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New Marine Corps Uniform App

Sunday, July 19th, 2026

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. —

U.S. Marine Corps Education Command has launched the official Marine Corps Uniform App, a free mobile application that provides Marines with convenient, on-the-go access to uniform and grooming guidance, June 29, 2026.

The app announced in MARADMIN 299/26, is developed as a companion to Marine Corps Order 1020.34,Marine Corps Uniform Regulations, providing a streamlined reference for Marines to quickly locate commonly used uniform and grooming guidance while away from the official publication.

The application organizes uniform regulations by officer and enlisted personnel, as well as by sex. It also includes basic grooming standards, allowing Marines to quickly reference appearance requirements while traveling or preparing for official duties.

“The Marine Corps Uniform App gives Marines immediate access to the guidance they use most often. It is designed to make existing standards more accessible while reinforcing the professionalism and attention to detail that define our Corps.”

– Brig Gen Matthew W. Tracy, commanding general, Education Command

The application is intended to supplement, not replace, MCO 1020.34. While it answers many of the most common questions regarding uniforms and grooming, Marines should continue to consult the order for comprehensive policy and detailed guidance.

By placing essential information in a mobile format, the Marine Corps is improving access to resources that help Marines maintain the highest standards of military appearance and discipline, regardless of location.

The Marine Corps Uniform App is available free of charge through the Apple App Store. An Android version is expected to be released during Department of War Fiscal Year 2027.

Users are encouraged to submit feedback through the Marine Corps Uniform Board organizational mailbox identified within the MARADMIN.

By Maj Hector Infante | Marine Corps Training and Education Command

Posted in Clothing, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, USMC | No Comments »

TECOM Establishes Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group and Counter Drone Team

Friday, July 10th, 2026

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.— The Marine Corps has established theMarine Corps Robotics Integration Groupas its service-level organization responsible for integrating, standardizing, and institutionalizing training for Group 1 and Group 2 small unmanned aircraft systems and counter-small unmanned aircraft systems across the Total Force, as announced inMARADMIN 307/26.

Assigned under Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, MCRIG serves as the Marine Corps’ focal point for unmanned systems training integration, curriculum development, and education. The organization ensures emerging drone capabilities are transformed into standardized programs of instruction, instructor certifications, and enduring training products that can be delivered consistently throughout the Marine Corps.

“The battlefield continues to demonstrate that small unmanned aircraft systems are no longer niche capabilities; they are indispensable tools for reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection and survivability,” said Maj. Gen. Mark H. Clingan, commanding general, MAGTFTC, MCAGCC. “The Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group provides the institutional framework necessary to rapidly integrate validated capabilities into standardized training, ensuring Marines across the Total Force are prepared to employ and defeat these systems in future conflicts.”

The establishment of MCRIG reflects the Marine Corps’ continued effort to adapt to the rapidly evolving character of warfare, where inexpensive, commercially available unmanned aircraft have fundamentally changed how modern militaries detect, target, maneuver, and fight. MCRIG also establishes a deliberate process for transitioning emerging capabilities into formal Marine Corps training.

As the service-level integrator, MCRIG receives validated capability packages, including tactics, techniques and procedures, pilot courses and training requirements, from specialized organizations responsible for experimentation and operational assessment. Once validated, MCRIG develops curriculum, training support packages, and certification standards before distributing them through designated regional hubs that execute standardized instruction across the Fleet Marine Force.

Central to this process are two complementary organizations: the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team and the newly established Marine Corps Counter Drone Team.

“The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team and the Marine Corps Counter Drone Team are designed to move at the speed of technology. Through the analysis of exercises, operations, and purposely designed events we gain critical information about how systems should be employed or defeated,” said Col. Charles Anklam III, commanding officer, Weapons Training Battalion. “Our responsibility is to rigorously test ideas, validate capabilities, and rapidly transition those findings to MCRIG, where they become standardized training that benefits every Marine. This partnership allows us to remain agile to the constantly changing threat, innovate quickly, and provide the fleet with consistently reliable, credible, and operationally relevant information to increase lethality and survivability.”

The Marine Corps established MCCDT to accelerate counter-drone training development in the same way MCADT has supported and advanced attack drone capability development, experimentation, research, testing, and evaluation. Together, the two organizations provide Training Command a focused capability to study both sides of the unmanned systems fight: employment and defeat.

As an organic element of Weapons Training Battalion at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, MCCDT serves as Training Command’s dedicated counter-drone training development cell. Not designed to deploy as an operational force provider, MCCDT’s role is to identify the threat, test emerging solutions, validate practical tactics, and transition those findings to MCRIG for service-wide implementation.

MCCDT integrates lessons from MCWL, MAGTFTC, MCRIG, government partners, industry, and the Fleet Marine Force to ensure counter-drone tactics and training remain operationally relevant. This approach allows the Marine Corps to rapidly assess emerging threats, evaluate available technologies, and convert battlefield lessons into practical training requirements.

Using established Marine Corps guidance and approved training standards as its baseline, MCCDT conducts operational assessments and force-on-force evaluations to refine C-sUAS best practices. Once validated, those recommendations are provided to MCRIG for incorporation into institutional doctrine, curriculum, instructor certifications, and standardized training products.

This relationship creates a disciplined innovation pathway. MCADT and MCCDT move quickly to support the experimentation, assessment, and validation of tactics against emerging unmanned systems challenges, while MCRIG ensures those lessons become consistent, repeatable, and enduring training across the Marine Corps.

Together, these organizations create a continuous cycle of innovation and institutional learning, rapidly identifying and validating lessons through operational assessment, and incorporating them into formal Marine Corps training.

Designated TECOM regional hubs will execute MCRIG-approved courses throughout the Marine Corps, providing geographically distributed training while also returning operational observations and lessons learned to support continuous improvement of curriculum and tactics. The integrated training enterprise provides the Marine Corps with a sustainable framework capable of rapidly adapting as unmanned technologies evolve, ensuring Marines receive standardized, current, and operationally relevant instruction regardless of where they train.

The Marine Corps is also seeking motivated, technically proficient, and innovative Marines to help build this emerging capability. Marines interested in serving in select C-sUAS billets within MCRIG are encouraged to review MARADMIN 307/26 for eligibility requirements and application procedures.

The establishment of MCRIG and MCCDT represents another significant milestone in the Marine Corps’ broader modernization efforts, ensuring Marines remain prepared to employ and counter rapidly evolving unmanned systems while preserving the agility, lethality, and survivability required on tomorrow’s battlefield.

Story by Maj Hector Infante

U.S. Marine Corps Training and Education Command

Posted in Admin, C-UAS, Drone, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, Robotics, USMC, UxS | No Comments »

USMC Announces 0315 Scout MOS

Wednesday, July 1st, 2026

WASHINGTON, DC —

MARADMIN 296/26 announced the creation of a new primary military occupational specialty (PMOS), 0315 Scout, to provide infantry battalions and light armored reconnaissance battalions with a dedicated, all-weather reconnaissance and surveillance capability. This change, effective 1 October 2026, is part of the Marine Corps’ broader Force Design modernization efforts to create a more agile and lethal force prepared for future operating environments.

U.S. Marines with 3d Littoral Combat Team Scout Platoon, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, add vegetation to their ghillie suits for company attacks during exercise Bougainville III at Pohakuloa Training Area, Feb. 10, 2024. Bougainville III is a 3d LCT live-fire exercise focused on decentralized operations to prepare the battalion to command and control forces from dispersed locations. Scout platoons provide precision marksmanship and increased reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities to infantry companies and battalions. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Grace Gerlach)

The new 0315 Scouts will populate a 26-Marine Scout Platoon within each infantry battalion and the Scout Teams within the light armored reconnaissance battalion. This purpose-built force is optimized for ground-based reconnaissance, surveillance, and battlespace shaping, providing battalion commanders with a dedicated, multidomain sensing platoon. The creation of this specialized MOS was driven by extensive live-force experimentation, which highlighted the need for a dedicated formation at the battalion level to collect timely and accurate information on the enemy and the operating environment.

“The establishment of the 0315 Scout MOS is a critical step in the modernization of our infantry battalions,” said Lt. Gen. Jay M. Bargeron, Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations. “This professional, purpose-built force will provide commanders with the organic reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities essential for success on the future battlefield. These Scouts will be our eyes and ears, extending our sensing capabilities and enabling commanders to make faster, more effective decisions to win our nation’s battles.”

Scout Platoons are equipped with advanced optics, communications suites, sensors, and unmanned systems to extend their observation range and persist in the battlespace. Each team within the platoon includes a Joint Fires Observer (JFO) trained to coordinate and control surface-to-surface and air-delivered fires, enabling the platoon to shape the battlefield and enhance the battalion’s lethality and resilience.

The training for 0315 Scouts is rigorous, building upon foundational infantry skills with a specialized course in ground reconnaissance, surveillance, and communications. This dedicated career path ensures the Marine Corps can deliberately manage, develop, and retain talent, creating a community of experts with the advanced skills required for complex scouting missions.

Posted in Profession of Arms, USMC | 2 Comments »

US Army Establishes Space Operations Branch to Enable Multidomain Dominance

Friday, June 26th, 2026

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Army announced it established its newest branch, the Space Operations Branch, marking an historic milestone in the service’s continuous transformation to meet the challenges of modern, multidomain warfare.

The Space Operations Branch consolidates and formalizes the career paths of the Army’s space professionals. The new branch brings together Army Space Operations Officers, currently designated as Functional Area 40, and enlisted Tactical Space Operations Specialists, designated under the recently established Military Occupational Specialty 40D.

“Land power requires warfighting expertise in all domains. What makes me proud is that our Army is not just building a capability, we’re growing professionals at every echelon,” said Gen. Christopher LaNeve, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff. “That’s what the 40D MOS is about—Soldiers delivering the foundational excellence our Joint Force depends on.”

Space Operations Branch serves as a critical component in the utilization of space capabilities and supports the ongoing transformation of Army force structure for multidomain operations.

Combat credibility demands resilient space systems and dedicated counterspace capabilities to protect U.S. assets and deny adversaries the ability to target joint forces from outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Army space professionals ensure our forces maintain the initiative and operate from positions of relative advantage across all domains.

The new Space Branch provides highly trained, ready and deployable Soldiers and formations, equipped to deliver specialized capabilities to enable successful Army and joint force operations while effectively denying, disrupting and degrading adversary operations within the space domain.

“The Army is the largest user of space capabilities in the joint force, and space integration is absolutely critical to multidomain operations at every echelon,” said Lt. Gen. John Rafferty, commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. “Establishing the Space Operations Branch is an important step in the Army’s continuous transformation. It provides the Army with the professional structure to deliver space-based effects directly to our Soldiers and units at the tactical edge enabling commanders to fight and win in a contested, multidomain environment.”

Establishing the new branch also relieves operational pressure, primarily on the ADA, Signal, and MI branches, which previously provided enlisted personnel to execute space missions on temporary tours. The transition allows these branches to decrease non-mission-essential billets and redistribute Soldiers to critical vacancies, optimizing readiness across the wider Army.

The Army currently integrates hundreds of thousands of space-enabled systems to enhance maneuver and enable multidomain operations. This structural transformation ensures the service keeps pace with the growing space operations force structure required across the joint force, particularly within its modern multidomain task forces and theater strike effects groups. The Space Operations Branch will produce well-rounded experts to deliver close space support and space interdiction capabilities that maneuver commanders depend on to gain and maintain the initiative.

The transition to the new branch will leverage existing training pipelines. Officer and enlisted training will continue to be conducted at the Space and Missile Defense School, part of Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Center of Excellence in Colorado Springs, Colo. Eligible Soldiers in grades E-3 through E-9 have the opportunity to request reclassification to MOS 40D through a central selection board process, with the transfer window officially opening in October 2026. Officers may continue to request acceptance to become FA40s, including Assured Functional Area Transfer, after serving in their basic branch.

US Army Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Profession of Arms, Space | No Comments »

US Army Revises Wear of Chaplain Corps Identification on the ACU and ECWCS

Thursday, June 25th, 2026

Today the US Army issued guidance for Chaplain Corps uniforms emphasizing their role as religious leaders and pastoral care providers across the force.

“A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain, and an officer second. This change is a visual representation of that fact.”

– Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

Within 90 days, Chaplains will remove chaplain rank insignia on the Army combat uniform (ACU) and place the branch insignia to a position of prominence at the collar.

According to the guidance this emphasizes a chaplain’s primary role as a pastoral care provider and enhances approachability, ensuring all Soldiers feel comfortable accessing religious support.

The branch insignia is worn centered on both collars of the ACU coat, with the centerline of the insignia bisecting the points of the collar. Subdued pin-on or sew-on branch insignia may be worn. Sew-on insignia width will not exceed one inch. Chaplains will not wear rank on the ACU. Chaplains must remove the hook-and-loop fastener from the center of the chest and will not wear a blank hook-and-loop fastener. The guidance also includes instructions for the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System.

The approved designs consist of the Latin cross, the Jewish tablets (with the Star of David superimposed), the Muslim crescent moon, the Buddhist wheel of righteousness, and the Hindu Om.

Posted in Army, Profession of Arms | 2 Comments »

US Army Ranger Hall of Fame Honors 2026 Inductees for Exemplary Service

Sunday, June 21st, 2026

Columbus, GA – June 15, 2026 – The U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame selected 12 distinguished individuals to be inducted to the Ranger Hall of Fame on June 24, 2026, during a ceremony held at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Established in 1992, the Ranger Hall of Fame honors those who have demonstrated extraordinary valor, leadership, and commitment to the Ranger Creed. The 2026 inductees represent a diverse group of leaders whose service spans from WWII to modern-day operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

2026 Ranger Hall of Fame Inductees:

• GEN Daniel B. Allyn – General Allyn is a warrior-leader whose 36-year career exemplified the Ranger ethos. As a captain serving in South Korea, he sought assignment to the 75th Ranger Regiment and quickly proved himself as commander of Company C, 1st Ranger Battalion. He led the night combat parachute assault to seize Torrijos Airport during Operation Just Cause. He later commanded 3rd Ranger Battalion, leaving an enduring mark on the Regiment. Throughout his career, General Allyn embodied selfless service, combat valor, and unwavering commitment to the Ranger legacy, making him a truly deserving member of the Ranger Hall of Fame.

• SGM Colin M. Boley – Throughout his 26 years of service he continually led the way in all assignments and missions as a leader. Ranger Boley served more than 12 years in the 75th Ranger Regiment serving in many positions from Team Leader to 1SG with 15 combat deployments totaling more than 7 cumulative years in a combat environment throughout his career. SGM(R) Colin Boley has proven to be a competent and motivational leader of men always leading from the front and setting the example for Rangers to follow. He embodies what a true warrior should be, while serving a great nation in time of war.

• MG Clarence K.K. Chinn – Throughout a distinguished 36-year career, Ranger Chinn not only upheld but exemplified the Ranger Creed, demonstrating extraordinary leadership and an enduring commitment to the Ranger ethos. In every assignment, from Chief of Operations at SOCOM to DCG at USASOC, CG at JRTC & Fort Polk and Army South, Ranger Chinn’s professionalism, character, and leadership set the standard. His combat experience, mentorship, and leadership across Ranger and conventional forces shaped thousands of soldiers and left an enduring mark on Ranger history.

• GEN Richard D. Clarke – General (Ret.) Richard D. Clarke is inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame for distinguished and faithful service to our country, and for dedicating his life and career to the values set forth in the Ranger Creed. His military career spanned close to 40 years and included multiple combat deployments to Desert Storm, Joint Guardian, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve, New Dawn; spending more than five years deployed in support of combat operations. He played a fundamental role in securing the nation and its interest during a period of complex, volatile, and unpredictable threats from strategic competitors and violent extremist organizations. Gen. Clarke’s dynamic leadership, professional competence, and unyielding personal commitment was essential to the success of numerous missions of national importance and vital to the security of the United States of America.

• MAJ Peter Dencker – Ranger Dencker was commissioned Infantry from West Point in 1969 and volunteered for Vietnam. In August 1970 he was assigned as a platoon leader in 1/7th Cav. In December 1970, he reported to H/75th as the XO. From March 1971 till June 1972, he Commanded H/75th. His final assignment was teaching and coaching football at West Point. His awards include the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star/w “V” (5 OLC), Army Commendation Medal/w “V ”(1 OLC), Air Medal/w “V” (7 OLC), numerous other US and foreign Awards. H/75th was the most decorated unit during the Vietnam conflict.

• COL Larry Perino – Recognized for serving our nation for 25 years and five months in a career defined by courage, leadership, and devotion to the Ranger Creed. On October 3–4, 1993, as a platoon leader with B Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, he led his Rangers during the Battle of Mogadishu as part of Task Force Ranger and Operation Gothic Serpent. Since retirement, Colonel Perino has continued to mentor Rangers, support alumni organizations, and share lessons from combat with today’s warriors. In 2021, he was awarded the Silver Star, presented in 2022 at Fort Benning, Georgia.

• MAJ Douglas Philippone – Recognized for his distinguished military career in the 75th Ranger Regiment in 1990 as an enlisted Anti-Tank Gunner in 1st Battalion. During his time in 3rd Ranger Battalion, Doug deployed four times to Afghanistan and Iraq. He led more than 100 direct action missions and earned three Bronze Star Medal awards, including two for valor, along with a Joint Service Commendation Medal for valor. Throughout his service, he embodied every stanza of the Ranger Creed.

• CSM Walter M. Rakow – Dedicated almost 50 years of service to his country on active duty, and as a civil servant, living the Ranger Creed every day. He held himself to the highest standards, whether on the field of battle or during peacetime. CSM Rakow’s life was marked by an unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country. His “dynamic” personality and direct approach to leadership inspired countless generations of soldiers and leaders through his unwavering commitment to the Army, the mission, and to those with whom he served.

• SFC Matthew L. Rierson– Recognized for extraordinary service, exceptional leadership, and a lifelong embodiment of the Ranger Creed. Throughout his distinguished career, he demonstrated remarkable courage, tactical mastery, and unwavering commitment to his fellow Rangers and the nation. Sergeant First Class Rierson’s legacy endures through the Rangers he inspired, the standards he set, and the example he provided of what it means to move further, faster, and fight harder. His induction into the Ranger Hall of Fame honors a Ranger whose life and service reflect the highest traditions of the Regiment and the United States Army.

• GEN Stephen J. Townsend – Recognized for distinguished service to our nation, unparalleled leadership, and a lifetime devoted to the values of the Ranger Creed. Throughout four decades of service, General Townsend always strived to live up to the charge of Abram’s Charter to the Rangers by demonstrating unwavering dedication to excellence and setting a steadfast personal example of courage, integrity, and honor. His exceptional leadership reflects the highest traditions of the Rangers, the United States Army, and the United States Department of Defense.

• Blair Brown (Honorary) – Celebrated for more than a decade of exceptional service, leadership, and dedication to the U.S. Army Ranger community through his role as Vice President and Executive Director of the National Ranger Memorial Foundation. Blair’s service is also deeply personal, shaped by the example of his father, Major Roger Brown, a 2004 inductee of the Ranger Hall of Fame. His sustained contributions reflect exceptional dedication, integrity, and impact in direct support of the Ranger community.

• Candyss Bryant (Honorary) – Celebrated for her extraordinary contributions to the Ranger community. A distinguished nonprofit leader and steadfast advocate, she brings nearly three decades of experience in development, operations, and stakeholder engagement. Bryant has served the Ranger community with unwavering dedication, consistently giving “100% and then some.” Her selfless service, disciplined work ethic, and commitment to excellence embody the spirit of the Ranger Creed. As President of the Ranger Legacy Foundation, Bryant leads the vision and development of the Ranger Legacy Center, a transformative initiative dedicated to preserving the history ad inspiring future generations of the values, and enduring legacy of our Rangers.

The Ranger Hall of Fame ceremony underscores the enduring legacy of the Ranger community and its commitment to excellence, leadership, and service.

About the Ranger Hall of Fame:

The Ranger Hall of Fame was established to honor and preserve the contributions of America’s most extraordinary Rangers.

Inductees are selected based on their distinguished service and embodiment of the Ranger Creed.

For more information, please visit Ranger Legacy Foundation.

Posted in Admin, Army, Press Release, Profession of Arms | No Comments »

Army Software Factory NCOs Become Warrant Officers

Friday, June 19th, 2026

FORT RUCKER, Ala. — Army Software Factory noncommissioned officers marked a milestone in their careers as they became software operations warrant officers, graduating from Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Rucker on June 10.

The software operations technician military occupational specialty, known as 280A, is the Army’s newest functional area.

“We realized the operational power of having Soldiers who have software operations skills paired with Soldiers with artificial intelligence skills to solve problems for commanders,” said Howard K. “Howie” Brewington, deputy director of the Mission Command Center of Excellence based at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The Army Software Factory is an Army Transformation and Training Command unit that enables Soldiers to reach global mission outcomes through software operations. They find hidden tech talent in the Army to build proficiency and mastery in commercial technologies and processes. This results in an upskilled technical force that enables the Army to be better prepared for software-centric and dynamic contested environments.

The traditional path for transitioning an NCO to warrant officer was too slow to support the rapid transformation needed, so the Mission Command Center of Excellence encouraged exceptional NCOs with the Army Software Factory additional skill identifier to submit their packets for the Functional Area 28 software operations selection panel in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025.

The NCOs were selected through a rigorous multi-stage interview process, which examines military performance records and experience, civilian experience and technical aptitude. The NCOs then received 12 months of training and real-world operational experience on a Software Development Team.

Brewington said Soldiers with a passion for software operations now have a path to continue serving their nation, whereas a year ago, the Army was losing NCOs with these skill sets to industry.

“…Same thing with warrant officers, same thing with officers. We said this is important enough that we need to have a specialty called Software Operations, a functional area. Functional Area 28 includes Area of Concentration 28A software operations officer and MOS 280A software operations technician,” he said.

Standing up a functional area that includes officers, warrant officers and noncommissioned officers who want to become warrant officers, benefits the operational force, the Soldier and Army recruiting and retention goals.

“If you think about a Venn Diagram with three circles: the needs of the Army; the knowledge, skills, attributes and other characteristics of the Soldier/Leader; and the desires or preferences of the Soldier, you find the place where those three circles overlap, you color that in, put a Soldier there, and they will stay in our Army forever,” he said.

Warrant Officer DJ Barroga, a product designer who previously served as a 25B IT specialist, was serving as an NCO in an Army operations and training office in Hawaii when he saw the message that went out, and he applied.

“I am the empathizer-in-chief: I go around talking to different users and stakeholders and discovering…is it a software solution for them, or an issue with their process? I relay that information to their battalion commander or their company commander, and then synthesize all that information to bring it back to our team, the project manager, software engineers, so we can discuss what is the best course of action to solve their problem,” Barroga said.

He explained that the Army Software Factory has four tracks — product managers, product designers, software engineers and platform engineers.

“We all work in Agile teams,” Barroga said. “We’ll get tasked from our product office with some issues that go to our Army Software Factory site. Those issues come from the force. The product office will review all these problem sets and figure out if it’s something we can work on that’s not enterprise, because the Army pays for applications and we don’t want to do double dipping. They’ll give us a problem set, and the team will go out and start doing the discovery and framing application process.”

Barroga said he likes the uniqueness of the job. In communicating with leaders and Soldiers he gets a better look at the actual issue the user is having, which enables him to translate that to leaders and develop a path forward.

“You’re able to build that connection and say, ‘Hey, sir or ma’am, what you’re saying is valid, but your Soldiers down the line are having a totally different issue, so I think we should go this way’,” he said.

He anticipates that becoming a warrant officer likely will not change his duties, but rather impact how he is able to do the job.

“I think I’m going to have more of that presence, and be able to talk to these leaders and they will take what I say into consideration more because of what a warrant officer is and that status a warrant officer holds,” the former staff sergeant said.

The next step for the group of warrant officers is Warrant Officer Basic Course.

By Kelly Morris

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Profession of Arms | No Comments »

DAF Updates Uniform Guidance for Chaplain Corps, Air Force Maternity Uniforms

Thursday, June 18th, 2026

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.