Rear admiral

Above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral, the rank of rear admiral is the highest one that may be achieved by a navy flag officer. This title is comparable to that of a major general and an air vice marshal. It is equivalent to the rank of "admiral" with two stars. The NATO designation for this level is OF-7, and it is often considered to be a two-star rank.

The phrase may be traced back to the days of naval sailing squadrons and to the Royal Navy, both of which were the forerunners of modern navies. An admiral served as the commander of each naval squadron. This admiral commanded from the centre vessel and oversaw all of the actions that took place inside the squadron. The admiral, in turn, would get assistance from a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships that bore the brunt of the responsibility during a combat. A third admiral was in charge of the remaining ships at the rear of the squadron. Due to the fact that this sector of the fleet was seen to be in the least amount of danger, the admiral in command of this section was often the most junior. This tradition has been carried on into the current day, with the rank of rear admiral serving as the most junior admiralty position in several fleets.

The corresponding rank is referred to as the counter admiral in the majority of European fleets.