page_title: Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps
section_title: Comparison with the Army
hierarchical_section_title: Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps / Comparison with the Army
caption_attribution_description: English: 8-point utility covers in woodland and desert Marpat (as part of the MCCUU), M81 Woodland, and Navy Working Uniform.
context_page_description: The Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps serve to distinguish Marines from members of other services. Among current uniforms in the United States Armed Forces, the Marine Corps dress uniforms have been in service the longest. The Marine Dress Blue uniform has, with few changes, been worn in essentially its current form since the late 19th century.
context_section_description: Marines are sometimes confused with United States Army soldiers, but there are several significant differences:
  Marines wear boots only with the utility uniform, while certain airborne-qualified and ceremonial Army units are authorized to wear shined black boots with service/dress uniforms. Both services make exceptions for boots with other working uniforms, such as coveralls, aviation, and cold weather uniforms.
  The Marine utility cover is an 8-pointed creased and peaked cover, the Army uses a rounded kepi-style patrol cap. Unlike the Army, Marines do not wear rank insignia on the cover, instead there is an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor in the middle of the cap. The cloth helmet covers used to be required to have iron-on EGAs, but this has fallen into disuse.
  Marines wear woodland MARPAT camouflage utilities, forward deployed, or a special request is made by a base commander, where the desert variation is worn. Marines roll the sleeves up, with the exception when deployed. The Army wears Operational Camouflage Pattern Army Combat Uniforms and rolled sleeves are authorized only at the unit level. The undershirt for Marines is olive green and for the Army it is tan or brown.
  Marines are not authorized to wear their utility uniforms off-base while on leave or liberty, except while in a vehicle traveling to or from base, or in an emergency. The Army offers more leeway in this regard, but still prohibits casual wear of utilities, especially in social or drinking scenarios.
  The Marine service uniform is a forest green coat with a belted waist and matching trousers worn with khaki shirt and khaki tie. The current Army green service uniform is a dark olive coat with a belated waist and contrasting drab trousers won with a tan shirt and olive tie.
  The Marine blue dress uniform features a stand collar and red stripe in the trousers, while the Army blue dress uniform features an open collar worn with a white shirt and black tie, and a gold stripe on the trousers.
  The Marine service and dress uniforms displays fewer items - only rank insignia, ribbons, marksmanship badges, and breast insignia. The Army service uniform contains, in addition, branch insignia, distinctive unit and regimental distinctive insignia, combat and special skill badges (e.g., Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge)--some of which correlate to Marine breast insignia--shoulder sleeve insignia (only on the green service uniforms), and skill qualification tabs above current unit shoulder sleeve insignia like the Ranger Tab or Sapper Tab.
  Likewise, Marines wear few items on their utilities, compared to the Army, which wear U.S. flag patches, shoulder sleeve insignia, service tabs, and have the option of wearing subdued combat and special skill badges when in garrison. Typically, the only distinguishing features on Marine utilities are service and name tapes; Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem; rank insignia; breast insignia (which is not worn in the field) and (depending on the personnel) the Red Patch.
  Marines never salute without a cover  "unless failure to do so would cause embarrassment or misunderstanding" (United States Navy Regulations, Article 1209, Paragraph 2). When Naval personnel (which includes Marines and Coast Guardsmen) are serving with members of the Army or Air Force (or other nations militaries) that do salute uncovered, it is appropriate for Naval personnel to render military courtesies appropriate for the circumstances: "social customs or military courtesy should always be interpreted so as to prevent awkward situations" (USMC GMK 1010, Section 10, Paragraph f. (3)). This precludes the vast majority of Marines from saluting inside, where covers are removed except for those individuals under arms (or wearing a duty belt, a method of symbolically being under arms without a weapon). Soldiers are permitted to salute uncovered when reporting to a superior.
  Marine service caps or barracks covers differ slightly from their Army counterparts. The Marine cover sits higher and has a slightly larger and more pronounced crown that is less peaked and fla
caption: MCCUU 8-point utility covers
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