Lieutenant general is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a captain general.^{[citation needed]}

In modern armies, lieutenant general normally ranks immediately below general and above major general; it is equivalent to the navy rank of vice admiral, and in air forces with a separate rank structure, it is equivalent to air marshal. A lieutenant general heads up an army corps, made up of typically three army divisions, and consisting of around 60,000 soldiers.

The term major general is a shortened version of the previous term sergeant major general, which was also subordinate to lieutenant general. This is why a lieutenant general outranks a major general, whereas a major is senior to a lieutenant.

In many countries, the rank of corps general has replaced the earlier rank of lieutenant general (e.g. France, Italy). (The ranks of corps general and lieutenant colonel general are intended to solve the apparent lieutenant general / major general anomaly). However, for convenience, this is often translated into English as lieutenant general.

Babacar Gaye (born 31 January 1951 in Saint Louis, Senegal) is a Senegalese Army General who served as Force Commander for the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2005 to 2010.

Babacar Gaye studied at the military academy École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, where he enrolled in 1970 and graduated in 1972.

Lieutenant-General Gaye attended military courses at prestigious war colleges and military schools in France and Belgium.

He joined the École Supérieure de Guerre in Paris in 1986 and graduated in 1988.

In 2005, The Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, appointed Lieutenant-General Babacar Gaye (Senegal) as the new Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). He replaced Major-General Iliya (Nigeria) and was the third Force Commander of MONUC and the second commander from Senegal after General Mountaga Diallo.

In January 2004, he was assigned as Ambassador of Senegal in Germany by president Abdoulaye Wade.

Lieutenant General Mark Phillip Hertling, USA (born September 29, 1953) is the Commanding General, US Army Europe and Seventh Army. In that role, he is the Commander of the approximately 42,000 US Army forces assigned to Europe, and he is the Army Component Commander of US European Command. While Hertling's primary role is training US Army Soldiers and Units for Contingency and Full Spectrum Operations, he is also responsible for Theater Security Cooperation and Building Partner Capacity with the 51 Allied nations that are part of the European area of operation.

In his first year as USAREUR Commander, Hertling visited more than 30 partner countries to meet with military counterparts and state department officials to further mil-to-mil partnerships in the region and increase theatre security operations to help prevent future conflicts. Additionally, he consistently visits with Minister Presidents and German officials to further the relationship with the USAREUR host-nation. Hertling has also overseen the re-stand-up of V Corps in Wiesbaden, brought the innovative Soldier Fueling Initiative to USAREUR Soldiers, increased efficiencies throughout all units, provided increased support for family programs and wounded warrior programs, and reinforced leader development, values, and the Army Profession.

Lieutenant General David Lindsay Morrison AO (born 1956) is a senior officer within the Australian Army, currently serving in the position of Chief of Army.

David Morrison joined the Australian Army in 1979, after completing a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University. He graduated from the Officer Cadet School, Portsea into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps.

Between 1987 and 1988, Morrison served as the Australian Instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom.

In 1992, Morrison attended Army Command and Staff College, Queenscliff, and was then appointed as the Brigade Major of the 3rd Brigade, based in Townsville, Queensland. During that time he took part in Operation Lagoon, acting as chief of staff for a multinational force that provided security to the peace conference held in Bougainville during 1994. The following year he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

In 1997 he was appointed as the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, holding that position until the end of 1998, when he was posted as Chief Instructor Command, Staff Operations Wing at the Army All Corps Promotion Training Centre in Canungra.

Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc, SLAC (In Sinhalese: ලුතිනන් ජෙනරාල් ඩෙන්සිල් ලක්ෂ්මණ් කොබ්බෑකඩුව) (July 27, 1940 – August 8, 1992) was a highly decorated and respected General in the Sri Lanka army. He was assassinated along with 9 other military officers in a land-mine explosion.

Born into a typically Kandyan family, the second child and eldest of three sons, Kobbekaduwa was educated at Trinity College Kandy. At school he excelled in sports, especially rugby football, playing as scrum half. He continued to play even after he had joined the army. He also played rugby football for Sri Lanka, and coached, refereed and administered the game on a national level. He was also a Board member of the Duncan White Sports Foundation.

Lt. General Kobbekaduwa joined the army in May 1960 and received his training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. After returning to Sri Lanka, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. Although the army was more a parade ground army at that time, Lt. General Kobbekaduwa was to see it turned into a well trained, battle hardened and disciplined army. Lt. Kobbekaduwa was well liked both by his superiors, peers, and subordinates, and his promotions within the army came swiftly, despite twice being a victim of political interdictions in 1977 and 1965 when he was sent on compulsory leave following an attempted coup d'état but was returned to active service in 1970. General Kobbekaduwa was a graduate of Royal College of Defence Studies and the British Army Staff College at Camberley. He was promoted to Major General in 1990 and was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant General in 1992.