presence of the enemy (Tasker H. Bliss) [repealed in 1956 (70A Stat. 642)].
Act of March 3, 1885  23 Stat. 434
  • Authorized rank and full pay of general on the retired list for Ulysses S. Grant.
Act of June 1, 1888  25 Stat. 165
  • Authorized 1 appointment to grade of general (Philip H. Sheridan).
Act of October 6, 1917  40 Stat. 410
  • Authorized grade of general during World War I emergency [terminated in 1920 (41 Stat. 760)] (Tasker H. Bliss, Peyton C. March, John J. Pershing).
Act of September 3, 1919  41 Stat. 283
  • Revived grade of General of the Armies for John J. Pershing.
Act of February 23, 1929  45 Stat. 1255
  • Increased rank of chief of staff of the Army to general.
Act of June 21, 1930  46 Stat. 793
  • Authorized promotion on the retired list or posthumously to highest grade held during World War I, with no increase in retired pay (Tasker H. Bliss, Peyton C. March).
Act of December 14, 1944  58 Stat. 802
  • Authorized 4 grades of general of the Army until six months after the end of World War II [made permanent in 1946 (60 Stat. 59)] (George C. Marshall Jr., Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry H. Arnold).
Act of August 7, 1947

[Officer Personnel Act of 1947]

 61 Stat. 886
  • Authorized president to designate, subject to Senate confirmation, Army officers to have the rank of general while assigned to positions of importance and responsibility.
  • Capped Army positions with ranks above major general at 15 percent of the total number of general officers serving on active federal military duty, of which not more than 25 percent to carry the rank of general.
Act of June 26, 1948  62 Stat. 1052
  • Authorized permanent grade of general and full active-duty pay and allowances in retirement for Omar N. Bradley.
Act of September 18, 1950  64 Stat. A224
  • Authorized permanent grade of general of the Army for Omar N. Bradley.
Act of October 11, 1976  90 Stat. 2078
  • Authorized posthumous promotion of George Washington to General of the Armies.
Act of December 12, 1980

[Defense Officer Personnel Management Act]

 94 Stat. 2844
 94 Stat. 2849
 94 Stat. 2876
  • Authorized president to designate positions of importance and responsibility to carry the grade of general, to be assigned from officers on active duty in any grade above colonel, subject to Senate confirmation, who revert to their permanent grade at the end of their assignment unless it was terminated by
    1. assignment to another position designated to carry the same grade,
    2. up to 180 days of hospitalization, or
    3. up to 90 days prior to retirement [reduced to 60 days in 1991 (105 Stat. 1354)].
  • Capped, except during war or national emergency, Army officers in grades above major general at 15 percent of all general officers on active duty, of whom not more than 25 percent to serve in the grade of general.
  • Authorized three- and four-star officers to retire in the highest grade held on active duty, at the discretion of the president and subject to confirmation by the Senate, with no time-in-grade requirement [changed in 1996 to certification by secretary of defense and three-year time-in-grade requirement (110 Stat. 292)].
Act of January 28, 2008  122 Stat. 496
  • Increased grade of chief of the National Guard Bureau to general.
Act of October 28, 2009  123 Stat. 2273
 123 Stat. 2274
 123 Stat. 2276
  • Capped Army officers in the grade of general at 7, exempting from caps the chief of the National Guard Bureau and up to 20 generals assigned to joint duty [joint-duty cap repealed in 2016, effective December 31, 2022 (130 Stat. 2100); caps changed in 2021 to 8 Army generals and 19 joint-duty generals (134 Stat. 3563)].
Act of December 23, 2022  136 Stat. 2611
  • Authorized posthumous promotion of Ulysses S. Grant to General of the Armies.
Act of December 22, 2023  137 Stat. 244
  • Increased grade of vice chief of the National Guard Bureau to general.

See also

  • General (United States)
  • General officers in the United States
  • List of active duty United States four-star officers
  • List of lieutenant generals in the United States Army before 1960
  • List of United States Army lieutenant generals from 1990 to 1999
  • List of United States Army lieutenant generals from 2000 to 2009
  • List of United States Army lieutenant generals from 2010 to 2019
  • List of United States Army lieutenant generals since 2020
  • List of major generals in the United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920
  • List of brigadier generals in the United States Regular Army before February 2, 1901
  • List of United States Air Force four-star generals
  • List of United States Coast Guard four-star admirals
  • List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals
  • List of United States military leaders by rank
  • List of United States Navy four-star admirals
  • List of United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps four-star admirals
  • List of United States Space Force four-star generals
  • List of British Army full generals
  • Staff (military)

Bibliography

Books and papers

  • U.S. Department of the Army (1976) [1948], United States Army Register, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office
  • "World Almanac Education Group, Inc.", World Almanac and Book of Facts, New York: World Almanac Education Group, Inc., 2025 [1946]
  • Bell, William Gardner (2013). Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff, 1775–2013: Portraits and Biographical Sketches of the United States Army's Senior Officer. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-0-16-072376-6.
  • Cline, Ray S. (1990) [1951]. "Appendix B: U.S. Army Commanders in Major Theater Commands, December 1941 – September 1945". United States Army in World War II – Washington Command Post: The Operations Division. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-1514870600. CMH Pub 1-2. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  • Cosmas, Graham A. (2006). MACV, the Joint Command in the Years of Withdrawal, 1968–1973 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-0160771194.
  • Ford, Worthington Chauncey, ed. (1905). Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789. Vol. II. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  • Heaton, Dean R. (1995). Four Stars: The Super Stars of United States Military History. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, Inc. ISBN 9780970044709.
  • Meyer, Edward C.; Ancell, R. Manning; Mahaffey, Jane (30 March 1995). Who Will Lead? Senior Leadership in the United States Army. Westport: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0275950415.
  • Rostker, Bernard; et al. (1993). The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980: A Retrospective Assessment (PDF). Santa Monica, California: RAND.
  • Warner, Ezra J. (1964). Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-80710-822-2. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

Journals and magazines

  • Air Force Association (May 2006). "USAF Almanac 2006" (PDF). Air Force Magazine. Vol. 89, no. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2007.
  • Yoon, Taeyoung (Spring 2005). "The ROK-U.S. Combined Command and Control System and Crisis Management Procedures" (PDF). International Area Review. 8 (1): 149–172. doi:10.1177/223386590500800108. S2CID 167994949.
  • "International Area Review" (PDF). International Area Review. 8 (1). 1 March 2005.

Online publications

  • "Department of Defense Key Officials (September 1947 – August 2024)" (PDF). Office of the Secretary of Defense Historical Office. 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  • Cole, Ronald H.; Poole, Walter S.; Schnabel, James F.; Watson, Robert J.; Webb, Willard J. (1995). "The History of the Unified Command Plan, 1946–1993" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  • Leubsdorf, Ben (10 July 2024). "Presidential Medal of Freedom" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  • Straus, Jacob (18 July 2024). "Congressional Gold Medals: Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  • "Senior officials in the NATO military structure, from 1949 to 2001" (PDF). North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2009.
  • "USAREUR Commanders". U.S. Army Europe. Archived from the original on 28 April 2007.
  • "A brief history of U.S. Army Materiel Command and biographies of AMC's commanding generals". U.S. Army Materiel Command Historical Office. Archived from the original on 21 September 2003.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.

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