Five-star Rank

Five-star rank is a now widely-used term derived from the United States military description for a general or admiral whose badge of rank is designated by five stars. The rank is that of the most senior operational military commanders, and within NATO the rank is designated by the code OF-10.

Not all armed forces have such a rank, and in those that do the actual insignia of the "five-star ranks" may not contain five stars. For example: the insignia for the French OF-10 rank maréchal de france contains 7 stars; the insignia for the Portuguese marechal contains four gold stars; and many of the insignia of the ranks in Commonwealth of Nations contain no stars at all.

Typically, five-star officers hold the rank of General of the Army, Admiral of the fleet, Grand admiral, Field marshal, Generalfeldmarschall, Marshal of the Air Force, General of the Air Force, and several other similarly named ranks. Five-star ranks are extremely senior - usually the highest ranks - and thus are very rare; as an active rank, the position exists only in a minority of countries and is usually held by only a very few officers during wartime. In times of peace, it is usually held only as a ceremonial rank.

Despite the rarity and seniority of five-star officers, the leadership of some countries have felt the requirement to propose, and in some cases to adopt, even more senior ranks such as generalissimo, generalissimus, reichsmarschall, first marshal of the empire, General of the Armies, etc. These ranks are summarized in the highest military ranks article.