<Ul> <Li> Admiral (United States Navy and United States Coast Guard) </Li> </Ul> <Li> Admiral (United States Navy and United States Coast Guard) </Li> <P> In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, general (abbreviated as GEN in the Army or Gen in the Air Force and Marine Corps) is a four - star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O - 10 . General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an established grade above general . General is equivalent to the rank of admiral in the other uniformed services . Since the grades of General of the Army and General of the Air Force are reserved for wartime use only, and since the Marine Corps has no five - star equivalent, the grade of general is currently considered to be the highest appointment an officer can achieve in these three services . </P> <P> Formally, the term "General" is always used when referring to a four - star general . However, a number of different terms may be used to refer to them informally, since lower - ranking generals may also be referred to as simply "General". These may include "Full General", "Four - star General" (or simply four - star), or "O - 10" (in reference to pay grade). </P>

What is the highest number of stars a general can have