Admiral general (Spain)

Admiral general
Admiral general;
	Shoulder and sleeve insignia
Country	Spain
Service branch	Spanish Navy
Rank	Four-star
NATO rank code	OF-9
Formation	May 19, 1999
Next higher rank	Captain general of the Navy
Next lower rank	Admiral
Equivalent ranks	General of the Army (Army); General of the Air (Air and Space Force);

Admiral general (Spanish: Almirante general) also called general admiral, is a four-star flag officer and the second highest possible rank in the Spanish Navy. Admiral general ranks immediately above admiral and is equivalent to a General of the Army and a General of the Air. There is not equivalent in the Civil Guard or in the Spanish Navy Marines; in both cases the top rank is Lieutenant general.

The rank was created in 1999 to adapt Spain's military ranks to better correspond with those of NATO.^[1] It is the highest rank that a Spanish naval officer can reach, as the only higher rank is that of captain general, which can only be held by the king or queen of Spain as commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces (although sometimes it has been given as an honorary rank to some generals).

The admiral general's insignia consists of a baton crossed over a saber under a royal crown. Below this and forming an imaginary diamond, four stars. Furthermore, in the sleeves of the uniform, a twisted rope and over this one three 14mm stripes and a star 50mm away. Being under a Crown means that the rank is part of the generalship (the group of generals of the Armed Forces), the baton and the saber means command and the four stars means the rank of General. This insignia was used before to 1999 by the Head of State as Captain General.^[2]

^ "Law 17/1999, of May 18, on the Armed Forces Personnel Regime". BOE.es. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
^ "Ministry of Defense Order 1756/2016, of October 28, which approves the uniformity rules of the Armed Forces". BOE.es. Retrieved 29 September 2018.

[AFPR-1] "Law 17/1999, of May 18, on the Armed Forces Personnel Regime". BOE.es. Retrieved 29 September 2018.

[2] "Ministry of Defense Order 1756/2016, of October 28, which approves the uniformity rules of the Armed Forces". BOE.es. Retrieved 29 September 2018.

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