The Air Force Commander's Insignia is an insignia of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, that has been in existence since 2002. Also known as the USAF Commander's Badge, the Air Force Commander's Insignia is awarded to any Air Force officer who holds an established command billet within the United States Air Force.
To be eligible for the Air Force Commander's Insignia, an Air Force officer must hold a permanent assignment in a command billet, normally in the rank of Major or above. Examples of such billets would include any unit with a C-prefixed Commander including: Detachment, Squadron, Group, and Wing commanders, as well as the commanding officers of major Air Force installations such as Air Force bases. Commanders of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Detachments are also authorized to wear the Air Force Commander's Badge. Commanders of a Numbered Air Force (NAF) or a Major Command (MAJCOM) do not wear the Command Insignia as it is only authorized for Colonels and below, and these commanders are typically General officers.
Below are some general guidelines for award of the Air Force Commander's Insignia:
On the Service Dress and Service Uniform, Current Commanders must wear the insignia above the name tag. The insignia may be worn below the name tag upon completion of such a command assignment.
On the OCP and Two Piece Flight Duty Uniform (2PFDU), current commanders must wear the commander’s insignia, embroidered in spice brown on OCP fabric, above their name tape on their right chest. Graduated commanders may wear the patch on the left shoulder panel above their MAJCOM patch.
On the Flight Duty Uniform (FDU or Flight Suit), current commanders are required to have the insignia embroidered on the wearers right side of the name tag. Graduated commanders do not wear the insignia on the FDU.
The United States Air Force officer rank insignia in use today.
The United States Astronaut Badge is a badge of the United States, awarded to military and civilian personnel who are employed with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who have completed training for a spaceflight. It is the least-awarded qualification badge of the United States military.
The Submarine Warfare Insignia are worn by qualified submariners.
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron; however, these are not trainee officers with many not choosing a career in the armed forces.
The U.S. military issues instructor badges to specially training military personnel who are charged with teaching military recruits the skills they need to perform as members of the U.S. Armed Forces or teach continuing education courses for non-commissioned officers and officers in the military. With the exception of the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard, these badges are considered temporary military decorations and must be surrendered upon completion of one's duty as a military instructor. Because of this, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps award Drill Instructor Ribbons as a permanent decoration to recognize service members who have qualified and performed as military instructors.
The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP Uniform, rather than the Army Combat Uniform.
Insignias and badges of the United States Navy are military badges issued by the United States Department of the Navy to naval service members who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Navy. Most naval aviation insignia are also permitted for wear on uniforms of the United States Marine Corps.
The Command at Sea insignia is a badge of the United States' seagoing services worn by officers on their uniforms to denote that they are the commander, or formerly a commander, of a warship. If the wearer is currently the commander of a warship, it is worn above the nametag, which is worn a quarter of an inch above the right chest pocket on a uniform shirt. Afterwards, the pin is moved to the left side of the shirt or jacket. For the commanders of land-based installations, a different but similar version known as the Command Ashore insignia instead.
A colonel in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, is the most senior field-grade military officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. Colonel is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services. By law, an officer previously required at least 22 years of cumulative service and a minimum of three years as a lieutenant colonel before being promoted to colonel. With the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, military services now have the authorization to directly commission new officers up to the rank of colonel. The pay grade for colonel is O-6.
The officer ranks of the Royal Air Force, as they are today, were introduced in 1919. Prior to that Army ranks were used.
The uniforms of the United States Navy include dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, and uniforms for special situations, which have varied throughout the history of the navy. For simplicity in this article, officers refers to both commissioned officers and warrant officers.
The Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) is a U.S. camouflage combat uniform formerly worn by members of the United States Air Force, United States Space Force, and some civilian employees of the U.S. Department of the Air Force until April 2021. It replaced the Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Camouflage Uniform on 1 November 2011 after a four-year phase-in period.
Kapten is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above lieutenant and below major. In the navy, it ranks above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander. It is equivalent to the specialist officers rank of förvaltare. The rank has been used in Sweden since the Middle Ages.
The uniforms of the United States Air Force are the standardized military uniforms worn by members of the United States Air Force to distinguish themselves from the other services.
In the United States Army, tabs are cloth and/or metal arches that are worn on U.S. Army uniforms, displaying a word or words signifying a special skill. On the Army Combat Uniform and Army Service Uniform, the tabs are worn above a unit's shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) and are used to identify a unit's or a soldier's special skill(s) or are worn as part of a unit's SSI as part of its unique heritage. Individual tabs are also worn as small metal arches above or below medals or ribbons on dress uniforms.
Captain in the U.S. Army (USA), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), U.S. Air Force (USAF), and U.S. Space Force (USSF) is a company-grade officer rank, with the pay grade of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy/Coast Guard officer rank system and is different from the higher Navy/Coast Guard rank of captain. The insignia for the rank consists of two silver bars, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version.
The uniforms of the United States Space Force are the standardized military uniforms worn by U.S. Space Force personnel, known as guardians.
Badges of the United States Space Force are specific uniform paraphernalia authorized by the United States Space Force that signify ratings, special skills, career field qualifications, and serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments. Space Force occupational badges are awarded in three degrees or skill levels. Badges for space operations are awarded at basic, senior, and command levels; other occupational badges are issued in basic, senior, and master level. A star and wreath system, worn above the badge, denotes which degree or skill level a service member currently holds.
The Uniforms of the United States Coast Guard include dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, and uniforms for special situations, which have varied throughout the history of the USCG.