United States Air Force officer rank insignia - wikipedia United States Air Force officer rank insignia This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( March 2008 ) The United States Air Force officer rank insignia in use today. Contents 1 Current insignia 2 Wearing of insignia 3 Past insignia 4 References 5 External links Current insignia US DoD Pay Grade O - 1 O - 2 O - 3 O - 4 O - 5 O - 6 O - 7 O - 8 O - 9 O - 10 Special Insignia Air Force Service Dress Uniform Insignia Title Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Major Lieutenant Colonel Colonel Brigadier General Major General Lieutenant General General General of the Air Force Abbreviation 2d Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen GAF NATO Code OF - 1 OF - 1 OF - 2 OF - 3 OF - 4 OF - 5 OF - 6 OF - 7 OF - 8 OF - 9 OF - 10 No periods are used in actual grade abbreviation, only in press releases to conform with AP standards. Honorary / War time rank. This chart displays the United States Air Force officer rank insignia. The ranks are divided into three sections : company grade, field grade, and general officers. Company grade officers are those officers of grades O - 1 to O - 3. Field grade officers are those of grades O - 4 to O - 6. General officers are those of O - 7 and above. Currently, promotion from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant is virtually guaranteed after two years of satisfactory service. Promotion to Captain is virtually guaranteed after another two years of satisfactory service. Previously there was a Promotion Board to Captain, but that was discontinued in 2013. An officer 's record is reviewed by a selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. This process occurs approximately between the nine - and eleven - year mark, where a certain percentage of Captains will be selected for Major. This process will repeat at the 13 - 16 year mark for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and then around the twenty - year mark for promotion to Colonel. The five - star grade General of the Air Force has only been held by General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold. Federal law currently contains no provisions to promote an officer to five - star grade. Wearing of insignia General John P. Jumper in the modern Air Force service dress On the Air Force Mess Dress uniform, officer rank insignia are embroidered in silver or gold thread on detachable shoulder boards which are attached to the mess dress jacket. No rank insignia are worn on the mess dress shirt. On the service dress uniform, metal rank insignia pins are worn on the epaulets of the Air Force Blue service dress jacket. Rank insignia are embroidered in silver or gold thread on Air Force Blue epaulets which slide onto the epaulet loops on the light blue shirt. The slide - on epaulet for field - grade officers ' shirts has a single line of silver piping toward the outer edge of the epaulet. The slide - on epaulet for general officers ' shirts has silver piping on both the inner and outer edges of the epaulets. These slide - on epaulets are also worn on the cardigan and pull - over uniform sweaters. The Flight Duty Uniform ( FDU ) features subdued cloth rank insignia sewn onto the shoulders. The Air Force flight cap is worn with the FDU and service dress uniforms ( the service cap may also be worn with the service uniform ). The flight cap is solid Air Force Blue for enlisted personnel, but features a solid silver edge braid for general officers, and an edge braid in a silver and blue diamond pattern for other officers. Officers wear a bright metal rank insignia toward the front edge of the ( wearer 's ) left side of the flight cap. The Airman Battle Uniform ( ABU ) feature subdued cloth rank insignia worn on both sides of the collar. The ABU patrol cap features a rank insignia centered on the front of the cap, above the bill, which may be a subdued cloth insignia or subdued metal pin - on insignia. On the Operational Camouflage Pattern ( OCP ) uniform rank is worn as a velcro patch on the center of the chest. Subdued cloth rank is worn on the front of the OCP patrol cap, above the bill. Air Force officers authorized to wear berets ( Security Forces Officers, Special Tactics Officers, Combat Rescue Officers, and Combat Weather Officers ) wear a bright metal rank insignia on the beret 's flash. Subdued rank insignia, as worn on the ABU, OCP, and FDU, are designed to reduce visibility of the wearer under field conditions. The subdued versions of silver insignia are embroidered in dark blue thread on an olive - drab backing. The subdued versions of gold insignia are embroidered in brown thread on an olive - drab backing. On ABU uniforms the backing is an ABU colored material. On Desert FDUs and OCP uniforms, OCP patterned backing ( or tan for the FDU ) replaces the olive - drab backing ( with black thread in place of dark blue thread ). Subdued metal insignia are black and brown in place of silver and gold, respectively. General officers wear black stars as subdued rank. Agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations normally do not wear uniforms while on duty, but even when in uniform they often do not wear rank insignia. However, when attending Professional Military Education courses, they do wear rank insignia. Past insignia This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2016 ) The current Air Force officer rank names and insignia were borrowed from the Army upon the establishment of the Air Force as a separate service in 1947. The insignia have been essentially unchanged since then, except for a brief period during the 1990s. The Army origin explains why the color silver outranks gold in Air Force officer insignia. In the early 19th century, Army infantry colonels wore gold eagles, while all other Army colonels wore silver eagles. When the Army later decided to adopt a single color of eagles for all colonels, that single color was silver, apparently because more silver eagles than gold eagles were already in use. Lieutenant colonels received silver oak leaves next, to match the silver eagles of full colonels. Majors were then given gold oak leaves to distinguish them from lieutenant colonels. Once the precedent of silver outranking gold was set, it was followed when gold bars were later created for second lieutenants, who had no grade - specific insignia until the early 20th century. General Merrill A. McPeak wearing the `` McPeak uniform '' with rank insignia on the sleeves During the 1990s, Air Force Chief of Staff General Merrill A. McPeak redesigned the service dress uniform to give it a more distinctive look. His redesign replaced the metal rank insignia for officers with silver braid on the sleeves, similar to the Navy 's officer rank insignia and that of the United States Coast Guard. This was similar to the rank insignia of the British Royal Air Force, the Canadian Armed Forces and other Commonwealth air forces. The uniform reforms also introduced for the first time in the USAF slip - on shoulder marks on the other uniforms, using the traditional rank insignia. The `` McPeak uniform '' was very unpopular, drawing comparisons to the jackets worn by airline pilots, and the traditional rank insignia were reinstated within a week of General McPeak 's retirement in 1994 on the shoulder boards, while the slip - on insignia stayed. References Jump up ^ Ismirle, Candace. `` SecAF approves captain 's board cancellation ''. Air Force Personnel Center. USAF. Retrieved 5 April 2016. ^ Jump up to : AFI36 - 2903 External links Air Force Instruction ( AFI ) 36 - 2903 Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel Use of Silver and Gold Officer Insignia of Rank. U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry. Insignia : The Way You Tell Who 's Who in the Military. Jim Garamone, Armed Forces Press Service. ( dead link ) Whatever Happened to the Plain Blue Suit ? Bruce D. Callander, Journal of the Air Force Association. July 2006, Vol. 89, No. 7. Not the Time for ' Designer Battle Dress '. Paul Connors, Military.com. 26 September 2003. 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 4 - 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 Air Combat Air Education and Training Air Mobility Global Strike Materiel Reserve Space Special Operations Europe & Africa Pacific 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 Medical Service Chief of Chaplains Chief Scientist Training : USAF 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 The Airmen of Note Tops In Blue Airman 's Creed Core Values Flag Symbol Memorial National Museum 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 PHS NOAA 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 Highest ranking officers in history 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 Northern Central European Pacific Southern Africa 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 African Americans Asian Americans Buddhist Americans Jewish Americans Muslim Americans Pakistani Americans Sikh Americans Historiography : A : 1 / 2 MC N AF Art : A AF 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 PHS NOAA 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 PHS NOAA 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 NOAA Weapons : N CG Aircraft : N CG NOAA 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 PHS = Public Health Service NOAA = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration United States uniformed services commissioned officer and officer candidate ranks Pay grade / branch of service Officer candidate O - 1 O - 2 O - 3 O - 4 O - 5 O - 6 O - 7 O - 8 O - 9 O - 10 O - 11 ( Obs. ) Special grade Insignia ( 2 ) Army CDT / OC 2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA GAS Marine Corps Midn / Cand 2ndLt 1stLt Capt Maj LtCol Col BGen MajGen LtGen Gen Navy MIDN / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM AN Air Force Cadet / OT / OC 2d Lt 1st Lt Capt Maj Lt Col Col Brig Gen Maj Gen Lt Gen Gen GAF Coast Guard CDT / OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM PHS Corps ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RADM RADM VADM ADM NOAA Corps OC ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM Official 1945 proposal for General of the Armies insignia ; John J. Pershing 's GAS insignia : ; George Dewey 's Admiral of the Navy insignia : Rank used for specific officers in wartime only, not permanent addition to rank structure Grade is authorized by the U.S. Code for use but has not been created Grade has never been created or authorized USAF and U.S. Army insignia shown United States warrant officer ranks W - 1 W - 2 W - 3 W - 4 W - 5 Army WO1 CW2 CW3 CW4 CW5 Marine Corps WO1 CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 CWO5 Navy WO1 CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 CWO5 Air Force WO1 CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 CWO5 Coast Guard WO1 CWO2 CWO3 CWO4 PHS Corps NOAA Corps Grade inactive Grade is authorized for use by U.S. Code but has not been created Grade never created or authorized 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 Kingdom of Egypt Ethiopian Empire Rhodesia Zaire Comparative Army Officers Enlisted Air force Officers Enlisted Navy Officers Enlisted 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 Panama Paraguay Peru 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 Army Air Force Navy Bahrain Bangladesh Army Navy Air Force 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 Democratic Kampuchea Imperial Japan Army Navy Mengjiang Manchukuo 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 Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Army Navy Air Force Between 1994 and 2010 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 Austria -- Hungary Czechoslovakia Hungarian People 's Republic East Germany Nazi Germany Army Navy Air Force People 's Militia SA SS Nazi Party Kingdom of Greece Army Navy Air Force Kingdom of Hungary Ottoman Empire 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 Vanuatu Comparative 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_officer_rank_insignia&oldid=799117864 '' Categories : Military insignia Officer ranks of the United States Air Force Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from March 2008 All articles lacking in - text citations All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2014 Articles needing additional references from June 2016 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 5 September 2017, at 19 : 02. 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Question: what comes after captain in the air force
Answer: Major