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Air Force Brigadier General

O-7 General Officer, U.S. Air Force
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Major General

Air Force Ranks » Brigadier General RankBrig PayBrig Rank HistoryPromotion Information

Rank badge of a Brigadier General O-7 Brigadier General - U.S. Air Force Ranks

Air Force Brigadier General
Air Force O-7 Brigadier General Air Force Military Ranks
Class General Officer
Abbr. Brig
Title General (last name)
Paygrade O-7 (DoD Paygrade)
OF-7 (NATO Code)
Basic Pay $10,639/mo

Brigadier General (BG) is a one star General Officer rank of the United States Air Force. It is just above Colonel and below Major General. Promotion to a Brigadier General is a lengthy process; it starts with a promotion board made of general officers; this board then creates a list of candidates for promotion, which is sent to the service secretary and joint chiefs for review before it is sent to the President through the Secretary of Defense for approval. The President chooses airmen for promotion from the list with the help of the Secretary of Defense and the Service Secretary.

Brigadier General is a permanent rank, which means that even after the airman leaves this position, he is considered a Brigadier General still. Other than voluntary retirement, all Brigadier Generals must retire after five years in grade and/or a total of thirty years in service, whichever comes second. All General and Flag Officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday, unless an extension is made by the Secretary of Defense or the President. Most retire well before the limits so that their juniors may continue their advancement in rank.

The rank insignia of Brigadier General is a single, silver star.

Brigadier General is the 23rd rank in the United States Air Force , ranking above Colonel and directly below Major General. A brigadier general is a General Officer at DoD paygrade O-7, with a starting monthly pay of $10,639.

How do you become a Brigadier General?

A Brigadier General is most often promoted from Colonel (Col), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. Click here to learn more about promotion to Brigadier General.

What is the proper way to address a Brigadier General?

The correct way to address a Brigadier General named Mr. Miller is "General Miller", or written as Brig Miller. In formal situations, a Brigadier General should always be addressed by their full rank.

How much does a Brigadier General earn?

Basic pay for an entry-level Brigadier General with 2 or less years of experience is $10,638.90 per month.

A Brigadier General receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Brigadier General's final compensation package.

In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Air Force Brigadier General may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including education allowance, housing allowance, clothing allowance, retirement benefits, and more.

For full details on the Air Force's Brigadier General compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Air Force Brigadier General Pay Chart. A full table of the Air Force's current paygrades are available at the Air Force Pay Chart.

Patch of a Brigadier General Equivalent Ranks to the Air Force's O-7 Brigadier General

To learn more about the Air Force's rank structure, see our complete list of Air Force ranks.

The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Brigadier General is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Air Force rank to GS grade conversion table .

To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Air Force and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.