The Air Force Commander's Insignia is an insignia of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space force branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces, armed forces of the United States and one of the eight uniformed services of the Unite ...

, 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 Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

or above. Examples of such billets would include any unit with a C-prefixed Commander including: Detachment, Squadron,

Group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

, and

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

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 The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA ...

(ROTC) Detachments are also authorized to wear the Air Force Commander's Badge. Commanders of a

Numbered Air Force A Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squ ...

(NAF) or a

Major Command A command in military terminology is an organisational unit for which a military commander is responsible. Commands, sometimes called units or formations, form the building blocks of a military. A commander is normally specifically appointed ...

(MAJCOM) do not wear the Command Insignia as it is only authorized for

Colonels Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in char ...

and below, and these commanders are typically

General officers A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. Ma ...

Guidelines for wear

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.

Equivalents

* The

Materiel Leader's Insignia is equivalent to the Air Force Commander's Insignia. On 6 June 2025, AF/A1 signed an exception to policy (ETP) to authorize Materiel Leaders and Senior Materiel Leaders to wear the ML Insignia on Air Force uniforms. That ETP specified the ML "insignia will be worn in the same manner or area that current Command insignia pins are worn on Air Force uniforms. This exception to policy will remain in effect until the guidance is published in DAFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Department of the Air Force Personnel." * The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

equivalents of the Air Force Commander's Insignia are the

Command at Sea insignia 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, ...

and the

Command Ashore insignia Command Ashore insignia, formerly known as the Command Ashore/Project Manager insignia (or Command Ashore/Major Program Manager insignia), is a breast insignia of the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard. United States Navy In the ...

. * The

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

has no equivalent. * The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

equivalent was the Leader's Identification Insignia, a green cloth loop worn by command leaders, commissioned and enlisted, on the shoulder loops of the obsoleted Army green service and BDU cold-weather field jackets.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Air Force Instruction 36-2903: Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel
United States military badges

Guidelines for wear

Equivalents

See also

References

External links