Lieutenant general

Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general.

In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks immediately below general (or colonel general) and above major general; it is equivalent to the navy rank of vice admiral, and in air forces with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to air marshal. In the United States, a lieutenant general has a three star insignia and commands an army corps, typically made up of three army divisions, and consisting of around 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers.

The seeming incongruity that a lieutenant general outranks a major general (whereas a major outranks a lieutenant) is due to the derivation of major general from sergeant major general, which was a rank subordinate to lieutenant general (as a lieutenant outranks a sergeant major). Several countries (e.g. Balkan states) use the rank of lieutenant colonel general instead of lieutenant general, in an attempt to solve this apparent anomaly.<ref name="Albanian_Army" />

In contrast, in Russia and a number of other countries of the former Soviet Union, lieutenant general is a rank immediately below colonel general, and above major general – in these systems there is no use of the brigadier general of many Western countries.

In addition, some countries use the lieutenant general as the rank of divisional commander, and some have designated them with French revolutionary system. For example, some countries of South America use divisional general as the equivalent of lieutenant general.

Lieutenant general ranks by country

• Lieutenant general (Australia)
• Lieutenant general (Bangladesh)
• Lieutenant-general (Canada)
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Finland)
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Estonia)
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Germany)
• Lieutenant general (India)
• Lieutenant general (Nigeria)
• Lieutenant general (Pakistan)
• Lieutenant general (Sri Lanka)
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Sweden)
• Lieutenant general (United Kingdom)
• Lieutenant general (United States)

Army ranks

• ALB-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Albanian Army)

• Angola-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Angolan Army)

• Argentina-Army-OF-9.svg

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  (Argentine Army)

• Armenia-Army-OF-7.svg

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  (Armenian Ground Forces)

• Australian Army OF-8.svg

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  (Australian Army)

• Bundesheer - Rank insignia - Generalleutnant.png

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  (Austrian Army)

• General-leytenant AzSQ.svg

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  (Azerbaijani Land Forces)

• Bangladesh-army-OF-8.svg

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  (Bangladesh Army)

• Post-Soviet-Army-OF-7.svg

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  (Belarusian Ground Forces)

• Belgium-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Belgian Land Component)

• 15.Bhutan Army-LG.svg

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  (Royal Bhutan Army)

• Rank insignia of Генерал-лейтенант of the Bulgarian Army.png

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  (Bulgarian Land Forces)

• Botswana-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Botswana Ground Force)

• 18.RBrLF-LG.svg

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  (Royal Brunei Land Force)

• Blank.svg

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  (Burundi Army)

• Canadian Army OF-8.svg

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  (Canadian Army)

• DR Congo Army OF-8.svg

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  (Land Forces of the DR Congo)

• CzArmy 2011 OF8-Generalporucik shoulder.svg

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  (Czech Land Forces)

• Denmark-Army-OF-8-M69-service.svg

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  (Royal Danish Army)

• Capona Teniente General Ejercito Nacional.svg

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  (Dominican Army)

• Estonia-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Estonian Land Forces)

• Kenraaliluutnantti kauluslaatta.svg

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  (Finnish Army)

• 15.Gambian Army-LG.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Gambian National Army)

• Georgia-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Georgian Land Forces)

• HD H 63 Generalleutnant.svg

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  (German Army)

• 15-Ghana Army-LG.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Ghana Army)

• 14. Guinea-Bissau LG.svg

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  (Army of Guinea-Bissau)

• Haiti-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Haitian Army)

• Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg

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  (Indian Army)

• 21-TNI Army-LG.svg

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  (Indonesian Army)

• Ireland-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Irish Army)

• IT-Army-OF8.svg

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  (Italian Army)

• Jamaica-Army-OF-8 (new).svg

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  (Jamaican Army)

• 18-RKGF-LG.svg

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  (Kazakh Ground Forces)

• 15. Kenyan Army LG.svg

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  (Kenya Army)

• Kosovo-Army-OF-8 2024.svg

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• Latvia-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Latvian Land Forces)

• Blank.svg

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  (Lesotho Army)

• Liberia-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Liberian Ground Forces)

• 21-Lithuania Army-LG.svg

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  (Lithuanian Land Forces)

• 15. Malawi Army - LG.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Malawi Army)

• Malaysia-army-OF-8.svg

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  (Malaysian Army)

• Mongolian Army-LTG-service.svg

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  (Mongolian Ground Forces)

• Mozambique-Army-OF-7.svg

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  (Mozambican Army)

• 15-Namibia Army-LG.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Namibian Army)

• Netherlands-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Royal Netherlands Army)

• 19.Nepalese Army-LG.svg

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  (Nepali Army)

• New Zealand-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (New Zealand Army)

• Nigeria-Army-OF-8.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Nigerian Army)

• Norway-army-OF-8.svg

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  (Norwegian Army)

• OF-8 PakistanArmy.svg

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  (Pakistan Army)

• PA Lt. Gen.png

  Lieutenant general
  (Philippine Army)

• Portugal-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Portuguese Army)

• Romania-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Romanian Land Forces)

• Russia-Army-OF-7-2010.svg

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  (Russian Ground Forces)

• 15-Rwanda Army-LG.svg

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  (Rwandan Land Forces)

• Blank.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Sierra Leone Army)

• 10-RSA-OF08.svg

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  (Singapore Army)

• Army-SVK-OF-08.svg

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  (Slovak Ground Forces)

• Spain-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Spanish Army)

• Sri Lanka-army-OF-8.svg

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  (Sri Lanka Army)

• SAA-OF-8.svg

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  (South African Army)

• Blank.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (South Sudan Army)

• Blank.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Eswatini Army)

• Sweden-Army-OF-8 (M1987).svg

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  (Swedish Army)

• Tajikistan-Army-OF-7.png

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  (Tajik National Army)

• 16-Tanzania Army-LG.svg

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  (Tanzanian Army)

• Timor-Leste-Army-OF-8.svg

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  (Timor-Leste Army)

• Post-Soviet-Army-OF-7.svg

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  (Turkmen Ground Forces)

• Uganda-Army-OF-8 (2019).svg

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  (Ugandan Army)

• Погон генерал-лейтенанта ЗСУ (2020).svg

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  (Ukrainian Ground Forces)

• British Army OF-8.svg

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  (British Army)

• US Army O9 (Army greens).svg

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  (United States Army)

• Blank.svg

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  (National Army of Uruguay)

• Uzbekistan-army-OF-7.svg

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  (Uzbek Ground Forces)

• Blank.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Zambian Army)

• Zimbabwe-Army-OF-8.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (Zimbabwe National Army)

Air force ranks

• PLAAF-0719-LTG.png

  Kōngjūn zhong jiang (People's Liberation Army Air Force)

• Taiwan-airforce-OF-8.svg

  Tiong-chiòng (Republic of China Air Force)

• Russia-Airforce-OF-7-2010.svg

  General-leytenant (Russian Aerospace Forces)

• US Air Force O9 shoulderboard.svg

  Lieutenant general
  (United States Air Force)

• Ukraine-AirForce-OF-8 (2020).svg

  Heneral-leytenant (Ukrainian Air Force)

Naval infantry

• 21-TNI Navy-VADM.svg

  lang}}<ref name="Indonesia"/>
  (Indonesian Marine Corps)

• Maldives Army OF-8.svg

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  (Maldivian Marine Corps)

• Netherlands-Navy-OF-8.svg

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  (Netherlands Marine Corps)

• Генерал-лейтенант ВМФ (красный кант).png

  General-leytenant (Russian Naval Infantry)

• 0infant.png

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  (Spanish Marine Infantry)

• Sweden-Navy-OF-8.svg

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  (Swedish Amphibious Corps)

• British Royal Marines OF-8.svg

  Lieutenant-general
  (Royal Marines)

• US Marine O9 shoulderboard vertical.svg

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  (United States Marine Corps)

See also

• Comparative military ranks
• Lieutenant-general insignia
• List of lieutenant generals in the United States Army before 1960

External links

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