# Rear admiral (United States)
[Rear admiral](https://www.edgepedia.org/rear-admiral) in the [United States Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-navy) and Coast Guard is a flag officer rank that exists in two grades: rear admiral (lower half), abbreviated RDML, at pay grade O-7 with one star, and rear admiral (upper half), abbreviated RADM, at pay grade O-8 with two stars. The lower-half grade is equivalent to a brigadier general in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, and the upper-half grade to a major general.[1](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/) • [2](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Grades | Rear admiral (lower half), RDML, O-7, one star; rear admiral (upper half), RADM, O-8, two stars[1](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/) • [3](https://www.navysbir.com/sec/docs/Ship_Rider_Orientation_Guide-V2.pdf) |
| Services using the rank | Navy and Coast Guard; the O-7 grade is equivalent to brigadier general and the O-8 grade to major general[2](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741) |
| Statutory grades | Title 10 lists rear admiral and rear admiral (lower half) among the commissioned Navy grades above chief warrant officer W-5[4](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section8111) |
| Insignia | Lower half: gold shoulder board with one star, one gold sleeve stripe and star; upper half: two stars and two stripes[3](https://www.navysbir.com/sec/docs/Ship_Rider_Orientation_Guide-V2.pdf) |
| Civilian equivalent | O-7 maps to SES (ES-1-4) and O-8 to SES (ES-5&4) for protocol comparison[5](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/comparison-of-military-and-civilian-equivalent-grades.html) |
| NATO alignment | The two grades correspond to NATO codes OF-6 and OF-7 for the lower and upper halves of the rank[6](https://studyguides.com/study-methods/overview/cmlez35d5batn0192bb96hhyv) • [12](https://hhk.uni-nke.hu/document/hhk-uni-nke-hu/NATO_CODES_OF_RANKS.pdf) |
## The two grades
The United States is unusual in splitting the rear admiral rank into two separate pay grades. Rear admiral (lower half) is the first flag officer grade: officers at O-7 oversee large organizations and operational commands and coordinate efforts across multiple units.[7](https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/navy-ranks) Rear admiral (upper half) at O-8 directs major operational organizations and provides strategic leadership across the fleet.[7](https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/navy-ranks) Both grades sit above captain (O-6) and below vice admiral (O-9).[1](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/)
The statutory grade structure is set in [Title 10 of the United States Code](https://www.edgepedia.org/title-10-of-the-united-states-code). Section 8111 lists the commissioned grades in the Navy above chief warrant officer W-5, in order: admiral, vice admiral, rear admiral, rear admiral (lower half), captain, commander, lieutenant commander, lieutenant, lieutenant (junior grade), and ensign.[4](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section8111) Section 741, which governs rank across the armed forces, places rear admiral (lower half) opposite brigadier general and rear admiral opposite major general in the table of equivalent grades.[2](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741) For basic pay, section 201 of Title 37 assigns rear admiral (lower half) to pay grade O-7 and rear admiral to O-8.[1](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/)
## Insignia
The two grades are distinguished by the number of stars. A rear admiral (lower half) wears a gold shoulder board with one star, and on the black sleeve of the blue coat one gold stripe with a star; a rear admiral (upper half) wears two stars and two stripes in each setting.[3](https://www.navysbir.com/sec/docs/Ship_Rider_Orientation_Guide-V2.pdf) On shoulder straps and epaulets, flag officer stars are worn lengthwise with the single rays of each star pointing toward the collar.[8](https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/References/US-Navy-Uniforms/Uniform-Regulations/Chapter-4/4103/) [The Coast Guard](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-coast-guard) uses the same rank titles and star insignia; its uniform regulations specify metal collar stars of 9/16 inch circumference attached point to point for the O-7 rear admiral (lower half).[9](https://media.defense.gov/2020/Jul/09/2002451108/-1/-1/0/CIM_1020_6K.PDF)
## History of the name
The title of the one-star grade has changed several times, a record preserved in the amendment notes to the pay statute. In 1980 the O-7 grade carried the title "commodore admiral" for the Navy and rear admiral (lower half) for the Coast Guard and NOAA; a 1981 amendment shortened it to "Commodore".[1](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/) In 1984, Public Law 98-557 substituted "Rear admiral" for the longer service-specific title at O-8 and "Commodore" for the longer title at O-7.[1](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/) The following year, Public Law 99-145 substituted "Rear admiral (lower half)" for "Commodore" in pay grade O-7, settling on the current two-part title.[1](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/) The same 1984 law struck the service-specific parentheticals from the rank table in section 741, so that the Navy and Coast Guard entries read simply "Rear admiral" at O-8 and "Rear admiral (lower half)" at O-7.[2](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741)
The lower half and upper half distinction originally reflected seniority within a single rank: officers in the same grade were ranked by position on the promotion list, with those in the upper half receiving the pay of the higher grade. In a 1945 ruling, the Comptroller General determined that the rank of rear admiral covered every officer holding it, no matter whether the officer drew lower-half or upper-half pay, just as one commander rank covered officers paid at different periods.[10](https://www.gao.gov/products/b-50575)
## Career context
Flag officers reach the rank late in long careers. In a GAO analysis of general and flag officers who retired between fiscal years 1997 and 2002, officers were first promoted to general or flag officer rank, the O-7 grade that for the Navy is rear admiral (lower half), at an average age of 49, after 26 years of active commissioned service. They served an average of 6 years as a general or flag officer and retired at an average age of 56 with about 33 years of service, having spent an average of 3.5 years in their last pay grade.[11](https://www.gao.gov/assets/a244195.html)
The rank also appears in joint and international comparison. Under the NATO officer code system, the lower-half grade sits at OF-6 and the upper-half grade at OF-7, matching the British commodore and rear admiral positions respectively in comparative tables.[6](https://studyguides.com/study-methods/overview/cmlez35d5batn0192bb96hhyv) • [13](https://www.desc.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/DocumentLibrary/dm_69_2ed_v1.pdf) Within the US government, protocol equivalencies map the O-7 grade to the Senior Executive Service pay bands ES-1 through ES-4 and the O-8 grade to ES-5 and ES-4.[5](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/comparison-of-military-and-civilian-equivalent-grades.html)
## References
1. [37 U.S.C. § 201: Pay grades: assignment to; general rules, Office of the Law Revision Counsel](https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-118/t37/s201/)
2. [10 U.S.C. § 741: Rank: commissioned officers of the armed forces](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section741)
3. [Ship Rider Orientation Guide, USN Ranks & Recognition figure](https://www.navysbir.com/sec/docs/Ship_Rider_Orientation_Guide-V2.pdf)
4. [10 U.S.C. § 8111: Navy: grades above chief warrant officer, W-5](https://usc-cdn.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title10-section8111)
5. [Comparison of Military and Civilian Equivalent Grades, Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/comparison-of-military-and-civilian-equivalent-grades.html)
6. [Rear Admiral (Naval Rank) – Overview, StudyGuides](https://studyguides.com/study-methods/overview/cmlez35d5batn0192bb96hhyv)
7. [U.S. Navy Ranks & Insignia, Navy.com](https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/navy-ranks)
8. [Chapter 4, Article 4103: Shoulder Insignia, US Navy Uniform Regulations, MyNavyHR](https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/References/US-Navy-Uniforms/Uniform-Regulations/Chapter-4/4103/)
9. [Coast Guard Uniform Regulations, COMDTINST M1020.6K](https://media.defense.gov/2020/Jul/09/2002451108/-1/-1/0/CIM_1020_6K.PDF)
10. [B-50575, September 20, 1945, 25 Comp. Gen. 281, U.S. GAO](https://www.gao.gov/products/b-50575)
11. [GAO-04-1003: Military Personnel: DOD Could Make Greater Use of Existing Legislative Authority to Manage General and Flag Officer Careers](https://www.gao.gov/assets/a244195.html)
12. [NATO CODES OF RANKS.pdf, hhk.uni-nke.hu](https://hhk.uni-nke.hu/document/hhk-uni-nke-hu/NATO_CODES_OF_RANKS.pdf)
13. [Dm 69 2ed V1.pdf, desc.govt.nz](https://www.desc.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/DocumentLibrary/dm_69_2ed_v1.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Ranks, honours, and service traditions › Military ranks › Ranks by country › United States rank system*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license