Rear admiral (United States) facts for kids

Rear Admiral Joseph Walter Mountin from the U.S. Public Health Service. He is wearing two stars on his uniform.

A rear admiral is a very important leader in some parts of the United States military and public services. There are actually two types of rear admirals: the rear admiral (lower half) who wears one star, and the rear admiral (sometimes called "upper half") who wears two stars. These ranks are used in the United States Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, and the United States Maritime Service. In many other countries, a "rear admiral" usually means only the two-star rank.

A Look Back: How the Rank Began
The Two-Star Rear Admiral
The One-Star Rear Admiral (Lower Half)
How Many Admirals Can There Be?
Becoming a Rear Admiral
Special Traditions and Retirement
The U.S. Maritime Service
See also

A Look Back: How the Rank Began

For a long time, the U.S. Navy did not use the rank of "admiral." They preferred "flag officer" to be different from European navies. This changed during the American Civil War.

In 1862, the U.S. Congress created the rank of rear admiral. This was to honor David Farragut for his important victory in New Orleans.

During World War II, there was a temporary one-star rank called "commodore." After the war, this rank was removed. All officers holding it became two-star rear admirals.

For a while, both one-star and two-star rear admirals wore two stars. This caused some confusion with other military branches. To fix this, in 1985, the one-star rank was officially named "rear admiral (lower half)."

Since 1981, rear admirals (lower half) wear one star. The two-star rear admirals wear two stars. Even with different stars, both are still called "rear admiral" when spoken to. In writing, "LH" or "UH" is added to show if it's a one-star or two-star rank.

Around 2001, the Navy, Coast Guard, and NOAA Corps started using different abbreviations. RDML is for one-star (lower half), and RADM is for two-star. The Public Health Service adopted RDML for one-star in 2022.

Rear admirals also have special flags. These flags show one or two stars on a blue background. This helps everyone know who the flag officer is.

The Two-Star Rear Admiral

Quick facts for kids Rear admiral
Rank flag of a U.S. Navy rear admiral
The shoulder star, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy rear admiral (Line officer)
Country	United States
Service branch	United States Navy United States Coast Guard United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps US Maritime Service
Abbreviation	RADM
Rank	Two-star
NATO rank	OF-7
Formation	1862
Rank group	Flag officer
Next higher rank	Vice admiral
Next lower rank	Rear admiral (lower half)
Equivalent ranks	Major general (uniformed services of the United States)

The rear admiral (abbreviated as RADM) is a two-star flag officer. It is sometimes called "rear admiral (upper half)." This rank is used in the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, NOAA Corps, and Maritime Service.

This rank is higher than a rear admiral (lower half). It is lower than a vice admiral. In the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, this rank is like a major general.

It is the highest rank an officer can hold permanently during peacetime. Any ranks higher than this are usually temporary. They are linked to a specific job or command.

U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, USPHSCC, NOAACOC shoulder insignia of a rear admiral
The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral
The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps rear admiral
The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps rear admiral
The collar stars, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Maritime Service rear admiral

Rank flag of a U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral
Flag of a U.S. Coast Guard Restricted Line Officer / Staff Officer Rear Admiral
Rank flag of a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps rear admiral serving as Deputy Surgeon General of the United States
Rank flag of a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps rear admiral
Rank flag of a NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps rear admiral
Flag of a U.S. Navy Restricted Line Officer / Staff Officer Rear Admiral
Flag of a U.S. Maritime Service Rear Admiral (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Superintendent)

The One-Star Rear Admiral (Lower Half)

Rear admiral (lower half)
Rank flag of a U.S. Navy rear admiral (lower half)
The shoulder star, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy rear admiral (lower half) (Line officer)
Country	United States
Service branch	United States Navy United States Coast Guard United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps U.S. Maritime Service
Abbreviation	RDML
Rank	One-star
NATO rank	OF-6
Formation	1985
Rank group	Flag officer
Next higher rank	Rear admiral
Next lower rank	Captain
Equivalent ranks	Brigadier general (uniformed services of the United States) Commodore (most other anglophone naval forces)

The rear admiral (lower half) (abbreviated as RDML) is a one-star flag officer. This rank is used in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.

This rank is higher than a captain. It is lower than a rear admiral. In the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, this rank is like a brigadier general. In most other navies, it is similar to a commodore.

The rank of rear admiral (lower half) replaced the rank of commodore in 1985.

U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. PHS, NOAA rank insignia of a rear admiral (lower half)
The collar star, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral (lower half)
The collar star, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Public Health Service rear admiral (lower half)
The collar star, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps rear admiral (lower half)
The collar star, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Maritime Service rear admiral (lower half)

Rank flag of a U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral (lower half)
Flag of a U.S. Coast Guard Restricted Line Officer / Staff Officer Rear Admiral Lower Half
Rank flag of a U.S. Public Health Service rear admiral (lower half)
Rank flag of a NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps rear admiral (lower half)
Flag of a U.S. Navy Restricted Line Officer / Staff Officer Rear Admiral Lower Half

How Many Admirals Can There Be?

The U.S. Congress sets limits on how many flag officers can be on active duty. This helps keep the military organized and efficient. For the Regular Navy, this number is capped at 162.

Some positions are specifically set by law. For example, the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy is a two-star rear admiral. The Coast Guard's chief medical officer is also a two-star rear admiral.

Becoming a Rear Admiral

For the Navy and Coast Guard, officers who want to become a rear admiral are reviewed. A special board of other flag officers recommends who should be promoted. This list then goes to the President for nomination.

The President chooses officers from this list. The Senate must then approve the choice. Once approved, the officer is promoted when they take on a job that requires that rank.

For the NOAA Corps and Public Health Service, the President or their department secretary appoints officers. Senate approval is not always needed for these services.

Most rear admiral jobs last about three years. For the Navy, Coast Guard, and NOAA Corps, these ranks are permanent. This means the officer keeps the rank even after leaving that specific job. In the Public Health Service, some ranks are temporary. They last only as long as the officer holds a certain position.

Special Traditions and Retirement

In the U.S. Navy, there's a tradition when an officer becomes a flag officer. All other Navy flag officers write them a letter of congratulations.

Officers must retire after a certain number of years in rank or years of service. For one-star officers, it's usually five years in grade or 30 years of service. For two-star officers, it's five years in grade or 35 years of service. All flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. However, these limits can sometimes be extended by the Secretary of Defense or the President.

The U.S. Maritime Service

The United States Maritime Service is mainly a training organization. However, it also uses the ranks of rear admiral (upper half) and rear admiral (lower half). By law, its rank system is the same as the U.S. Coast Guard. Its uniforms look more like the U.S. Navy.