ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
The Department of the Air Force released implementation guidance for the Chaplain Corps uniform and the new Air Force maternity wrap dress, June 15.
Chaplain insignia
As outlined in a Department of War announcement in March 2026, chaplains will now wear the chaplain insignia in lieu of officer rank insignia on the chest of the Operational Camouflage Pattern uniform, as well as the patrol cap, tactical cap and outer garments. There is no change to the chaplains’ service dress uniform.
While rank will no longer be worn by chaplains in OCPs, established customs and courtesies should still occur according to DAF Instruction 90-1201. Examples of standard customs and courtesies include:
• Officer-to-Chaplain Interactions (“When in Doubt, Salute”)
When two officers approach each other and the rank of one cannot be visually determined (as will now be the case with chaplains in OCPs), standard military courtesy dictates that they should mutually exchange a salute and a verbal greeting.
• Enlisted-to-Chaplain Interactions
This dynamic remains functionally unchanged. Because all military chaplains are commissioned officers, enlisted personnel and noncommissioned officers will use the chaplain insignia itself as the visual cue to initiate a salute, regardless of the chaplain’s specific grade.
• Prior Knowledge and Unit Familiarity
In most day-to-day operations at the wing or delta level, personnel are expected to know their chain of command and the leadership within their units. Officers and enlisted members will generally know the rank of their assigned chaplains (e.g., knowing that the wing chaplain is a lieutenant colonel). In these instances, the junior member initiates the salute based on prior knowledge rather than visual identification.
• Verbal Introductions and Address
When exact rank must be established for protocol or administrative reasons and is not visually present, it will be established through verbal introduction or title (e.g., “Good morning, Chaplain [Name]” or “Good morning, Major [Name]”). According to standard customs, chaplains may be addressed by their rank or by the title “chaplain.”
(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jessica Avallone)
Air Force maternity wrap dress
This new guidance also announces the Air Force maternity wrap dress may be worn as a mess dress, semi-formal and Class A uniform equivalent for Air Force pregnant Airmen, with a mandatory wear date of July 2030.
Name tags are not authorized on the mess or semi-formal configurations, but a metal engraved name tag is required for the Class A configuration.
The wrap dress is currently available in some stateside AAFES store locations, and all stateside locations are expected to be stocked by the end of this month. Overseas locations should expect stock within the next couple of months. The wrap dress will also be available soon on AAFES’s website.
Space Force Guardians are not authorized to wear the Air Force maternity wrap dress. They will continue to wear the Air Force jumper according to SPFI 36-2903. The new Space Force maternity uniform is currently in its prototype phase and set to be available to Guardians in 2027.
CAC-enabled Airmen and Guardians can read more about these policies on MyFSS:
• Air Force Maternity Wrap Dress Guidance
– Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
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