List of Active Duty United States Four-star Officers - Tour Length

Tour Length

The standard tour length for most four-star positions is three years, bundled as a two-year term plus a one-year extension, with the following exceptions:

• The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serve for a nominal two years but may serve for up to six years, in three consecutive terms, at the pleasure of the President. The President can appoint them to serve a fourth term, for a combined total of eight years, if it serves in the interest of the nation. Typically, the chairman and vice chairman serve for four years.
• Service chiefs of staff serve for four years in one four-year term.
• Service vice chiefs of staff serve for a nominal four years, but are commonly reassigned after one or two years. The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps serves for two years.
• The Chief of the National Guard Bureau serves a nominal four years.
• The Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion serves for a nominal eight years.
• The Commandant of the Coast Guard serves for a nominal four years.
• The Assistant Secretary for Health is a civilian appointee or a current serving member of the PHSCC who serves for a nominal four years at the pleasure of the President.

Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the Secretary of Defense, the President, and/or Congress but these are rare, as they block other officers from being promoted. Some statutory limits of tour length under the U.S. Code can be waived in times of national emergency or war. Four-star ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare.