Admiral is a military rank, typically the highest or among the highest flag officers in a navy. In the armed forces of the United States and Commonwealth of Nations, an admiral—sometimes clarified as a "full admiral"—is the equivalent of a general in the army or air force. NATO codes place admirals or their equivalents at OF-9, behind only the infrequently awarded rank of fleet admirals (US) or admirals of the fleet (CON) and just above vice-admirals. In premodern contexts, admiral is also used as an informal rank for any commander-in-chief of a navy or major fleet.
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the Regia Marina after World War II. As of August 2014, the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active personnel, with approximately 184 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels. It is considered a multiregional and a blue-water navy.
Counter admiral is a rank found in many navies of the world, but no longer used in English-speaking countries, where the equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French contre-amiral. Depending on the country, it is either a one-star or two-star rank.
Each officer rank in the navy of a NATO country may be compared with the ranks used by any military service in other NATO countries, under a standardized NATO rank scale. This is useful, for instance, in establishing seniority amongst officers serving alongside each other within multinational command structures.
This table shows the ranks and insignia of NCOs and Seaman in the navies of member countries of NATO. NATO maintains a "standard rank scale" in an attempt to match every member country's military rank to corresponding ranks used by the other members. The rank categories were established in the document STANAG 2116, formally titled NATO Codes for Grades of Military Personnel.
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps general.
Marshal of Italy was a rank in the Royal Italian Army. Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943. The rank was the highest in the Italian Army prior to the creation of the rank of First Marshal of the Empire in 1938. The rank of Marshal of Italy was abolished in 1946 with the creation of the Italian Republic. The equivalent Royal Navy rank was Grand admiral, while the equivalent Air Force rank was Marshal of the Air Force.
The Ministry of Defence is the government body of the Italian Republic responsible for military and civil defence matters and managing the Italian Armed Forces. It is led by the Italian Minister of Defence, a position occupied by Guido Crosetto since October 2022.
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain.
Ship-of-the-line lieutenant is a naval officer rank, used in a number of countries. The name derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship.
Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette. The equivalent rank is lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies, lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, and lieutenant-commander in the Royal Canadian Navy – a bilingual country which actually uses the term capitaine de corvette (capc) for the rank of lieutenant-commander when written or spoken in French.
Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries. Corvette captain lies one level below frigate captain.
The Italian military rank of maresciallo is classified as a "sub-officer" and is the highest rank of non-commissioned officer in the Italian Armed Forces. It is higher than the rank of sergeant but lower than that of ensign/second lieutenant. There are from three to five grades within the rank, according to the different branches of the armed forces. The rank is achieved through merit or attending the Scuola Allievi Marescialli. Marshal is an intermediate rank of the armed forces which is currently granted to NCOs with the training and technical competence to carry out specialised executive roles, and to command smaller and technically complex units.
The Ranks of the Italian Air Force are the military rank insignia used by the Italian Air Force, usually worn on jackets and mantels sleeves.
Squadron admiral and Squadron vice-admiral are senior naval flag officer ranks, usually equivalent to vice admiral in Anglophone countries. A squadron admiral or squadron vice-admiral is typically senior to a vice admiral and junior to an admiral.
Rank comparison chart of all navies of European states.
Rank comparison chart of all navies of European states. Some European countries do not have naval forces, either because they are landlocked, such as Austria, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Luxembourg, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Slovakia, San Marino and the Vatican, or naval duties provided by another state such as Monaco.
Rank comparison chart of all navies of the European Union member states.
Rank comparison chart of all navies of the European Union member states. Some EU member states do not have naval forces, either because they are landlocked Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg and Slovakia.
Italian Navy [1] [2] [3] 
