Brigadier general (United States)

History

The rank of brigadier general has existed in the U.S. military since the inception of the Continental Army in June 1775. To prevent mistakes in recognizing officers, a general order was issued on July 14, 1775, establishing that brigadier generals would wear a ribbon, worn across the breast, between coat and waistcoat, pink in color. Later, on June 18, 1780, it was prescribed that brigadier generals would instead wear a single silver star on each epaulette. At first, brigadier generals were infantry officers who commanded a brigade; however, over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, the responsibilities of the rank expanded significantly.

During the period from March 16, 1802, to January 11, 1812, the rank of major general was abolished and brigadier general became the highest rank in the U.S. Army. Foreseeing the need for an expanded general staff in case of war, which seemed imminent, Congress restored the rank of major general in January 1812.

The insignia for a brigadier general is one silver star worn on the shoulder or collar, and has not changed since the creation of the rank two centuries ago. Since the Mexican–American War, however, the lower rank of colonel has been the normal rank appointed to command a brigade that is organic to a division (e.g., the 1st Brigade of the 94th Infantry Division, vice the 187th Infantry Brigade). While separate brigades (e.g. the 187th, commanded by then-BG William Westmoreland in Korea) were traditionally commanded by brigadier generals, this practice has ceased in recent history.

Today, an Army or Marine Corps "BG" or "BGen," respectively, typically serves as deputy commander to the commanding general of a division or division-sized units and assists in overseeing the planning and coordination of a mission. A Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), as the medium capability (and sized) scalable Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with up to 20,000 Marines, is normally commanded by a Marine BGen. An Air Force brigadier general typically commands a large wing or serves as the deputy commander for a NAF. Additionally, one-star officers of all services may serve as high-level staff officers in large military organizations.

Statutory limits

U.S. law explicitly limits the total number of general officers who may be on active duty. The total number of active duty general officers is capped at 219 for the Army, 64 for the Marine Corps, 171 for the Air Force, and 21 for the Space Force. The President or Secretary of Defense may increase the number of slots for one branch, so long as they subtract an equal number from another. Some of these slots are reserved by statute. File:Flag of a United States Army brigadier general.svg|Flag of a United States Army Brigadier General File:Flag of a United States Chaplain brigadier general.svg|Flag of a United States Army Chaplain's Corps Brigadier General File:Flag of a United States Army Medical Department brigadier general.svg|Flag of a United States Army Medical Department Brigadier General File:Flag of a United States Marine Corps brigadier general.svg|Flag of a United States Marine Corps Brigadier General File:Flag of a United States Air Force brigadier general.svg|Flag of a United States Air Force Brigadier General File:Flag of a United States Space Force brigadier general.svg|Flag of a United States Space Force Brigadier General

Promotion, appointment and tour length

For promotion to the permanent grade of brigadier general, eligible officers are screened by a promotion board consisting of general officers from their branch of service. This promotion board then generates a list of officers it recommends for promotion to general rank. This list is then sent to the service secretary and the Joint Chiefs for review before it can be sent to the President, through the Secretary of Defense, for consideration. The President nominates officers to be promoted from this list with the advice of the Secretary of Defense, the service secretary, and if applicable, the service's chief of staff or commandant. The President may nominate any eligible officer who is not on the recommended list if it serves in the interest of the nation, but this is uncommon. The Senate must then confirm the nominee before the officer can be promoted. Once the nominee is confirmed, they are promoted to that rank once they assume or hold an office that requires or allows an officer of that rank. For positions of office reserved by statute, the President nominates an officer for appointment to fill that position. For all five uniformed services, because the grade of brigadier general is a permanent rank, the nominee may still be screened by an in-service promotion board. The rank does not expire when the officer vacates a one-star position. Tour length varies depending on the position, by statute, or when the officer receives a new assignment. The average tour length of a one-star billet is two to four years.

Retirement

Other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement. All brigadier generals must retire after five years in grade or 30 years of service, whichever is later, unless selected or appointed for promotion, or reappointed to grade to serve longer. Otherwise, all general and flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. However, the Secretary of Defense can defer a general or flag officer's retirement until the officer's 66th birthday and the President can defer it until the officer's 68th birthday. Because there are a finite number of General officer positions, one officer must retire before another can be promoted. As a result, General and flag officers typically retire well in advance of the statutory age and service limits, so as not to impede the upward career mobility of their juniors.

References

References

1. "Officer Insignia of Rank – Origin". Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army.
2. [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=002/llsl002.db&recNum=169 Memory.loc.gov],
3. [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=002/llsl002.db&recNum=708 Act of January 11, 1812, ch. 14, 2 Stat. 671]
4. (2013-12-11). "Types of MAGTFs". U.S. Marine Corps.
5. [https://taskandpurpose.com/us-military-many-generals James Clark (May 16, 2016) Does The US Military Have Too Many Generals?]: 411 one stars, 299 two stars, 139 three stars, and 37 four-stars across DoD
6. [https://law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/526a 10 U.S.C. § 526a. Authorized strength after December 31, 2022: general officers and flag officers on active duty]
7. [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/611- Law.cornell.edu], 10 U.S.C. 611. Convening of selection boards
8. [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/616- Law.cornell.edu], 10 U.S.C. 616. Recommendations for promotion by selection boards
9. [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/618- Law.cornell.edu], 10 U.S.C. 618. Action on reports of selection boards
10. [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/624- Law.cornell.edu], 10 U.S.C. 624. Promotions: how made.
11. [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/5149- Law.cornell.edu], 10 U.S.C. 5149. Office of the Judge Advocate General: Deputy Judge Advocate General; Assistant Judge Advocates General
12. [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/10/subtitles/a/parts/ii/chapters/36/subchapters/iii/sections/section_635.html Caselaw.lp.findlaw.com], 10 U.S.C. 635. Retirement for years of service: regular brigadier generals and rear admirals (lower half).
13. [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:h5122: thomas.loc.gov] {{Webarchive. link. (2015-11-01 , 10 U.S.C. 1253. Age 64: regular commissioned officers in general and flag officer grades; exception.)
14. Leighton W. Smith Jr.]]