An officer of three-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, three-star officers hold the rank of vice admiral, lieutenant general, or in the case of those air forces with a separate rank structure, air marshal.
Official rank insignia for Australian 'three-star' officers do not use stars in the same fashion as the United States. The RAN does incorporate stars into the hardboard rank insignia for flag-rank officers but this is in conjunction with other devices. Unofficial star rank insignia are sometimes worn when serving with or visiting other military organisations in order to facilitate equivalent rank recognition. The Chiefs of all three services within the Australian Defence Force hold three-star rank as well as four joint positions: Vice Chief of Defence Force, Chief of Joint Operations, Chief Capability Development Group, and Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Bangladesh
Inspector general of Police
Lieutenant general
Vice admiral
Air marshal
Brazil
:pt:Almirante|Vice Almirante
:pt:General de divisão|General de Divisão
:pt:Major-brigadeiro|Major Brigadeiro
The three-star rank in Brazil is the second rank in a general career. The officers in this position are normally divisional commanders.
Three maple leaves appear with St. Edward's crown and crossed sabre and baton. Prince Charles holds the rank of vice-admiral in an honorary capacity. Before unification, the rank of air marshal was the three-star equivalent for the RCAF.
Germany
The equivalent modern German three-star ranks of the Bundeswehr are as follows:
Generalleutnant and Vizeadmiral
Generaloberstabsarzt and Admiraloberstabsarzt
Not to be confused with the Generalleutnant and Vizeadmiral of the Wehrmacht until 1945 or the National People's Army until 1990.
A vice admiral typically commands a numbered fleet which is responsible for all naval ships within its area of responsibility. An Army or Marine Corps lieutenant general typically commands a corps-sized unit, while an Air Force lieutenant general commands a large Numbered Air Forceconsisting of several wings. Additionally, lieutenant generals and vice admirals of all services serve as high-level staff officers at various major command headquarters and the Pentagon, often as the heads of their departments.
Russia and the USSR
In the Russian and Soviet armies, the three-star rank is colonel-general and full admiral. These military ranks, along with other general and admiralty ranks, appeared in 1940. Most Warsaw Pact and Soviet-aligned countries adopted this rank. The rank is often held by commanders of the ground forces, chiefs of military academies and commanders of military districts. Colonel general is considered a stepping stone to the rank of general of the army, itself essential to achieving the high rank of marshal of the Russian Federation. This title also applies to three star officers of the air force, MVD, police and militia, internal troops, FSB/KGB, border guards and some others. In the navy, the three star rank is admiral.
From June 16, 1920, in Ukraine, a colonel general becomes a three-star general . Since 1921, the UPR ceased to exist due to the occupation of Red Army. In 1991, Ukraine regained its independence. In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the ranks and insignia were kept to the Soviet standard. Three stars on the shoulder straps have a colonel general and an admiral. On July 5, 2016, he was approved by the President of Ukraine “The Unicorn Project and the Distinction Marks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”. The draft addresses, among other things, the insignia of military personnel. It was supposed to reform the list of military ranks, among others the rank of brigadier general and commodore were to appear, and the rank of lieutenant general and vice admiral were three-star ranks. On November 20, 2017, the decree of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine № 606 is issued, which specifies the rules for wearing and using unilateral servicemen. Colonels and admirals continue to wear three stars on the shoulder straps, but the stars instead of five rays become four rays.
Following the restoration of independence by Ukraine in 1991, law enforcement agencies used special ranks on the Soviet model that corresponded to military rank. In 2015, law enforcement was reformed, resulting in national police appearing. Instead of the three-star rank of "colonel-general of the militsiya", the title of "first division general" appears.
