Collapse to view only § 776. Applicability of chapter
- § 771. Unauthorized wearing prohibited
- § 771a. Disposition on discharge
- § 772. When wearing by persons not on active duty authorized
- § 773. When distinctive insignia required
- § 774. Religious apparel: wearing while in uniform
- § 775. Issue of uniform without charge
- § 776. Applicability of chapter
- § 777. Wearing of insignia of higher grade before promotion (frocking): authority; restrictions
- § 777a. Wearing of insignia of higher grade before appointment to a grade above major general or rear admiral (frocking): authority; restrictions
§ 771. Unauthorized wearing prohibited
Except as otherwise provided by law, no person except a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, as the case may be, may wear—
(1) the uniform, or a distinctive part of the uniform, of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force; or
(2) a uniform any part of which is similar to a distinctive part of the uniform of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force.
(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 34; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 924(b)(3)(N), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3821.)
§ 771a. Disposition on discharge
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), when an enlisted member of an armed force is discharged, the exterior articles of uniform in his possession that were issued to him, other than those that he may wear from the place of discharge to his home under section 772(d) of this title, shall be retained for military use.
(b) When an enlisted member of an armed force is discharged for bad conduct, undesirability, unsuitability, inaptitude, or otherwise than honorably—
(1) the exterior articles of uniform in his possession shall be retained for military use;
(2) under such regulations as the Secretary concerned prescribes, a suit of civilian clothing and an overcoat when necessary, both to cost not more than $30, may be issued to him; and
(3) if he would be otherwise without funds to meet his immediate needs, he may be paid an amount, fixed by the Secretary concerned, of not more than $25.
(c) When an enlisted member of the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard who has been called into Federal service is released from that service, the exterior articles of uniform in his possession shall be accounted for as property issued to the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard, as the case may be, of the State or territory, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia of whose Army National Guard or Air National Guard he is a member, as prescribed in section 708 of title 32.
(Added Pub. L. 90–235, § 8(1)(A), Jan. 2, 1968, 81 Stat. 763; amended Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title XII, § 1234(a)(1), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 2059.)
§ 772. When wearing by persons not on active duty authorized
(a) A member of the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard may wear the uniform prescribed for the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard, as the case may be.
(b) A member of the Naval Militia may wear the uniform prescribed for the Naval Militia.
(c) A retired officer of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force may bear the title and wear the uniform of his retired grade.
(d) A person who is discharged honorably or under honorable conditions from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force may wear his uniform while going from the place of discharge to his home, within three months after his discharge.
(e) A person not on active duty who served honorably in time of war in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force may bear the title, and, when authorized by regulations prescribed by the President, wear the uniform, of the highest grade held by him during that war.
(f) While portraying a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, an actor in a theatrical or motion-picture production may wear the uniform of that armed force if the portrayal does not tend to discredit that armed force.
(g) An officer or resident of a veterans’ home administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs may wear such uniform as the Secretary of the military department concerned may prescribe.
(h) While attending a course of military instruction conducted by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, a civilian may wear the uniform prescribed by that armed force if the wear of such uniform is specifically authorized under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned.
(i) Under such regulations as the Secretary of the Air Force may prescribe, a citizen of a foreign country who graduates from an Air Force or Space Force school may wear the appropriate aviation or space badges of the Air Force or Space Force.
(j) A person in any of the following categories may wear the uniform prescribed for that category:
(1) Members of the Boy Scouts of America.
(2) Members of any other organization designated by the Secretary of a military department.
(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 35; Pub. L. 99–145, title XIII, § 1301(a)(1), Nov. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 735; Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title XVI, § 1621(a)(1), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1602; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title V, § 551(b), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2525; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 924(b)(3)(O), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3821; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVII, § 1741(b)(2), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 680.)
§ 773. When distinctive insignia required
(a) A person for whom one of the following uniforms is prescribed may wear it, if it includes distinctive insignia prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned to distinguish it from the uniform of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, as the case may be:
(1) The uniform prescribed by the university, college, or school for an instructor or member of the organized cadet corps of—
(A) a State university or college, or a public high school, having a regular course of military instruction; or
(B) an educational institution having a regular course of military instruction, and having a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force as instructor in military science and tactics.
(2) The uniform prescribed by a military society composed of persons discharged honorably or under honorable conditions from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force to be worn by a member of that society when authorized by regulations prescribed by the President.
(b) A uniform prescribed under subsection (a) may not include insignia of grade the same as, or similar to, those prescribed for officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force.
(c) Under such regulations as the Secretary of the military department concerned may prescribe, any person who is permitted to attend a course of instruction prescribed for members of a reserve officers’ training corps, and who is not a member of that corps, may, while attending that course of instruction, wear the uniform of that corps.
(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 35; Pub. L. 85–355, Mar. 28, 1958, 72 Stat. 66; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 924(b)(3)(P), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3821.)
§ 774. Religious apparel: wearing while in uniform
(a)General Rule.—Except as provided under subsection (b), a member of the armed forces may wear an item of religious apparel while wearing the uniform of the member’s armed force.
(b)Exceptions.—The Secretary concerned may prohibit the wearing of an item of religious apparel—
(1) in circumstances with respect to which the Secretary determines that the wearing of the item would interfere with the performance of the member’s military duties; or
(2) if the Secretary determines, under regulations under subsection (c), that the item of apparel is not neat and conservative.
(c)Regulations.—The Secretary concerned shall prescribe regulations concerning the wearing of religious apparel by members of the armed forces under the Secretary’s jurisdiction while the members are wearing the uniform. Such regulations shall be consistent with subsections (a) and (b).
(d)Religious Apparel Defined.—In this section, the term “religious apparel” means apparel the wearing of which is part of the observance of the religious faith practiced by the member.
(Added Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title V, § 508(a)(2), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1086.)
§ 775. Issue of uniform without charge
(a)Issue of Uniform.—The Secretary concerned may issue a uniform, without charge, to any of the following members:
(1) A member who is being repatriated after being held as a prisoner of war.
(2) A member who is being treated at or released from a medical treatment facility as a consequence of being wounded or injured during military hostilities.
(3) A member who, as a result of the member’s duties, has unique uniform requirements.
(4) Any other member, if the Secretary concerned determines, under exceptional circumstances, that the issue of the uniform to that member would significantly benefit the morale and welfare of the member and be advantageous to the armed force concerned.
(b)Retention of Uniform as a Personal Item.—Notwithstanding section 771a of this title, a uniform issued to a member under this section may be retained by the member as a personal item.
(Added Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title III, § 377(a)(2), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2386.)
§ 776. Applicability of chapter
This chapter applies in—
(1) the United States;
(2) the territories, commonwealths, and possessions of the United States; and
(3) all other places under the jurisdiction of the United States.
(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 36, § 774; Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title XIII, § 1343(a)(1), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3992; Pub. L. 100–26, § 3(6), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 273; renumbered § 775, Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title V, § 508(a)(1), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1086; renumbered § 776, Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title III, § 377(a)(1), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2386.)
§ 777. Wearing of insignia of higher grade before promotion (frocking): authority; restrictions
(a)Authority.—An officer in a grade below the grade of major general or, in the case of the Navy, rear admiral, who has been selected for promotion to the next higher grade may be authorized, under regulations and policies of the Department of Defense and subject to subsection (b), to wear the insignia for that next higher grade. An officer who is so authorized to wear the insignia of the next higher grade is said to be “frocked” to that grade.
(b)Restrictions.—An officer may not be authorized to wear the insignia for a grade as described in subsection (a) unless—
(1) the Senate has given its advice and consent to the appointment of the officer to that grade;
(2) the officer is serving in, or has received orders to serve in, a position for which that grade is authorized; and
(3) in the case of an officer selected for promotion to a grade above colonel or, in the case of an officer of the Navy, a grade above captain—
(A) authority for that officer to wear the insignia of that grade has been approved by the Secretary of Defense (or a civilian officer within the Office of the Secretary of Defense whose appointment was made with the advice and consent of the Senate and to whom the Secretary delegates such approval authority); and
(B) the Secretary of Defense has submitted to Congress a written notification of the intent to authorize the officer to wear the insignia for that grade.
(c)Benefits Not To Be Construed as Accruing.—
(1) Authority provided to an officer as described in subsection (a) to wear the insignia of the next higher grade may not be construed as conferring authority for that officer to—
(A) be paid the rate of pay provided for an officer in that grade having the same number of years of service as that officer; or
(B) assume any legal authority associated with that grade.
(2) The period for which an officer wears the insignia of the next higher grade under such authority may not be taken into account for any of the following purposes:
(A) Seniority in that grade.
(B) Time of service in that grade.
(d)Limitation on Number of Officers Frocked to Specified Grades.—
(1) The total number of colonels, Navy captains, brigadier generals, and rear admirals (lower half) on the active-duty list who are authorized as described in subsection (a) to wear the insignia for the next higher grade may not exceed 85.
(2) The number of officers of an armed force on the active-duty list, or for the Space Force, the Space Force officer list, who are authorized as described in subsection (a) to wear the insignia for a grade to which a limitation on total number applies under section 523(a) of this title for a fiscal year may not exceed 1 percent, or, for the grades of colonel and Navy captain, 2 percent, of the total number provided for the officers in that grade in that armed force in the administration of the limitation under that section for that fiscal year.
(Added Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title V, § 503(a)(1), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 294; amended Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title V, § 505, Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1726; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title V, § 502, Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 590; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title V, § 509(a), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1458; Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title V, § 503, Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 1875; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title V, §§ 503(c), 504, Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3226; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title V, § 505(b), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4210; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVII, § 1722(e), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 671.)
§ 777a. Wearing of insignia of higher grade before appointment to a grade above major general or rear admiral (frocking): authority; restrictions
(a)Authority.—An officer serving in a grade below the grade of lieutenant general or, in the case of the Navy, vice admiral, who has been selected for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general or general, or, in the case of the Navy, vice admiral or admiral, and an officer serving in the grade of lieutenant general or vice admiral who has been selected for appointment to the grade of general or admiral, may be authorized, under regulations and policies of the Department of Defense and subject to subsection (b), to wear the insignia for that higher grade for a period of up to 14 days before assuming the duties of a position for which the higher grade is authorized. An officer who is so authorized to wear the insignia of a higher grade is said to be “frocked” to that grade.
(b)Restrictions.—An officer may not be authorized to wear the insignia for a grade as described in subsection (a) unless—
(1) the Senate has given its advice and consent to the appointment of the officer to that grade;
(2) the officer has received orders to serve in a position outside the military department of that officer for which that grade is authorized;
(3) the Secretary of Defense (or a civilian officer within the Office of the Secretary of Defense whose appointment was made with the advice and consent of the Senate and to whom the Secretary delegates such approval authority) has given approval for the officer to wear the insignia for that grade before assuming the duties of a position for which that grade is authorized; and
(4) the Secretary of Defense has submitted to Congress a written notification of the intent to authorize the officer to wear the insignia for that grade.
(c)Benefits Not to Be Construed as Accruing.—
(1) Authority provided to an officer as described in subsection (a) to wear the insignia of a higher grade may not be construed as conferring authority for that officer to—
(A) be paid the rate of pay provided for an officer in that grade having the same number of years of service as that officer; or
(B) assume any legal authority associated with that grade.
(2) The period for which an officer wears the insignia of a higher grade under such authority may not be taken into account for any of the following purposes:
(A) Seniority in that grade.
(B) Time of service in that grade.
(d)Limitation on Number of Officers Frocked.—The total number of officers who are authorized to wear the insignia for a higher grade under this section shall count against the limitation in section 777(d) of this title on the total number of officers authorized to wear the insignia of a higher grade.
(Added Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title V, § 505(a)(1), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4208.)