United States Army branch insignia

Branch insignia of the United States Army refers to military emblems that may be worn on the uniform of the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 to denote membership in a particular area of expertise and series of functional areas. Army branch insignia is similar to the line officer

Line officer

In the United States armed forces, the term line officer or officer of the line refers to an officer who is trained for command — that is, to be the commanding officer of a warship, ground combat unit, combat aviation unit, or combat support unit....

 and staff devices of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 as well as to the Navy Enlisted rating badges.

Army branch insignia is separate from Army qualification badges

Badges of the United States Army

Badges of the United States Army are military decorations issued by the United States Department of the Army to soldiers who achieve a variety of qualifications and accomplishments while serving on active and reserve duty in the United States Army....

 in that qualification badges require completion of a training course or school, whereas branch insignia is issued to a service member upon assignment to a particular area of the Army.

History

The first use of Army branch insignia was just prior to the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 in the 1850s. It was at that point that the U.S. Army begin developing a series of colored epaulets for wear by officers of various Army branches. The original collar scheme was that cavalry

Cavalry

Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

 officers would wear yellow, artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

 officers red, and infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 officers light blue or white. General

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 officers wore dark blue epaulets.

By the start of the 20th century, Army personnel began wearing various branch insignia on the stand-up collars of the Army dress uniform. Branch insignia was also worn by officers on the wool uniform shirt when worn as outer wear. Enlisted soldiers would wear a version that is enclosed in a brass

Brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...

 disk while officers would wear a full sized version that is not enclosed. This has continued to the modern age.

Members of Infantry, Armor (including Cavalry), Special Forces, Aviation, Engineer, Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery regiments may wear a version of the insignia in which the regimental number is included in the insignia. For Air Defense Artillery and Aviation, the number is mounted on the center of the face. For Infantry, Cavalry, Special Forces and Field Artillery, the number is placed immediately above, but not covering, the intersection of the crossed rifles, sabres, arrows, or cannon, respectively. For Armor, the number is placed immediately above the tank.

Certain special assignment insignia is worn in place of branch insignia to denote the officer's or NCO's particular responsibility. The enlisted versions of these are borne on a golden disk in the same manner as their customary branch device. Officers so assigned continue to wear their basic branch color(s) on the blue Army Service Uniform and the Army Blue Mess uniform.

• Officers and NCOs serving a term in an Inspector General billet wear Inspector General brass.
• Officers assigned to general staff billets wear General Staff brass.
• Officers assigned as aides-de-camp wear aide-de-camp brass which denotes the rank of the officer or official whom they serve.
• Officers assigned to the National Guard Bureau wear National Guard Bureau brass.
• Sergeants Major assigned as Command Sergeant Majors wear "branch immaterial" brass
• The Sergeant Major assigned as the Sergeant Major of the Army
  Sergeant Major of the Army
  The Sergeant Major of the Army is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Army. The holder of this rank is the most senior enlisted member of the Army, unless an Army NCO is serving as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman, when in that case that NCO will be the most senior...
  
   wears unique brass based upon that of an aide-de-camp to the Army Chief of Staff.
• If the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
  Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
  Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman is a military position within the United States Department of Defense and is the most senior noncommissioned or petty officer overall in the United States Armed Forces...
  
   is selected from the Army, that sergeant major wears unique brass based upon that of an aide-de-camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

From 1920, Warrant Officers, being appointed into the Army "at large", wore the Warrant Officer device (a larger version of which is still worn on their service caps) rather than branch insignia on their lapels. Likewise, they wore brown as a branch color no matter their basic specialty. In 2004, Warrant Officers adopted the insignia and colors of the branch corresponding to their specialty.

Typically, General Officers wear no branch insignia, as they deal with echelons far above the basic branch level. Exceptions, however exist, as with the Commandants of the various branches retain the respective insignia and Dean of the U.S. Military Academy wears the Professor, USMA insignia.

How worn

The 21st century Army displays branch insignia on the blue Army Service Uniform coats; it is similarly worn on the Army Green uniform coat until that uniform is withdrawn from wear in 2014. Branch insignia was also similarly worn on rarely-seen Army White uniform coat prior to that uniform being declared obsolete and unauthorized in 2006. Enlisted soldiers wear the branch insignia disk on the wearer's left coat collar, opposite the "U.S." insignia disk. All officers, apart from most General Officers, wear branch insignia on both lapels, beneath the "U.S." insignia on both coat lapels. Most General Officers wear only the "U.S." insignia on both coat lapels, and no branch insignia; Chaplains, Judge Advocates, the Chief Engineer, the Quartermaster General, et al. are exceptions to this rule, and wear branch insignia in the same manner as typical officers; other Branch Chiefs (i.e.: Chief of Infantry, Chief of Artillery, Chief of Intelligence, etc) may at their option wear the insignia of their branch as other officers; similarly, the Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General wear the inspector general insignia on their lapels in the same manner as other officers serving on inspector general tours.

Branch insignia is also worn by commissioned and warrant officers on the left collar of the hospital duty uniform and the arctic fatigues; rank is worn on the right collar. Chaplains wear branch insignia above the right breast pocket of Class B shirts; no other personnel wear branch insignia on Class B uniforms. Similarly, chaplains are the only soldiers who wear branch insignia on the Army Combat Uniform

Army Combat Uniform

The Army Combat Uniform is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army. It is the successor to the Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Camouflage Uniform worn during the 1980s and 1990s. It features a number of design changes, as well as a different camouflage pattern from its...

; chaplains also wear branch insignia on helmets and patrol cap

Patrol cap

A patrol cap, also known as a field cap is a soft cap with a stiff, rounded visor, and flat top, worn by the military personnel of some countries in the field when a combat helmet is not required.-M1951 Field Cap and Ridgeway Cap:...

s in the place of rank insignia.

Branch of service insignia

The following are the currently used branch insignia emblems of the United States Army:

Branch	Insignia	Color	Description
Acquisition Corps AC		Black	A gold color metal device 1 inch (2.54 cm) in height overall consisting of the Alpha and Omega interlaced, superimposed by an eagle’s head erased, all enclosed around the top with a gold tripartite scroll inscribed “INNOVATION” “EXCELLENCE” “DEDICATION” in incised letters; around the bottom entwined by the scroll ends are two laurel branches crossed at base all gold. Enlisted only.
Adjutant General's Corps United States Army Adjutant General's Corps The Adjutant General Corps. Branch is a branch of the United States Army First established in 1775.-History:Adjutant General's Corps dates back to the formation of the American Army, which it has honorably served for over 220 years. Horatio Gates, a former British Army officer, is honored as the... AG		Dark Blue and Scarlet Piping	A silver metal and enamel shield 25 millimeters (one inch) in height on which are 13 vertical stripes, seven silver and six red; on a blue chief one large and 12 small silver stars. The enlisted version is entirely gold-colored metal.
Air Defense Artillery AD		Scarlet	A missile surmounting two crossed field guns, all of gold colored metal, 30 millimeters (1 1/8 inches) in height.
Armor Branch AR		Yellow	The front view of an M26 Pershing M26 Pershing The Heavy Tank M26 Pershing was an American heavy tank briefly used in World War II and in the Korean War. It was named after General John Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War I....  tank, gun slightly raised, superimposed on two crossed cavalry sabers in scabbards, cutting edge up, 20 millimeters (13/16 inch) in height overall, of gold color metal.
Aviation United States Army Aviation Branch The Aviation Branch of the United States Army is the administrative organization within the Army responsible for doctrine, manning and configuration for all aviation units.... AV		Ultramarine Blue and Golden Orange Piping	A silver propeller in a vertical position between two gold wings in a horizontal position, 30 millimeters (1 1/8 inches) in width. The enlisted version is entirely gold color metal.
Army Bands		Old Glory Blue	A lyre, on a 25 millimeters (one inch) disk, all in gold color metal. Enlisted only. [A division of the Adjutant General's Corps, commissioned and warrant officers wear Adjutant General brass, shown above.]
Cavalry		Yellow	Two crossed sabers in scabbards, cutting edge up, 17 millimeters (11/16 inch) in height, of gold color metal.
Chemical Corps CM		Cobalt blue and Golden Yellow Piping	A benzene ring of cobalt blue enamel superimposed in the center of crossed gold color retorts, 13 millimeters (1/2 inch) in height and 45 millimeters (1 13/16 inches) in width overall. The enlisted version is entirely of gold color metal.
Civil Affairs Corps United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command The United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command , or USACAPOC, was founded in 1985. USACAPOC is composed mostly of U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers in units throughout the United States... CA		Purple and White Piping	On a globe 15 millimeters (5/8 inch) in diameter, a torch of liberty 25 millimeters (one inch) in height surmounted by a scroll and a sword crossed in saltire, all of gold color.
Electronic Warfare Electronic warfare Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly... EW		Black with Gold piping	A shield, a lightning bolt, and a key.
Corps of Engineers United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency... EN		Scarlet and White Piping	A gold color triple-turreted castle, 17 millimeters (11/16 inch) in height.
Field Artillery United States Army Field Artillery Corps The Field Artillery branch was founded on 17 November 1775 by the Continental Congress, which unanimously elected Henry Knox "Colonel of the Regiment of Artillery". The regiment formally entered service on 1 January 1776... FA		Scarlet	Two crossed field guns, gold color metal, 20 millimeters (13/16 inches) in height.
Finance Corps FI		Silver Gray and Golden Yellow Piping	A gold color diamond, 25 millimeters (1 inch) by 19 millimeters (3/4 inch), short axis vertical.
General Staff General Staff A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units... GS		None	The coat of arms of the United States, 15 millimeters (5/8 inch) in height, of gold color metal superimposed on a five-pointed silver color star, 25 millimeters (one inch) in circumscribing diameter. The shield to be in enamel stripes white and red, chief of blue, and the glory blue. Commissioned and warrant officers only; but see similar branch immaterial insignia worn by command sergeants major.
Branch Immaterial and Command Sergeant Major		Teal blue and Yellow Piping	The coat of arms of the United States, on a 25 millimeters (one inch) disk, all in gold color metal. Enlisted only.
Infantry Branch Infantry Branch (United States) The Infantry Branch is a branch of the United States Army First established in 1775.-History:Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on 14 June 1775... IN		Infantry Blue	Two gold color crossed 1795 Springfield muskets Model 1795 Musket thumbThe Model 1795 Musket was a .69 caliber flintlock musket produced in the late 18th and early 19th century at both the Springfield and Harper's Ferry US Armories.The Model 1795 was the first musket to be produced in the United States... , 19 millimeters (3/4 inch) in height.
Inspector General		Dark Blue and Light Blue Piping	A sword and fasces 19 millimeters (3/4 inch) in height, crossed and wreathed in gold color metal with the inscription "DROIT ET AVANT" (Right and Forward) in blue enamel on the upper part of the wreath. The enlisted version lacks the blue enamel.
Judge Advocate General's Corps JA		Dark Blue and White Piping	A gold color sword and pen crossed and superimposed on a laurel wreath, 17 millimeters (11/16 inch) in height.
Logistics United States Army Logistics Branch The officer-only Logistics branch was introduced as part of the creation of a Logistics Corps encompassing the three long-established functional logistics branches of Quartermaster, Ordnance, and Transportation... LG		Soldier Red and Bronze Piping	A diagonally crossed cannon, muzzle up and key, ward down and pointing in, surmounted by a ship’s steering wheel, all in gold colored metal; bearing on the hub a stylized star and inscribed on the ship’s wheel in Latin, above “SUSTINENDUM” and below “VICTORIAM” all in soldier red. Overall dimension is 1 inch (2.54 cm) in height. Commissioned officers only; officers continue to wear their basic branch colors.
Medical Corps Medical Corps (United States Army) The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins... MC		Maroon and White Piping	A gold color medal caduceus, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height. All enlisted soldiers serving in medical, dental, or veteranary specialties wear the enlisted version of the Medical Corps insignia without the letters described below, all in gold color metal.
Medical Service Corps MS		Maroon and White Piping	A silver color medal caduceus, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height, bearing a superimposed 'MS' monogramme in black enamel, centered. Commissioned and warrant officers only.
Dental Corps United States Army Dental Command The U.S. Army Dental Command, known as DENCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Medical Command that provides command and control of the Army's fixed-facility dental treatment facilities, preventive care, dental research, development and training institutions, dental treatment to... DC		Maroon and White Piping	A gold color medal caduceus, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height, bearing a 'D' in black enamel, centered. Commissioned officers only.
Veterinary Corps Veterinary Corps (United States Army) The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned veterinary officers and HPSP veterinary students. It was established by an Act of Congress on 3 June 1916... VC		Maroon and White Piping	A gold color medal caduceus, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height, bearing a 'V' in black enamel, centered. Commissioned officers only.
Medical Specialist Corps SP		Maroon and White Piping	A gold color medal caduceus, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height, bearing an 'S' in black enamel, centered. Commissioned and warrant officers only.
Nurse Corps Army Nurse Corps (United States) The United States Army Nurse Corps was formally established by the U.S. Congress in 1901. It is one of the six medical Special Branches of officers which – along with medical enlisted soldiers – comprise the Army Medical Department .... AN		Maroon and White Piping	A gold color medal caduceus, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height, bearing an 'N' in black enamel, centered. Commissioned officers only.
Military Intelligence Corps MI		Oriental Blue and Silver Gray Piping	On a gold color metal dagger, point up, 32 millimeters (1 1/4 inches) overall in height, a gold color metal heraldic sun composed of four straight and four wavy alternating rays surmounted by a gold heraldic rose, the petals are dark blue enamel. The enlisted version lacks the enamel.
Military Police Corps MP		Green and Yellow Piping	Two crossed gold color metal pistols 19 millimeters (3/4 inch) in height.
National Guard Bureau NG		Dark Blue	Two crossed gold color metal fasces superimposed on an eagle displayed with wings reversed, 19 millimeters (3/4 inch) in height. Commissioned and warrant officers only.
Ordnance Corps OD		Crimson and Yellow Piping	A gold color metal shell and flame, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height.
Psychological Operations Psychological Operations (United States) Psychological operations are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.The purpose of United States...		Bottle Green and Silver Gray Piping	Crossed daggers with blade forming a lightning bolt, superimposed by a knight chess piece.
Public Affairs Public affairs (military) Public Affairs is a term for the formal offices of the branches of the United States Department of Defense whose purpose is to deal with the media and community issues. The term is also used for numerous media relations offices that are created by the U.S. military for more specific limited purposes...		Teal blue and Yellow Piping	A vertical broadsword set against a cross quill with pen and a lightning bolt, on a 25 millimeters (one inch) disk, all in gold color metal. Enlisted only.
Quartermaster Corps QM		Buff	A gold color eagle with wings spread perched on a wheel with a blue felloe set with 13 gold stars, having 13 gold spokes and the hub white with a red center; superimposed on the wheel a gold sword and key crossed diagonally hilt and bow up. The insignia is 19 millimeters (3/4 inch) in height. The enlisted version is entirely gold color metal.
Signal Corps United States Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from... SC		Orange and White Piping	Two signal flags crossed, dexter Dexter and sinister Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...  flag white with a red center, the sinister Dexter and sinister Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...  flag red with a white center, staffs gold, with a flaming torch of gold color metal upright at center of crossed flags; 22 millimeters (7/8 inch) in height. The enlisted version is entirely gold color metal.
Special Forces United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and... SF		Jungle Green	Two crossed arrows 19 millimeters (3/4 inch) in height and 35 millimeters (1 3/8 inches) in width all gold color.
Staff Specialist USAR/ARNG SS		Green	A sword 35 millimeters (1 3/8 inches) in length laid horizontally across the upper part of an open book. Below the sword and across the lower corners of the book two laurel branches cross at the stems. Insignia 19 millimeters (13/16 inch) in height of gold color metal. Commissioned officers only.
Transportation Corps United States Army Transportation Corps The Transportation Corps was established 31 July 1942 by Executive Order 9082. The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army, and was headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia, but has now moved to Fort Lee, Virginia. The Transportation Corps is responsible for the... TC		Brick Red and Golden Yellow Piping	A ship's steering wheel, superimposed thereon a shield charged with a winged car wheel on a rail, all of gold color metal, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height.
Chaplain Corps - Christian Faith CH		Black	A silver color Latin Cross, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height. Commissioned officers only.
Chaplain Corps - Jewish Faith CH		Black	The Decalogue Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,... , bearing Hebrew numerals from 1 to 10 surmounted by a Star of David Star of David The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles... , all of silver color, 25 millimeters (one inch) in height. Commissioned officers only.
Chaplain Corps - Buddhist Faith CH		Black	A silver color Dharmacakra Dharmacakra The Dharmachakra , lit. "Wheel of Dharma" or "Wheel of Life" is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism... , 25 millimeters (one inch) in height. Commissioned officers only.
Chaplain Corps - Muslim Faith CH		Black	A silver color Crescent Crescent In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent... , 25 millimeters (one inch) in height. Commissioned officers only.
Chaplain Corps - Chaplain Assistant		Black	Stylized hands supporting a chapel, doors open, on a 25 millimeters (one inch) disk of gold color metal. Enlisted only.