Lieutenant General

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Common military ranks
Navies¹	Armies²	Air Forces³
Admiral of the Fleet	Field Marshal	Marshal of the Air Force
Admiral	General	Air Chief Marshal
Vice Admiral	Lt. General	Air Marshal
Rear Admiral	Major General	Air Vice-Marshal
Commodore	Brigadier	Air Commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group Captain
Commander	Lt. Colonel	Wing Commander
Lt. Commander	Major	Squadron Leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Flying Officer
Warrant Officer	Sergeant Major	Warrant Officer
Petty Officer	Sergeant	Sergeant
Leading Rate	Corporal	Corporal
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman
¹ in the English-speaking world ² also some Air Forces ³ In many Commonwealth countries

1 Lieutenant General ranks by country
2 Lieutenant General equivalent ranks
3 Other Lieutenant General ranks
4 See also

Lieutenant General 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 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 Marshall.

The term Major General is a shortened version of the previous term Sergeant Major General, which was also subordinate to Lieutenant General. This is why a Lieutenant General outranks a Major General, whereas a Major is senior to a Lieutenant.

In many countries, the rank of Corps General has replaced the earlier rank of Lieutenant General (e.g. France, Italy). (The ranks of corps general and lieutenant colonel general are intended to solve the apparent Lieutenant General / Major General anomaly). However, for convenience, this is often translated into English as Lieutenant General.