Observer Badge The Observer Badge is a military badge of the United States military which dates to the First World War . The badge was issued to co - pilots , navigators , and flight support personnel who had received a variation on the training necessary for the standard Pilot ' s Badge . The Observer Badge survived through the Second World War and into the 1950s , at which time the concept of an Observer Badge was phased out in favor of the modern Aircrew Badge and Navigator - Observer Badges . In addition to wings for Naval Aviator s and Naval Flight Officer s , the United States Navy still maintains an " Observer Badge " as such , which is issued to flight - qualified mission specialists , such as a select number of meteorologists and intelligence officers in both the U . S . Navy and U . S . Marine Corps . The U . S . Air Force issues its USAF Observer Badge , which is identical to the USAF Navigator Badge , to Air Force officers who have qualified as NASA Space Shuttle Mission Specialist s , have flown an actual mission aboard the shuttle and / or the International Space Station and who are otherwise not previously aeronautically rated as an Air Force pilot or navigator . In the modern U . S . Armed Forces , the Observer Badge is rarely issued but has seen a resurgence in the Air Forces of other countries , most notably the United Kingdom and Canada . First World War . The original Observer Badge was a half - wing design of the Aviator Badge used by military pilots of the United States Army Air Service and later the United States Army Air Corps . The badge was mainly awarded to gunners , spotters , and navigators on the first armed military aircraft . With the advent of bombing , the Observer Badge was also initially authorized to aircraft bombardiers . A new badge was soon created for these duties , however , and was known as the Bombing Aviator Badge . Those rated as Balloon Observers were also eligible for the badge , and the badge was typically referred to both as the " Airplane Observer Badge " and " Balloon Observer Badge " . There was no difference between the two titles , as far as the Observer Badge appeared , and towards the end of the First World War the badge was commonly referred to as the " Airplane and Balloon Observer Badge " , although the ratings for which the badge was issued remained distinct . Second World War . Between 1919 and 1935 , the Observer Badge remained the same design as it had been during the First World War , issued for both airplane and lighter - than - air ratings . However , as developments progressed in military aviation , the concept of an Airplane Observer changed to necessitate the redesign of the Observer Badge and a change in the eligibility criteria . On 20 February 1940 the rating was changed to that of " Combat Observer " , followed by redesignation as " Aircraft Observer " on 4 September 1942 . By the time of the United States entry into the Second World War , there were three Observer Badges authorized by the Army Air Forces . The first was the Combat Observer Badge , which appeared as an Aviator Badge centered by a large O . For those qualified as Balloon Observers , a separate badge was created which was the Observer Badge augmented by a balloon insignia . The third and final version of the Observer Badge was known as the Technical Observer Badge and appeared as an Aviator Badge centered on a combined T and O design . The Technical Observer Badge was awarded primarily to flight engineering personnel who were assigned as assistants to the flight engineer . United States Navy , Marine Corps , and Coast Guard . The Naval Aviation Observer Badge was first created in 1922 and authorized to navigators and other support personnel on multi - person naval aircraft . The original badge was based on the design of the Naval Aviator badge , but with a single left - side wing and a circular " O " surmounting the foul anchor rather than a shield . In 1927 this insignia was superseded by a new device , identical to the Naval Aviator ' s wings but in silver rather than gold . This in turn was replaced by a gold insignia with a center device of a silver anchor within a silver circle that was used from 1929 to 1968 . For a brief period starting in 1945 , the Secretary of the Navy approved distinct insignia for Naval Aviation Observers with Navigation , Radar , Tactical , and Aerology specialization . These were abolished in favor of the standardized gold insignia / silver anchor / silver circle design . In 1966 , a new insignia was designed , and by 1968 the Naval Aviation Observer Badge was phased out in favor of the Naval Flight Officer Badge . The Naval Aviation Observer insignia was then modified and granted to non - pilot / non - NFO aviation mission specialists such as in - flight Meteorologists , but with a gold circle and a gold anchor . In this form , the Naval Observer Badge is still in existence but is rarely referred to by its original name and is more commonly known as the Flight Meteorologist Badge . In the Marine Corps , the badge is issued to in - flight aircraft support personnel under its original name as the Naval Aviation Observer Badge and retains the silver circle and silver anchor . The Coast Guard authorized the Aviation Mission Specialist designation on August 26 , 2003 in COMDTNOTE 1200 ( ALCOAST 401 / 03 ) . Aerial Ice Observers ( from the International Ice Patrol ) as well as Sensor System Operators , Tactical Systems Operators , Aviation Gunners and Aviation Medical Technicians are eligible for designation . Coast Guard Aviation Mission Specialist personnel wear the same uniform insignia as Naval Aviation Observers . Permanent designation is attained at 200 hours for rotary wing and 400 hours for fixed wing specialists . US Air Force Observer rating . With the creation of the United States Air Force in 1947 , aviation observers were phased out and replaced by more highly trained specialists known as Aircrew members . The Aircrew Badge had been created prior to the Second World War ; however , since that time it had been issued only to enlisted personnel . With the creation of the USAF Officer Aircrew Badge ( an unrated award ) , however , the Navigator - Observer Badge is now issued to otherwise unrated officers who complete NASA Mission Specialist training , with the aeronautical rating of Observer . Upon completion of an operational mission they may then apply to the Air Force Chief of Staff for the Astronaut qualifier that permits them to wear the Astronaut Badge . Civil Air Patrol . The title " Observer " is still used regularly in the U . S . Air Force Auxiliary , better known as the Civil Air Patrol . Civil Air Patrol observers may act as the mission commander for aircrews engaged in search and rescue , homeland defense reconnaissance , or other Air Force - authorized missions , serving as the liaison between the sortie and mission base . Observers are trained in air navigation , radio communications , and other technical areas such as aerial direction finding .