Top Brass in Uniform
Today, the highest ranking uniformed Military officers
form a select group called the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Current JCS composition in the Pentagon is as follows:
JCS Chairman:
Adm. Mike Mullen
Army Chief of Staff:
Gen. George W. Casey, Jr.
Air Force Chief of Staff:
Gen. Norton A. Schwartz
Chief of Naval Operations
Adm. Gary Roughead
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Gen. James T. Conway
Commandant of the Coast Guard
Adm. Thad W. Allen
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Top Service Non-Commissioned Officers:
ARMY
Sergeant Major of the Army
Kenneth O. Preston
NAVY
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Rick D. West
AIR FORCE
Chief Master Sergeant Of The Air Force
Rodney J. McKinley
MARINE CORPS
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
Carlton W. Kent
COAST GUARD
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
Charles "Skip" Bowen
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U.S. Joint Special
Operations Command
JSOC Commander: Vice Adm. William H. McRaven
Highest Ranking Navy SEALs
The Commander of all Navy SEAL forces (Commander, Naval Special Warfare
Command) is a two-star Admiral (O-8).
Rear Adm. Edward G. Winters III
The highest-ranking SEAL in
the U.S. Navy is a four-star Admiral (O-10) Eric T. Olson who recently
assumed duties as
Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
Admiral Olson is the first SEAL to achieve four-star rank as well as the first
SEAL to command USSOCOM.
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From the Past there was Higher Brass, due to WW2!
Highest ranked Military leaders in History:
Navy:
They Were; Established on Dec 14, 1944:
William Daniel Leahy Link 2 (Picture from his 1950 Book)
William Frederick Halsey, Jr. Link 2 (Picture from his 1947 book)
Army, Air Force:
The temporary grade of "General of the Army" (Five-Star)
was provided for by Public Law 482, 78th Congress,
approved December 14, 1944, and became permanent on
March 23, 1946, under Public Law 333, 79th Congress.
They Were; With Dates of Rank:
George Catlett Marshall Dec 16, 1944 Link 1 Link 2 /Bio
Douglas MacArthur Dec 18, 1944 Link1 Link2
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower Dec 20, 1944 Link 1 Link 2
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold Dec 21, 1944 (*) Link 1 Link 2 Link 3
(*)Hap was Re-designated General-of-The-Air Force May 7, 1949
Omar Nelson Bradley Sept 22, 1950 Link 1 Link 2: Very detailed bio!
It Should be Known That The 5-Star Ranks Are Only
Established by Acts of Congress, No One Living Today Has
This Rank Now. Note: Bradley was the very last
5-Star Ranked Officer. He Died April 8, 1981.
It should also be known that there were Higher Ranks
designated by Presidential and Congressional Actions:
General of The Armies of the United States:
(WW I) Established by Public Law
45, H.R. 7594, Sept 3, 1919.
John J. Pershing Link 1
Link 2 Link 3/bio
Arlington Cemetary Biography
Autograph from his Book
General of The Armies of The United States
George Washington
(By Decree, Post-humously), by Pres.
Gerald Ford, 1976; who specified that he, George
Washington, First President and Commander-In-Chief of
The United States, would rank First among all Officers
of the United States Armed Forces, past and present.
Reference: Public Law 94-479 [H.J. Res 519],
Approved
October 11, 1976; enacted from House Report 94-1388.
Check out also the George
Washington Papers Site 2
The Five Star Insignia
From Army Regulations 600-35:
"Personnel: The Prescribed Uniform"
Some 5 Star Pictures
Infoplease article on the Top
Ranking Officers in the Military
More on the Historical 5 and "6 star" Ranked Army Military Brass
Military List (Naval Chain of Command miscellaneous web listing)