Not very many, although we can't really be sure. There have been 72 four-star generals in the history of the United States Marine Corps. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the phone extensions listed above. The caps are 231 personnel in the Army, 162 in the Navy, 198 in the Air … The maximum numbers of general officers on active duty are set by U.S. Code 526. It then explores these prior precedents of active duty three-star generals and flag officers serving as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and includes discussions of related statutory provisions. Of these, 54 achieved that rank while on active duty, 17 were promoted upon retirement in recognition of combat citations ("tombstone promotions", 1942–1959), and one was promoted posthumously. That's a lot of trust. According to federal law, there can only be 302 general officers on active duty in the Army. The Army's official website at Army.mil details the top commanding figures of the branch, and Wikipedia.com features comprehensive lists of current and past four-star generals of the Army. List of Snipers by confirmed kills; List of three-star Generals of the United States Army from 2000 - Present; List of four-star Generals of the United States Army from 1970 - Present; List of three-star Generals of the United States Army from 1798 - 1969; List of three-star Generals of the United States Army from 1970 - 1999; Simo Häyhä For the Army and Air Force, no more than 16.3% of the service's active duty general officers may have more than two stars, and no more than 25% of those may have four stars. The five-star general officer was born in WWII because American generals and admirals were often placed above allied officers of a higher rank. The general rank comes above the other general officer ranks: lieutenant general, major general and brigadier general. Someone elevated to that position could never retire and was considered an active-duty officer for the rest of their life. 2 List of three-star Generals of the United States Army from 2000 - Present 3 List of three-star Generals of the United States Army from 1970 - 1999 Explore Wikis It ranks above lieutenant general (three-star general). For the Army and Air Force, no more than 16.3% of the service's active duty general officers may have more than two stars, and no more than 25% of those may have four stars. As of 2015, there are multiple lists of active U.S. Army generals available online. All active duty military personnel currently include 38 generals, 141 lieutenant generals, 310 major generals and 420 brigadier generals.