Rear Admiral (United States) - Statutory Limits

Statutory Limits

U.S. Code of law explicitly limits the total number of flag officers that may be on active duty at any given time. The total number of active duty flag officers is capped at 162 for the Regular Navy, augmented by a smaller number of additional flag officers in the Navy Reserve who are either on full-time active duty, temporary active duty, or on the Reserve Active Status List (RASL) as part-time drilling reservists. Some of these slots are reserved or set by statute. For example the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy is a two-star rear admiral in the Navy. In the Coast Guard, the Chief Medical Officer is also two-star rear admiral In the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, at least half of the Assistant Surgeons General are one-star rear admirals and no more than half are two-star rear admirals. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against the statutory limit.