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Navy Rear Admiral Lower HalfO-7 Flag Officer, U.S. Navy |
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Navy Ranks » Rear Admiral Lower Half Rank • RDML Pay • RDML Rank History
O-7 Rear Admiral Lower Half -
Flag Officer -
U.S. Navy Ranks
Rear Admiral Lower Half Navy Military Ranks
| Class | Flag Officer |
| Abbr. | RDML |
| Title | Admiral (last name) |
| Paygrade |
O-7 (DoD Paygrade) OF-7 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $10,639/mo |
Rear Admiral Lower Half is a one-star flag officer rank in the U.S. Navy, equivalent to the rank of Brigadier General in the other Armed Forces. The rank of Rear Admiral Lower Half replaced the rank of Commodore in 1985, although many other countries continue to use the title Commodore for similar ranks. A Rear Admiral Lower Half generally commands a small floatilla of several small Navy ships such as destroyers, a squadron of submarines, or a group of air wings. As a flag officer, a Real Admiral Lower Half may fly the Rear Admiral's pennant over any ship or base on which he is serving; the flag has one white star on a navy-blue background.
Promotion to Rear Admiral Lower Half is an extremely selective process, as the Navy can have only 160 active-duty flag officers at any given time. Eligible candidates, chosen from among the senior commissioned officers, are screened and recommended for promotion by a sitting board of currently active flag officers.
This list must be approved by the Secretary of the Navy, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of Defense before the final choice is made from the list of eligible candidates by the President of the United States.
After nomination by the President, candidates must be approved by the U.S. Senate by majority vote before being approved for promotion upon assumption of their new duties. By tradition, all active flag officers welcome and congratulate newly confirmed flag officers with a personal letter following their promotion.
One-star flag officers generally serve for a tour of three to four years, and a variety of mandates apply to admirals' retirement from the Navy.
- One-star officers must retire after five years in-grade or 30 years of total service unless reappointed
- All flag officers must retire one month after their 64th birthday
- Flag officers can have their retirement deferred to their 66th birthday by the Secretary of Defense, and to their 68th birthday by the President
Rear Admiral Lower Half is the 22nd rank in the United States Navy , ranking above Captain and directly below Rear Admiral. A rear admiral lower half is a Flag Officer at DoD paygrade O-7, with a starting monthly pay of $10,639.
How do you become a Rear Admiral Lower Half?
A Rear Admiral Lower Half is most often promoted from Captain (CAPT), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience.
Like an officer's promotions to LCDR and CDR, achieving the rank of CAPT is competitive, with only 50% of CDRs progressing forward. The officer must submit an application, once eligible, to an approval board. They must qualitatively demonstrate a history of strong leadership in assignments both at sea and at shore-based commands. They must have significant operational experience within their profession and are eligible at 21-23 years of service. High year tenure for CAPTs varies periodically, and is usually 30 years.
What is the proper way to address a Rear Admiral Lower Half?
The correct way to address a Rear Admiral Lower Half named Mr. Miller is "Admiral Miller", or written as RDML Miller. In formal situations, a Rear Admiral Lower Half should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a Rear Admiral Lower Half earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level Rear Admiral Lower Half with 2 or less years of experience is $10,638.90 per month.
A Rear Admiral Lower Half receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Rear Admiral Lower Half's final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Navy Rear Admiral Lower Half may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including clothing allowance, personal money allowance, food allowance, and more.
For full details on the Navy's Rear Admiral Lower Half compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Navy Rear Admiral Lower Half Pay Chart. A full table of the Navy's current paygrades are available at the Navy Pay Chart.
Equivalent Ranks to the Navy's O-7 Rear Admiral Lower Half
To learn more about the Navy's rank structure, see our complete list of Navy ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Rear Admiral Lower Half is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Navy rank to GS grade conversion table 
.
To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Navy and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.