<P> In the United States Army , United States Marine Corps , and United States Air Force , general ( abbreviated as GEN in the Army or Gen in the Air Force and Marine Corps ) is a four - star general officer rank , with the pay grade of O - 10 . General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force ; the Marine Corps does not have an established grade above general . General is equivalent to the rank of admiral in the other uniformed services . Since the grades of General of the Army and General of the Air Force are reserved for wartime use only , and since the Marine Corps has no five - star equivalent , the grade of general is currently considered to be the highest appointment an officer can achieve in these three services . </P>
<P> In the United States Army , United States Marine Corps , and United States Air Force , general ( abbreviated as GEN in the Army or Gen in the Air Force and Marine Corps ) is a four - star general officer rank , with the pay grade of O - 10 . General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force ; the Marine Corps does not have an established grade above general . General is equivalent to the rank of admiral in the other uniformed services . Since the grades of General of the Army and General of the Air Force are reserved for wartime use only , and since the Marine Corps has no five - star equivalent , the grade of general is currently considered to be the highest appointment an officer can achieve in these three services . </P>
what is the highest number of stars a general can have
what is the highest number of stars a general can have
four
four