An officer of three-star rank is a very senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, three-star officers would hold the rank of vice admiral, lieutenant general or in the case of those air forces with a separate rank structure, air marshal.
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Official rank insignia for Australian 'three-star' officers do not use stars in the same fashion as the United States (the RAN does incorporate stars into the hardboard rank insignia for flag-rank officers but this is in conjunction with other devices). Unofficial star rank insignia (such as that worn by Lieutenant General Leahy in the accompanying image) are sometimes worn when serving (or visiting) other military organisations in order to facilitate equivalent rank recognition.
The maple leaves appear with St. Edward's crown and crossed sabre and baton.
Before unification, the rank of air marshal was the three-star equivalent for the RCAF.
An Army or Marine Corps lieutenant general typically commands a corps-sized unit (20,000 to 45,000 soldiers), while an Air Force lieutenant general commands a large Numbered Air Force consisting of several wings. Additionally, lieutenant generals of all services serve as high-level staff officers at various major command headquarters and The Pentagon, often as the heads of their departments.
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