Commissioned Officer Insignia, US Military
US Military Commissioned Officer Insignia O-1 Through O-10. US Department of Defense, 2022. GGA Image ID # 1b4b9e9656
The commissioned ranks are the highest in the military. These officers hold presidential commissions and are confirmed at their ranks by the Senate. Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps officers are called company grade officers in the paygrades of O-1 to O-3, field grade officers in paygrades O-4 to O-6, and general officers in paygrades O-7 and higher. The equivalent officer groupings in the Navy are called junior grade, mid-grade, and flag.
Naval officers wear distinctively different rank devices depending upon the uniform they're wearing. The three basic uniforms and rank devices used are:
- Khakis, collar insignia pins.
- Whites, stripes on shoulder boards.
- Blues, stripes sewn on the lower coat sleeves.
US Army Shoulder Insignia
The rank of officers in the United States Army is indicated by insignia, usually made of metal, worn on the shoulders. There are three classes of United States Army officers: general officers, including a brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, and general; field officers: major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel; company officers: second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain. General officers not wearing a coat wear rank insignia on both sides of a shirt collar. Other officers wear rank insignia on the right of the collar and the branch of service on the left.
US Navy Officer Shoulder Marks
The rank of officers in the Navy is shown by shoulder markings, sleeve markings, and collar devices. If an officer is a general duty or line officer, he wears a star in place of the branch insignia, as shown below.
"How to Identify United States Forces," The U.S. Office of War Information, US 724, July 1944.
