General admiral or Admiral general was first a Dutch then Danish, German, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish naval rank. Its historic origin is a title high military or naval dignitaries of early modern Europe sometimes held, for example the (nominal) commander-in-chief of the Dutch Republic's navy.

Admiral, short Adm, is the most senior flag officer rank in the German Navy. It is equivalent to general in the German Army or German Air Force. In the Central Medical Services there is no equivalent. In the German Navy Admiral is, as in many navies, a four-star rank with a NATO code of OF-9. The most recent officer of the German Navy to hold the rank is Admiral Joachim Rühle, who serves as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium since 2020.