United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia - wikipedia United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia The chart below represents the current enlisted rank insignia of the United States Air Force. US DoD Pay grade E-1 E-2 E-3 E-4 E-5 E-6 E-7 E-8 E-9 Insignia No Insignia Title Airman Basic Airman Airman First Class Senior Airman Staff Sergeant Technical Sergeant Master Sergeant 1 Senior Master Sergeant Chief Master Sergeant Command Chief Master Sergeant Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Abbreviation AB Amn A1C SrA SSgt TSgt MSgt SMSgt CMSgt CCM CMSAF NATO Code OR - 1 OR - 2 OR - 3 OR - 4 OR - 5 OR - 6 OR - 7 OR - 8 OR - 9 OR - 9 OR - 9 1 : The U.S. Air Force does not have a separate First Sergeant rank ; it is instead a duty position denoted by a diamond within the upper field of the E-7 / MSgt, E-8 / SMSgt, E-9 / CMSgt paygrades / chevrons / ranks and is abbreviated `` 1st Sgt. '' While all Air Force military personnel are referred to as Airmen, it can specifically refer to the pay grades of E-1 through E-4 which are below the level of non-commissioned officers ( NCOs ). Above the pay grade of E-4 ( E-5 through E-9 ) all ranks fall into the category of NCO and are further subdivided into NCOs ( E-5 & E-6 ) and Senior NCOs ( E-7 through E-9 ) ; the term Junior NCO is sometimes used to refer to staff sergeants and technical sergeants ( E-5 & E-6 ). The Air Force is the only one of the five branches of the United States military where NCO status is now only achieved at the grade of E-5. Formerly, the grade of Sergeant was obtained after a time as a Senior Airman and successful completion of the Air Force NCO School. In all other branches, NCO status can be achieved at the grade of E-4 ( a Corporal in the Army and Marine Corps, Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy and Coast Guard ). However, E-4s in the Army with the rank of Specialist are not NCOs. The Air Force mirrored the Army from 1976 to 2 May 1991 with an E-4 being either a Senior Airman wearing three stripes without a star or a Sergeant ( informally referred to as `` Buck Sergeant '' ) which was noted by the presence of the central star and considered an NCO. Despite not being an NCO, a Senior Airman who has completed Airman Leadership School can be a supervisor. Evolution of the chevrons Although the Air Force became an independent service with the National Security Act of 1947, it retained the Army Air Force rank structure and corresponding insignia of years past. This rank structure provided for seven enlisted ranks : Private, Private First Class, Corporal / Technician Fifth Grade, Sergeant / Technician Fourth Grade, Staff Sergeant / Technician Third Grade, Technical Sergeant and Master Sergeant / First Sergeant. Additionally, Air Force personnel were still referred to as soldiers. During the Second World War, many USAAF NCOs wore the Army Air Corps branch insignia of the winged propeller underneath their chevrons. Changes to the rank structure were proposed almost immediately but did not start occurring until the next year. Sometime during late 1947 and early 1948, new chevron designs were tested at Bolling Air Force Base. The style preferred was the one used today, the inverted chevron. Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt Vandenberg approved the new chevron on 9 March 1948. A new Air Force `` Uxbridge Blue '' uniform and black leather replaced the US Army Air Corps Olive Drab uniform and russet leather in 1949. Air Force personnel were allowed to wear their old Army World War Two pattern uniforms and rank insignia until July, 1952. Recolored `` hash marks '' and Overseas Service Bars were worn on the uniform until 1957. Although the new chevrons were approved, the titles did not change. Two years would pass ( February 1950 ) before General Vandenberg ordered all enlisted personnel in the Air Force be referred to as `` airman '' ( singular ) and `` airmen '' ( plural ) rather than `` soldier. ''. A further two years would go by while the enlisted rank structure was studied and changes proposed. The end results finally became effective on 24 April 1952 with the release of a revised Air Force Regulation ( AFR ) 39 - 36. This revision changed the names of the enlisted ranks to Basic Airman, Airman Third Class, Airman Second Class, Airman First Class ( with resultant loss of NCO status that was not restored until 1967 ), Staff Sergeant, Technical Sergeant and Master Sergeant. With the new titles came a proposal for new rank insignia for Airman Third Class through Airman First Class. The proposed insignia would have horizontal stripes for Airman Third Class through Airman First Class while NCOs keep their inverted chevrons. The purpose of the two different types of insignia was to more readily differentiate the airman and NCO tiers while increasing the prestige of the latter. These were not approved at the time of the release of the revised regulation. When they were finally approved by General Vandenberg in December 1952, procurement of these stripes was deferred until approximately June 1955. This change would eventually be reversed, on 12 March 1956, by General Vandenberg 's successor, General Twining. During his tenure, General Twining also approved the diamond insignia for First Sergeants. This became available on 21 September 1955. With this approval, the foundations of the first seven ranks and insignia the Air Force uses today were in place. The next major change came with the Military Pay Act of 1958. This established the pay grades of E-8 and E-9 but without corresponding rank titles. The titles of Senior Master Sergeant and Chief Master Sergeant were chosen between July and December 1958 after comments were solicited from the major Air Force commands of the day. After much discussion, the insignia for these two ranks were designed by simply adding one and two chevrons to the top of the Master Sergeant insignia ( for E-8 and E-9 respectively ), each stripe pointing up. The rank of Basic Airman was renamed Airman Basic on 5 February 1959, still with no insignia attached. The next series of changes to Air Force enlisted ranks did not occur for almost eight years. In January 1967 the position of Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force was created. This position gained its own special insignia, the Chief Master Sergeant chevrons with a wreath encircling the center star. On 1 August 1967 the lower enlisted rank names changed ( revised AFR 39 - 36 on 19 October 1967 ) renamed Airman Third Class, Airman Second Class and Airman First Class to Airman, Airman First Class and Sergeant ( known unofficially as `` Buck Sergeant '' by the NCO ranks at the time ) respectively. This returned Sergeant to the rank structure as the first step in the NCO tier as a retention move but required achievement of a 5 - skill Air Force Specialty Code ( AFSC ) level. No changes to the respective insignias were made. Footnote : On 1 July 1969 the Air Force Serial Number was changed to the member 's Social Security Number ( SSAN ). This change was for all grades and the three major US military forces including guard and reserve components. The commandant of the USMC did not adopt the serial number change to his forces. In a 30 December 1975 directive the grade of Sergeant was split into two separate ranks while retaining the grade of E-4. Senior Airman would be the last junior enlisted tier rank while Sergeant would remain the first rank in the NCO tier. The impetus behind this was to laterally promote senior E-4 airmen who were ready for NCO responsibilities but not prepared to take on the role of a Staff Sergeant. This permitted airmen who had not yet reached the AFSC 5 - skill level to achieve the pay grade of E-4, while according those who had NCO status. To differentiate the two ranks, the directive changed the silver star in the center of Airman, Airman First Class and Senior Airman changed to blue while the star on Sergeant chevrons remained silver. Having two ranks within one grade mirrored the Army 's Specialist / Corporal division of E-4. This dual role would last until March 1991 when then Chief of Staff General McPeak terminated the rank of Sergeant effective 2 May 1991. This termination was due in part to the manning reductions that occurred in the post -- Cold War drawdowns of the early 1990s. The last of the `` Buck Sergeants '' would have either been promoted or discharged under High Year Tenure by December 1998. The year 1991 also saw the last major change to the enlisted rank insignia. In October 1991 General McPeak and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Pfingston announced that the senior NCO tier would have new chevron layouts and that all chevrons would have a white star in the center. The change in senior NCO chevrons was the first since chevrons came into being in 1948. Until that time, Master Sergeant had been composed of six inverted chevrons ( six down ) with none pointing up, Senior Master Sergeant six down with one up and Chief Master Sergeant six down with two up. The new layout changed the insignia to the current layout ( see chart above ). The second change, changing the star color to white, was actually two changes in one. It added a star to the Airman through Senior Airman rank insignias where there had been none since 1975 ( the blue star carried by these chevrons was the same color as the blue in the stripes giving the impression that the star was not there ) and changing the silver star on the NCO and senior NCO chevrons to white. CMSAF Insignia Changes CMSAF Chevron ( 1967 -- 1991 ) CMSAF Chevron ( 1991 -- Oct. 2004 ) CMSAF Chevron ( Nov. 2004 -- present ) In November 1998, the duty position of Senior Enlisted Advisor was changed to Command Chief Master Sergeant. Along with the change, the addition of a star in the empty blue area between the chevrons was added to denote those holding this position. In November 2004, the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force insignia was updated to include the Great Seal of the United States with a white star on either side. These additions were placed in the empty blue area between the chevrons. References ^ Jump up to : `` Air Force Instruction 36 - 2618, The Enlisted Force Structure. United States Air Force. 2009. ^ Jump up to : Technical Sergeant Spink, Barry L. ( 1992 ). A Chronology of the Enlisted Rank Chevron of the United States Air Force, 19 February 1992. Air Force Historical Research Agency. Jump up ^ History of Air Force Enlisted Insignia ( Rank ) Further reading Air Force Instruction 36 - 2618, The Enlisted Force Structure Air Force Instruction 36 - 2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel Technical Sergeant Spink, Barry L. `` A Chronology of the Enlisted Rank Chevron of the United States Air Force, 19 February 1992 ''. Air Force Historical Research Agency. United States Uniformed Services rank and rate insignia Officer Army Marine Corps Navy ( midshipman ) Air Force Coast Guard PHS Commissioned Corps NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps Warrant officer Enlisted Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard United States Air Force Leadership Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Chief of Staff Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Four - star generals House Armed Services Committee House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Senate Committee on Armed Services Senate Subcommittee on Airland Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Structure Commands Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations Direct Reporting Units District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy Major Commands ACC AETC AFGSC AFMC AFRC AFSPC AFSOC AMC PACAF USAFE - AFA Numbered Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Fourteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty - Second Twenty - Fourth Twenty - Fifth Air Forces Central Wings ANG Groups ANG Squadrons ANG Security Forces Civilian auxiliary : Civil Air Patrol Personnel and training Airmen Rank officers enlisted Specialty Code Aeronautical ratings Judge Advocate General 's Corps RED HORSE Security Forces Medical Service Chief of Chaplains Chief Scientist Training : Air Force Academy Officer Training School Reserve Officer Training Corps Basic Training Airman Leadership School SERE Fitness Assessment Uniforms and equipment Awards and decorations Badges Equipment Uniforms History and traditions History Aeronautical Division / Aviation Section / Division of Military Aeronautics / Army Air Service / Army Air Corps / Army Air Forces `` The U.S. Air Force '' Air Force Band Airman 's Creed Core Values Flag Symbol Memorial National Museum Women Airforce Service Pilots Air Force One Honor Guard Thunderbirds Service numbers Category United States Air Force portal United States Armed Forces Book Portal MC AF CG Category MC AF CG Navbox MC AF CG Leadership Commander - in - chief : President of the United States Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense Secretary of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Joint Chiefs of Staff : Chairman Vice Chairman United States Congress : Committees on Armed Services : Senate House Active duty four - star officers United States military seniority National Security Act of 1947 Goldwater -- Nichols Act Organization Service departments Department of Defense ( Secretary ) : Army ( Secretary ) Navy ( Secretary ) Air Force ( Secretary ) Department of Homeland Security ( Secretary ) : Coast Guard Branches Army ( Chief of Staff ) Marine Corps ( Commandant ) Navy ( Chief of Naval Operations ) Air Force ( Chief of Staff ) Coast Guard ( Commandant ) Reserve components Reserves : A MC N AF CG National Guard : A AF Civilian auxiliaries Military Auxiliary Radio System Merchant Marine Civil Air Patrol Coast Guard Auxiliary Unified Combatant Command Africa Central European Indo - Pacific Northern Southern Cyber Special Operations Strategic Transportation Structure United States Code Title 10 Title 14 Title 32 Title 50 The Pentagon Installations Units : A MC N AF CG Logistics Media Unit mottoes Operations and history Current deployments Conflicts Wars Timeline History : A MC N AF CG Colonial World War II Civil affairs Officers ' clubs African Americans Asian Americans Buddhist Americans Jewish Americans Muslim Americans Pakistani Americans Sikh Americans Historiography : Army Center of Military History MC History Division Naval History and Heritage Command Air Force Historical Research Agency American official war artists : Army Art Program AF Art Program Personnel Training MEPS ASVAB Recruit training : A MC N AF CG Officer candidate school : A MC N AF Warrant : A MC Service academies : A ( prep ) N ( prep ) AF ( prep ) CG Merchant Marine ROTC A : ECP MC / N AF Medical Other education Uniforms Uniforms : A MC N AF CG Awards & decorations : Inter-service A MC / N AF CG Foreign International Devices Badges : Identification A MC N AF CG Ranks Enlisted : A MC N AF CG Warrant officers Officer : A MC N AF CG Other Oath : Enlistment Office Creeds & Codes : Code of Conduct NCO A MC N AF CG Service numbers : A MC N AF CG Military Occupational Specialty / Rating / Air Force Specialty Code Pay Uniform Code of Military Justice Judge Advocate General 's Corps Military Health System / TRICARE Separation Veterans Affairs Conscription Chiefs of Chaplains : A MC N AF CG Equipment MC : vehicles weapons other AF CG Land Individual weapons Crew - served weapons Vehicles ( active ) Sea All watercraft Ships : A N ( active ) AF CG MSC Weapons : N CG Reactors Air Aircraft World War I active Aircraft designation Missiles Helicopter arms Other Nuclear football Electronics ( designations ) Flags : A MC N AF CG Ensign Jack Guidons Food WMDs : Nuclear Biological Chemical Legend A = Army MC = Marine Corps N = Navy AF = Air Force CG = Coast Guard United States enlisted ranks Pay grade → Branch of service ↓ E-1 E-2 E-3 E-4 E-5 E-6 E-7 E-8 E-9 Army PVT PV2 PFC SPC -- CPL SGT SSG SFC MSG -- 1SG SGM -- CSM -- SMA Marine Corps Pvt PFC LCpl Cpl Sgt SSgt GySgt MSgt -- 1stSgt MGySgt -- SgtMaj -- SgtMajMarCor Navy SR SA SN PO3 PO2 PO1 CPO SCPO -- CMDCS MCPO -- CMDCM -- FORCM, FLTCM -- MCPON Air Force AB Amn A1C SrA SSgt TSgt MSgt -- 1st Sgt SMSgt -- 1st Sgt CMSgt -- 1st Sgt -- CCM -- CMSAF Coast Guard SR SA SN PO3 PO2 PO1 CPO SCPO MCPO -- CMC -- Area CMC, CGRF - CMC -- MCPOCG Military ranks and insignia by country List of comparative military ranks Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros DR Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Army Navy Air Force Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea - Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Former Biafra Bophuthatswana Ciskei Kingdom of Egypt Ethiopian Empire Rhodesia South West Africa Transkei Venda Zaire Comparative Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted Apartheid States in Southern Africa Americas Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Army Air Force Navy Colombia Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Army Navy Nicaragua Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Officers : Army Navy Air Force Coast Guard Enlisted : Army Navy Air Force Coast Guard Other : Marine Corps Warrant officer Uruguay Venezuela Former United States Army enlisted World War I World War II Comparative Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted Asia Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia PR of China Army Navy Air Force Republic of China ( Taiwan ) Army Navy Air Force East Timor India Army Air Force Navy Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea ( North & South ) Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Army Navy Air Force Nepal Oman Pakistan Army Air Force Navy Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Army Navy Air Force Syria Tajikistan Thailand Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen Former People 's Republic of Kampuchea Imperial Iran Imperial Japan Army Navy Manchukuo Mengjiang Mongolian People 's Republic South Vietnam Comparative Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted Europe Albania Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Army Navy Air Force Estonia Finland France Army Navy Gendarmerie Air Force Foresters Germany Rank information Rank insignia Georgia Greece Hungary Iceland Land Forces Coast Guard Ireland Italy Army Navy Air Force Carabinieri Finance Guard Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Army Navy Air Force Between 1994 and 2010 San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Army officers Army other ranks Navy officers Navy ratings Air Force officers Air Force other ranks Vatican Former Albanian Kingdom People 's Socialist Republic of Albania Austria -- Hungary Army Navy Independent State of Croatia Czechoslovakia German Empire Nazi Germany Army Navy Air Force People 's Militia SA SS Nazi Party East Germany Kingdom of Greece Army Navy Air Force France Napoleonic Grand Army Kingdom of Hungary Hungarian People 's Republic Kingdom of Italy Ottoman Empire Polish People 's Republic Russian Empire Soviet Union 1918 -- 35 1935 -- 40 1940 -- 43 1943 -- 55 1955 -- 91 Kingdom of Yugoslavia SFR Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia Comparative Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted Oceania Australia Fiji New Zealand Papua New Guinea Tonga Vanuatu Comparative Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted Post-Soviet states Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted Commonwealth of Nations Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted NATO Army Officers Enlisted Air Force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted Comparative officer ranks of World War I World War II Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Air_Force_enlisted_rank_insignia&oldid=816620958 '' Categories : Enlisted ranks of the United States Air Force Military insignia Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 22 December 2017, at 15 : 10 ( UTC ). 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Question: when did air force master sergeant stripes change
Answer: 1991