Prompt Cast
The Highest Rank in the United States Military Explained
TLDR The highest rank in the United States military is General of the Armies of the United States, which is higher than the five-star rank of General of the Army. Only two men, Ulysses S. Grant and John Pershing, have been awarded this rank.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
There is a rank above a five-star general in the United States military, and this episode discusses this rank and the two men who have been awarded it.
01:43
The upper ranks of the American military have changed over time, with George Washington being the highest-ranking general until Winfield Scott was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1855, and the rank of General of the Army was created and awarded to Ulysses S. Grant after the Civil War.
03:23
The rank of General of the Army, held by Philip Sheridan after the Civil War, was the highest rank in the US military until the start of World War I, when the current four-star general system was created.
04:58
To address the issue of lower-ranking American commanders leading troops with higher-ranking Allied commanders, the US created the rank of general of the army, with five stars, to be on par with the British rank of Field Marshal.
06:34
The rank of general of the army with five stars was also given to Omar Bradley in 1950, but since then no one else has been promoted to this rank, and attempts to create a rank of Field Marshal or to promote generals to six-star rank have not been successful.
08:01
In 1919, Congress created the rank of General of the Armies of the United States, which was given to John Pershing, and although it is rarely discussed, this rank is higher than the five-star rank of General of the Army.
09:40
The idea of promoting Douglas MacArthur to the rank of General of the Armies with a six-star insignia was considered but ultimately dropped due to the lack of necessity, and subsequent movements to promote him to the six-star rank after his death were also unsuccessful.
