What is Lieutenant general?
[[File:Army-USA-OF-08.svg |thumb|right|250px|{{Center|Lt Gen US Military}}]] '''Lieutenant general''' or '''lieutenant-general''' (abbrev Lt Gen, LTG etc.), is a [[military]] rank (NATO code OF-8). It is 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. The lieutenant general was normally [[wikt:subordinate|subordinate]] to a [[captain general]].<ref>''The Penny Cyclopædia'', Vol. XI ed. G. Long (London: Charles Knight & Co., 1838), p. 112</ref> In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks directly below a [[General officer|general]] and above a [[major general]].<ref name=Foster20>Frank C. Foster, ''United States Army Medal, Badges and Insignias'' (Fountain Inn, SC: MOA Press, 2011), p. 20</ref> It is equivalent to the [[navy]] rank of [[vice admiral]]. In [[air force]]s with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to [[air marshal]]. In the [[US Army]] a lieutenant general usually commands an [[army corps]].<ref name=Foster20/> In a number of [[Country|countries]], the rank of lieutenant general is the highest army rank in use. In [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]], the [[wikt:chief|chief]] of [[Defense (military|defence]] is a lieutenant general. In the [[Irish Defence Forces]] and [[Israeli]] forces, the Chief of Staff holds this rank. == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Military ranks]] [[Category:Generals| 2]] {{military-stub}}