Coast Guard Vice AdmiralO-9 VADM (Previous)
Vice Admiral

Coast Guard Admiral

O-10 Flag Officer, U.S. Coast Guard
No rank

Coast Guard Ranks » Admiral RankADM PayADM Rank History

O-10 Admiral - U.S. Coast Guard Ranks

Coast Guard Admiral
Coast Guard O-10 Admiral Coast Guard Military Ranks
Class Flag Officer
Abbr. ADM
Title Admiral (last name)
Paygrade O-10 (DoD Paygrade)
OF-9 (NATO Code)
Basic Pay $16,975/mo

Admiral is a four-star flag officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and is equivalent to the rank of General in the other Armed Services. The rank of Admiral is temporary and generally used only in times of war. Admiral is the highest rank attainable by officers in the Coast Guard.

Officers are promoted to Admiral in order to fill a certain office, and may only remain in-grade for a certain amount of time. Of the all the Flag officer slots allocated to the Navy, there can be only 6 four-star Admirals and several are reserved for senior staff officers.

An Admiral commands regional Coast Guard operations and answers directly President of the United States. As a four-star flag officer, an Admiral may fly the Admiral's pennant over any ship or station on which he is serving, which is four white stars on a navy blue background.

Promotion to Admiral is initiated with nomination of a candidate by the President of the United States from active Rear Admirals, the lower half and upper halves. Nomination is based on recommendations provided by senior Coast Guard officials and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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.

Four-star flag officers generally serve for a tour of three to four years, and a variety of mandates apply to admirals' retirement from the Coast Guard.

  • Four-star officers must retire after 40 years of total service unless recommissioned
  • 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
  • Once a four-star admiral's tour has ended, he has 60 days to be reappointed or promoted before they must retire.
Most admirals retire well before their mandatory retirement date to allow other officers the chance to fill their position. Typically, they are allowed to retire in-grade to retain their title and paygrade through retirement.

Admiral is the 26th rank in the United States Coast Guard , ranking above Vice Admiral. An admiral is a Flag Officer at DoD paygrade O-10, with a starting monthly pay of $16,975.

What is the proper way to address a Admiral?

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

How much does a Admiral earn?

Basic pay for an entry-level Admiral with Over 20 years of experience is $16,974.90 per month.

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

In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Coast Guard Admiral may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including education allowance, clothing allowance, hazard pay, and more.

For full details on the Coast Guard's Admiral compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Coast Guard Admiral Pay Chart. A full table of the Coast Guard's current paygrades are available at the Coast Guard Pay Chart.

Equivalent Ranks to the Coast Guard's O-10 Admiral

Air Force General - Equivalent to Admiral
Air Force
General
Marine Corps General - Equivalent to Admiral
Marine Corps
General

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

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

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