Air Force Commander's Insignia
The Air Force Commander's Insignia is an insignia of the United States Air 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 a major command billet within the United States Air Force.
To be eligible for the Air Force Commander's Insignia, an Air Force officer must hold permanent assignment in a command billet, normally in the rank of Major or above. Examples of such billets would include any unit larger than detachment size, including: 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.
The Air Force Commander's Insignia is worn above the name tag when in command of a squadron, group, wing, Numbered Air Force (NAF), major command (MAJCOM), or Unified Command. The insignia is worn below the name tag upon completion of such a command assignment.
Guidelines for wear
Below are some general guidelines for award of the Air Force Commander's Insignia:
- This insignia is no longer associated with commander's pay.
- Additional approval for wear made by Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF).
- Only officers holding the rank of Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel are authorized to wear this badge.
- Must exercise Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) authority in the command assignment.
- Must be competitively selected by a board (Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC)/Major Command (MAJCOM)/Field Operating Agency (FOA), etc.) for their command position.
- May be worn in the area of responsibility (AOR) (per U.S. Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT), current or prior commanders are authorized).
- Serving as a "temporary" or "acting" commander does not qualify an officer for this insignia.
- Commanders must serve the entire tenure of a qualifying assignment (usually two years) for permanent wear.
- Vice and Deputy Command positions, as well as Detachment Command positions other than Air Force ROTC units, do not qualify an officer for this insignia.
Equivalents
The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard equivalents of the Air Force Commander's Insignia are the Command at Sea insignia and the Command Ashore insignia. The United States Marine Corps has no equivalent, while the former equivalent in the United States Army was the Combat Leader Identification that was worn on the shoulder loop of the green jacket of now-obsolete Class-A Service Uniform. As the uniform is now obsolete, so is the insignia.