Swagger stick A swagger stick is a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority . A swagger stick is shorter than a staff or cane , and is usually made from rattan . History . Originally , the swagger stick was a functional implement used to direct military drill and maneuvers , or to administer physical punishment . In the Roman army , a short vine wood staff called a " vitis " was carried and used for corporal punishment by Centurion s ( often career soldiers ) , but not by higher officers ( often from the socio - political elite ) . Nowadays it is more often a traditional visual attribute . Swagger sticks are most familiarly carried by military officers or more senior non - commissioned officer s . They are also often carried by officers in police and paramilitary forces . United Kingdom armed forces . In the British Army and other militaries following the Commonwealth traditions , commissioned officer s carry swagger sticks when in formal uniform as a symbol of rank . Warrant Officers and Senior NCOs carry longer pace stick s or regimental sticks instead , although a Regimental Sergeant Major may be seen sporting a swagger stick . British swagger sticks are often topped with a silver cap , bearing regimental insignia . A swagger stick remains an essential part of an officer ' s equipment , and they are supplied by traditional British military tailors such as Gieves & Hawkes and Goldings . Cavalry officers will often carry a riding crop rather than a swagger stick , in deference to their mounted traditions . United States armed forces . The swagger stick was not generally carried by US military officers , having long ago gone out of style , until early 2010 when Military Police officers and senior NCOs in Korea began carrying them in honor of their Korean Army counterparts . In the Korean Army , swagger sticks are made of metal and are issued to commanders when they take command . Military Police in Korea have begun carrying them again , a trend that is spreading across the Military Police Corps . Swagger sticks were once in vogue in the United States Marine Corps , starting as an informal accessory carried by officers in the late 19th century . In 1915 , it gained official approval as recruiters were encouraged to carry them to improve public image . This tradition grew when Marines deployed for World War I encountered European officers carrying swagger sticks , leading to an entry in the uniform regulations in 1922 authorizing enlisted Marines to carry them as well . The usage died down in the 1930s and 40s , excepting China Marines , and returned in vogue when a 1952 regulation encouraging them ; reaching a peak from 1956 to 1960 , when Commandant Randolph M . Pate encouraged use . While stressing the need for uniforms to be simple and rugged , with no need for gimmicks and gadgets , General Pate commented : There is one item of equipment about which I have a definite opinion . It is the swagger stick . It shall remain an optional item of interference . If you feel the need of it , carry it … However , his successor , David M . Shoup , quickly discouraged their use : . . . " the swagger stick symbolized elitist affectation , and it reminded him of some unpleasant experiences he had had in China . ” He had seen British officers toss money at Chinese men and then strike them with their swagger sticks as they picked up the coins off the ground . Few Marines carried the swagger stick after that . Few , if any , contemporary officers feel the need to carry a swagger stick , and it has no official sanction in any branch .