General of the Air Force

History

General Henry H. Arnold, commanding general of the United States Army Air Forces, became the first airman to be promoted to the five-star rank of general of the Army on 21 December 1944. The four other individuals promoted to the rank of General of the Army, all from the Army Ground Forces, were chief of staff of the United States Army George C. Marshall, supreme commander of the South West Pacific Area Douglas MacArthur, supreme commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Dwight D. Eisenhower and commander of the Twelfth United States Army Group Omar Bradley. Four Navy admirals were also promoted to the five-star rank of fleet admiral, including William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations and commander-in-chief, United States Fleet, Chester W. Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the Pacific Ocean Areas and United States Pacific Fleet, and William Halsey Jr., commander of the South Pacific Area.

General of the Army Arnold retained the rank after the U.S. Air Force gained its independence from the U.S. Army on 18 September 1947. On 7 May 1949, under , Henry Arnold's official U.S. rank was redesignated from General of the Army to General of the Air Force. General of the Air Force Arnold is the only individual in the U.S. Armed Forces to possess two five-star ranks and is the only airman to have a five-star rank.

The Air Force currently declares that General of the Air Force is an active rank and it could again be bestowed at the discretion of the United States Congress. However, the President, with consent from the Senate, may award a fifth star at any time they see fit.

Rank senior to General of the Air Force

The only United States Armed Forces rank senior to General of the Air Force is General of the Armies. The rank of General of the Armies has only been granted to Generals John J. Pershing, Ulysses S. Grant and George Washington.

References

References

1. (1999). "Army Air Force and United States Air Force Decorations, Medals, Ribbons, Badges and Insignia". MOA Press.
2. (1960). "Military Uniforms: A Manual of United States and Foreign Armed Forces Uniforms, Insignia and Organizations (DOD PAM 1-14)". Department of Defense.
3. (17 November 2016). "Commissioned Officer rank and descriptions". United States Air Force.
4. (31 January 2021). "How many U.S. Army five-star generals have there been and who were they?". U.S. Army Center of Military History.
5. (1 August 1966). "Fleet Admirals, U.S. Navy". [[Naval Historical Foundation]].
6. (1 September 1997). "Hap". Air Force Magazine.
7. (March 1991). "U.S. Sen. Kasten Pushing Effort To Award Powell With Historic Fifth Star". Jet.
8. (1991). "Armed Forces: War in the Gulf". Abdo & Daughters.
9. (1999). "All Too Human: A Political Education". Thorndike Press.
10. [[wikisource:Public Law 94-479. Public Law 94-479 of 1976]] to provide for the appointment of George Washington to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States