What is "lieutenant general"

Lieutenant \Lieu*ten"ant\ (l[-u]*t[e^]n"ant), n. [F., fr. lieu place + tenant holding, p. pr. of tenir to hold, L. tenere. See Lieu, and Tenant, and cf. Locum tenens.]

1. An officer who supplies the place of a superior in his absence; a representative of, or substitute for, another in the performance of any duty.

   The lawful magistrate, who is the vicegerent or lieutenant of God.
   --Abp. Bramhall.

2. 1. A commissioned officer in the army, next below a captain.

   2. A commissioned officer in the British navy, in rank next below a commander.

   3. A commissioned officer in the United States navy, in rank next below a lieutenant commander. Note: Lieutenant is often used, either adjectively or in hyphened compounds, to denote an officer, in rank next below another, especially when the duties of the higher officer may devolve upon the lower one; as, lieutenant general, or lieutenant-general; lieutenant colonel, or lieutenant-colonel; lieutenant governor, etc. Deputy lieutenant, the title of any one of the deputies or assistants of the lord lieutenant of a county. [Eng.] Lieutenant colonel, an army officer next in rank above major, and below colonel. Lieutenant commander, an officer in the United States navy, in rank next below a commander and next above a lieutenant. Lieutenant general. See in Vocabulary. Lieutenant governor.

      1. An officer of a State, being next in rank to the governor, and in case of the death or resignation of the latter, himself acting as governor. [U. S.]

      2. A deputy governor acting as the chief civil officer of one of several colonies under a governor general.

Lieutenant general \Lieu*ten"ant gen"er*al\ (l[-u]*t[e^]n"ant j[e^]n"[~e]r*al) n. An army officer in rank next below a general and next above a major general.

Note: In the United States, before the civil war, this rank had been conferred only on George Washington and (in brevet) on Winfield Scott. In 1864 it was revived by Congress and conferred on Ulysses S. Grant, and subsequently, by promotion, on William T. Sherman and Philip H. Sheridan, each of whom was advanced to the rank of general of the army. When Sheridan was made general (in 1888) the rank of lieutenant general was suffered to lapse. See General.

n. 1 A commissioned officer in the British Army or Royal Marines or the United States Army, United States Marine Corps(,) or United States Air Force, ranked above a major general and below a general. 2 A similar rank in the armed forces of some other countries.

n. a general officer ranking above a major general and below a full general

Lieutenant general, lieutenant-general and similar (abbrev Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 marshal. A lieutenant general commands an army corps, made up of typically three army divisions, and consisting of around 60,000–70,000 soldiers (U.S.).

The seeming incongruity that a lieutenant general outranks a major general (whereas a major outranks a lieutenant) is due to the derivation of the latter rank from sergeant major general, which was also subordinate to lieutenant general. In some countries (e.g. France and Italy), the ranks of corps general or lieutenant colonel general are used instead of lieutenant general, in an attempt to solve this apparent anomaly – these ranks are often translated into English as lieutenant general.

In a number of states, the rank of lieutenant general is the highest army rank in use. In Latvia, Lithuania and Singapore, the chief of defence is a lieutenant general, and in the Irish Defence Forces and Israel Defense Forces , the Chief of Staff holds this rank.

Lieutenant general (abbreviated 'LTGEN' and pronounced 'Lef-tenant General') is the third-highest active rank of the Bosnian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general.

The rank of lieutenant general is held by the Chief of Army. The rank is also held when an army officer is the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, the Chief of Joint Operations, or the chief of capability development.

The insignia for a lieutenant general is the crown of two crowned-type stars, and a long string line below.

In France, under the '' ancien regime, ''several officers bore the title of lieutenant-general. In general, this title refers to an alternate or delegate vested with all the powers of the person it is intended to replace.

The contemporary French military rank equivalent to Lieutenant general ( NATO code OF-8) in other armies is the Général de corps d'armée.

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general (abbreviated LTG in the Army, Lt Gen in the Air Force, and LtGen in the Marine Corps) is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general. Lieutenant general is equivalent to the rank of vice admiral in the other uniformed services.

Pakistan Army has followed British Army rank system since its independence from British Empire in 1947. However, the crown in the ranks has been replaced with a star and crescent, which symbolizes the sovereignty of Government of Pakistan.
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A Lieutenant general or leftenant-general in the Pakistan Army is equivalent to a vice admiral in the Pakistan Navy and an air marshal in the Pakistan Air Force. A lieutenant general is also called a three-star general. Like other armies, this rank is higher than a major general and lower than a full general.

Lieutenant general (abbreviated LTGEN and pronounced 'Lef-tenant General') is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank.

The rank of lieutenant general is held by the Chief of Army. The rank is also held when an army officer is the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, the Chief of Joint Operations, or the Chief of Capability Development.

Lieutenant general is a higher rank than major general, but lower than general. Lieutenant general is the equivalent of vice admiral in the Royal Australian Navy and air marshal in the Royal Australian Air Force.

The insignia for a lieutenant general is the Crown of St Edward above a crossed sword and baton.

Lieutenant general (abbreviated LT. GEN.) is the second-highest active rank of the Bangladesh Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a 3 star rank.

The insignia for the rank of lieutenant general is the shapla ( water lily) taken from the Bangladesh coat of arms, above a crossed sword and baton.

The currently designated posts for lieutenant generals are the positions of Chief of General Staff, Quartermaster General and Commandant of the National Defence College.

Lieutenant general is a higher rank than major general, but lower than general. Lieutenant general is the equivalent of vice admiral in the Bangladesh Navy and air marshal in the Bangladesh Air Force.