Would you rather be a General or an Admiral? Which one is your preference and why?

Answer 1

That depends on the branch of the military in which you are or want to be commissioned as an officer. If you wish to be an admiral, you will need to be in the Navy or Coast Guard. If you wish to obtain the rank of general, then feel free to pursue that rank in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard, or Air National Guard. There are actually several different ranks of admirals and generals that would be addressed simply as Admiral (insert last name here) or General (insert last name here).

There are four standard grades for admirals and generals designated O-7, O-8, O-9, and O-10. The bigger numbers denote higher rank. For example, an O-9 in the US Navy or Coast Guard is a Vice-Admiral. An O-9 in the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps is a Lieutenant General. They have all obtained the same rank, but they serve in different branches of the military. Officers of the same rank would determine authority based on seniority. Whichever officer obtained their current equivalent rank first would have seniority.

From lowest rank to highest, admirals are Rear Admiral Lower Half, Rear Admiral Upper Half, Vice Admiral, and Admiral. The corresponding ranks for generals are Brigadier General (one star), Major General (two star), Lieutenant General (three star), and General (four star).

Some braches make provisions for a rank above the O-10 rank to be used during wartime only. Naturally, that rank is O-11. In the Navy, this would be a Fleet Admiral. In the Army, an O-11 is General of the Army (five star). In the Air Force, the equivalent rank is General of the Air Force. These are the only three branches of the US military with an O-11 rank.

Both the Navy and the Army go one step further. An officer that outranks an O-11 is not an O-12. This extremely rare rank is referred to as "Special Grade". In the Navy, it is Admiral of the Navy. In the Army, it is General of the Armies (six star).

Our only Admiral of the Navy was George Dewey in 1899 designated as such by an Act of Congress. John Pershing was designated General of the Armies in 1919. George Washington was the only other General of the Armies, but he did not obtain this rank until 177 years after his own death. None of these men ever wore 6 stars. The 5 star rank of O-11 had not been established during the service of any of these men.

Back to your original questions, I would rather be an Admiral than a General. This is merely personal preference, but I would rather spend the decades of service advancing to such a high rank at sea. However, I must concede that the average naval officer spends an appreciable amount of time on land, and there are plenty of career tracks in the Marine Corps that would enable a budding general to spend an appreciable period of their service at sea.

Go NAVY!

Answer 2

I prefer an Admiral because Navy beats Army! ;-)

Answer 3

Supreme Poopah, Lord of the Couch.