General of the Air Force is the highest rank in the United States Air Force. It is often referred to as a five-star general. It is immediately above the rank of
General.
Following the establishment of the United States Air Force in 1947, the Air Force rank of General of the Air Force was established as an equivalent to the Army rank of General of the Army. The insignia for General of the Army and General of the Air Force were originally the same. The insignia for General of the Air Force was slightly modified in the 1950s for wear on the new blue Air Force dress uniform. General of the Air Force, however, has never been worn by an officer of the modern Air Force on active duty.
The only person to hold the rank of General of the Air Force was Henry H. Arnold. Arnold was a General of the Army (promoted December 21, 1944) and became inactive (five star officers do not retire, but remain on active duty for life) while the Army Air Force (AAF) was a component of the U.S. Army. On May 7, 1949, he was awarded the rank of General of the Air Force, and was photographed in an Air Force uniform wearing the insignia of that rank.
During the Cold War, with the rise of the Strategic Air Command, it was proposed that General of the Air Force be reestablished and granted to Curtis Lemay with the rank continued for use and granted to such senior generals such as the commander of NORAD. As a result, General of the Air Force can still be seen on modern insignia charts and it is still considered an official rank of the United States Air Force.
All five star officers are, technically, unable to retire from active duty. This is more of a convention of honor than a practical matter, as five star officers continue to be paid full salary for life, unless (as Dwight D. Eisenhower did upon his election to the Presidency) they formally resign their commission. President Eisenhower's commission was retroactively reinstated back to 1944 by Pub.L. 87-3 on March 23, 1961, signed by President Kennedy after President Eisenhower left office.
