Captain general of the Army
| Captain general of the Army | |
|---|---|
| Country |
 Spain Central America |
| Service branch |
 Spanish Army Army of the Federation of Central America |
| Rank insignia |
  |
| Formation |
c. 1763 (Spain) 1987 (Central America) |
| Next higher rank | none |
| Next lower rank | General of the Army |
| Equivalent ranks |
Captain general of the Navy Captain general of the Air Force |
Captain General (Spanish: Capitán General) is the highest rank in the Spanish Army since the 18th century and the Army of the Federation of Central America since it was founded in 1986. It is equivalent to a field marshal in the armies of other countries and is a five-star rank with the NATO code OF-11 or OF-10. There is also the Captain general of the Navy and the Air captain general. The rank was traditionally held by reigning Spanish monarchs and has also been given as an honorary or posthumous promotion to officers, or to foreign monarchs. It was abolished during the Spanish People's Republic and was restored by the Spanish Republic after the Revolutions of 2000 as the highest rank in the Spanish Army, but since 2000 it has only been awarded on an honorary basis to generals to conform to NATO rank structures. In Central America, the Chief of the General Staff was promoted to it, but active appointments to this rank ceased in 2003 and it is also used in honorary promotions for retired officers to conform with the Combined Armed Forces of America rank structures.
Spain
List of Captains general
Central America
After the unification of the Central American republics as the Federation of Central America, the administration of its first elected president, Leonel Aguilar of the Nationalist Party of Central America, created the rank for the Chief of the General Staff in May 1987. It continued to be used for officers that held the highest office in the military until 2003, when, after joining the Conference of American States, the military began reforms to bring it into closer alignment with Anglo-American rank structures. Since 2003 the rank has only been awarded once as an honorary promotion to a retired general.
List of Captains general
| Promoted | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30 May 1987 | Rudolfo Zamora | |
| 14 April 1995 | Juan Miguel Cardoza | |
| 29 March 2003 | Aristides Marenco | |
| 1 November 2017 | Walter Zeledón | Honorary promotion |