Results for AR 670-1

Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia

AR 670-1 is the policy for uniform wear, grooming, and appearance. It says what is authorized; DA PAM 670-1 shows how each item is worn and where it is placed. Grooming and appearance standards have been changed by Army directives since the 2021 edition, so check for current directives before enforcing a detail.

What is the male hair standard in AR 670-1?

Hair on the top of the head is neatly groomed and tapered. Bulk does not exceed two inches. Hair does not fall over the ears or eyebrows and does not touch the collar. Sideburns are neatly trimmed, not flared, and do not extend below the bottom of the ear opening.

What is the tattoo policy in AR 670-1 as amended by Army directive?

Content is the hard line: tattoos that are extremist, indecent, sexist, or racist are prohibited anywhere on the body, regardless of size or location. For placement, tattoos on the head and face remain prohibited, with an exception for permanent makeup. A 2022 Army directive opened limited placements, including small tattoos on the hands, behind the ears, and on the back of the neck within size limits, and tattoos between the fingers that are not visible when the fingers are closed. Because these limits have changed by directive, verify the current directive before you counsel a Soldier.

Uniforms, Awards & Customs

Wear and appearance standards, rank and insignia, the order of precedence for awards and badges, and the customs a board expects you to know.

Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia

DA PAM 670-1 is the illustrated guide to wearing the uniform: placement measurements, insignia layouts, and how awards and badges are arranged. AR 670-1 says what is authorized; this pamphlet shows exactly where it goes. It is the reference for uniform inspections and board preparation.

Military Awards

AR 600-8-22 governs decorations, service medals, badges, and the order of precedence. It sets who may approve what, what the criteria are, and how recommendations move. It is revised often -- the 11 May 2026 expedited revision is the third edition since January 2024.

Grooming, jewelry, and tattoo standards

The AR 670-1 appearance standards a board will ask about, and an honest warning about which of them have been changed by Army directive since the 2021 edition.

Order of precedence for awards

The overall order in which categories of awards are worn, the order of U.S. military decorations from the Medal of Honor down, and the Army unit awards.

Rank and insignia: enlisted, warrant officer, and commissioned

Every Army grade with its title, abbreviation, and insignia, including the two E-4 grades and the two E-8 and E-9 positions that share a pay grade.

Reporting to the board and the sequence of movements

The exact sequence for reporting indoors, what changes when you are under arms, and the movement errors that cost points before you answer a single question.

The Army Green Service Uniform

What the AGSU is made of, the configurations it is worn in, and the transition that made it the Army's everyday service uniform.

The Army's uniforms and when each one is worn

The utility, service, dress, and mess uniforms, what each is for, and who decides which one you wear on a given day.

The four weeks before the board

A week-by-week plan that fixes the record first, then the uniform, then the knowledge, then the performance.

Wearing the Army Combat Uniform in OCP

The complete OCP uniform, where the flag and the patches go, what commanders may and may not authorize, and the wear rules Soldiers get corrected on most often.

What the board evaluates and how members score it

The appraisal areas AR 600-8-19 has long used, what a member is actually watching in each one, and how to prepare for the areas that are not knowledge questions.

Are beards authorized in the Army?

No. Soldiers keep their faces clean shaven when in uniform or in civilian clothes on duty. The exceptions are an approved religious accommodation and a shaving profile issued by a medical provider. Shaving profile policy has been tightened by Army directive since the 2021 edition of AR 670-1, so check the current directive and the Soldier's profile before you correct anyone.

How are ribbons arranged on the service uniform?

Ribbons are worn in order of precedence, reading from the wearer's right to left and from the top row down. Rows are built so that no row contains more ribbons than the row beneath it. Placement measurements for the coat and shirt are in DA PAM 670-1.

How do unit awards differ from individual decorations in the way they are worn?

Unit award emblems are worn on the right side of the service or dress coat, above the pocket, in a gold frame. Individual decorations and ribbons are worn on the left side. A Soldier keeps a unit award permanently only if assigned to the unit during the period cited; otherwise it is worn only while assigned.

How do you tell the warrant officer grades apart by insignia?

Warrant officer grades use a silver bar with black squares. Warrant officer one has one square, chief warrant officer two has two, chief warrant officer three has three, and chief warrant officer four has four. Chief warrant officer five wears a silver bar with a single black stripe running lengthwise through the center.

List the enlisted grades and ranks from private through sergeant major of the Army.

Private E-1, private E-2, private first class E-3, specialist and corporal E-4, sergeant E-5, staff sergeant E-6, sergeant first class E-7, master sergeant and first sergeant E-8, and sergeant major, command sergeant major, and sergeant major of the Army at E-9.

On the enlisted service or dress coat, which collar carries the U.S. insignia and which carries branch insignia?

Enlisted Soldiers wear the U.S. insignia disc on the right collar and the branch insignia disc on the left collar. Both are centered on the collar as prescribed in DA PAM 670-1.

What are the standards for a mustache?

A mustache is kept neatly trimmed, tapered, and tidy. No portion of it may cover the upper lip line, extend sideways beyond a vertical line drawn upward from the corner of the mouth, or extend above a line parallel to the lowest portion of the nose. Handlebar mustaches, beards, and goatees are not authorized.

What are the three principal Army uniforms a Soldier will encounter, and what is each used for?

The Army Combat Uniform in the Operational Camouflage Pattern, or OCP, is the utility and field uniform. The Army Green Service Uniform, or AGSU, is the everyday service uniform for office duty, travel, and most official business. The Army Service Uniform, or ASU, the blue uniform, is worn for dress and formal occasions.

What do service stripes and overseas service bars represent, and where is each worn?

Service stripes, often called hash marks, are worn on the lower left sleeve of the service and dress coat. One stripe represents three years of honorable service. Overseas service bars are worn on the lower right sleeve. One bar represents six months of federal service in a designated hostile fire or imminent danger area.

What jewelry may a Soldier wear in uniform?

No more than two rings at one time, and a wedding set counts as one ring. One conservative wrist watch and one conservative identification bracelet, along with authorized medical alert or prisoner of war and missing in action bracelets. Necklaces may be worn but must not be visible. Body piercing that is visible in uniform is not authorized, and ear gauging is prohibited.

What regulation governs Army awards and decorations?

AR 600-8-22, Military Awards. It sets the criteria, the approval authorities, and the order of precedence. DA PAM 670-1 then shows how those awards are arranged and worn on the uniform.

What regulation governs the wear and appearance of Army uniforms and insignia, and what is its companion pamphlet?

AR 670-1, Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, is the policy. DA PAM 670-1, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, is the illustrated companion. AR 670-1 tells you what is authorized. DA PAM 670-1 shows you exactly where it goes and how far from the seam.

When is headgear worn, and when is it removed?

Headgear is worn outdoors while in uniform unless the commander or the situation directs otherwise. It is removed indoors unless the Soldier is under arms in an official capacity. It is not worn inside a privately owned vehicle, and it is not required while in or on a military vehicle when the vehicle is enclosed.

Where are combat and skill tabs worn, and in what order?

Tabs are worn on the left shoulder above the shoulder sleeve insignia. When more than one is authorized the order from the top down is Special Forces, Ranger, then Sapper. A Soldier may wear no more than three of these tabs at one time.

Where is the U.S. flag insignia worn on the Army Combat Uniform, and which way does it face?

The full color or subdued U.S. flag is worn on the right shoulder. It is worn in the reverse field orientation, with the star field toward the front of the wearer, so the flag appears to be streaming backward as the Soldier moves forward.

A study plan built on this site's question bank

How to work the question bank by subject instead of at random, which publication to read behind each subject, and how to know when you are actually ready.

Badges and tabs and where they go

How AR 670-1 groups badges, the difference between a combat badge and a special skill badge, and the rules for wearing tabs.

Saluting, the exceptions, and reporting to an officer

Who is entitled to the salute, when it is not required, and the procedure for reporting to an officer indoors and outdoors.

Describe the insignia for sergeant first class, master sergeant, first sergeant, sergeant major, and command sergeant major.

Sergeant first class wears three chevrons over two rockers. Master sergeant wears three chevrons over three rockers. First sergeant wears the same as master sergeant with a diamond in the center. Sergeant major wears three chevrons over three rockers with a star in the center. Command sergeant major wears the star inside a wreath.

How is the beret worn?

The stiffener or flash is centered over the left eye. The headband is straight across the forehead, about one inch above the eyebrows. The excess material is draped over the right ear, between the top of the ear and the top of the head. The beret is not blocked, shaped, or cut.

List the commissioned officer grades from second lieutenant through general and their insignia.

Second lieutenant, one gold bar. First lieutenant, one silver bar. Captain, two silver bars. Major, a gold oak leaf. Lieutenant colonel, a silver oak leaf. Colonel, a silver eagle. Brigadier general, one star. Major general, two stars. Lieutenant general, three stars. General, four stars.

What is prohibited while walking in uniform?

Soldiers do not walk while engaged in activities that would interfere with rendering the hand salute and the proper courtesies. That includes eating, drinking, smoking or vaping, and using a cell phone. Hands stay out of pockets except momentarily to place or retrieve an object.

What is the difference between a specialist and a corporal, and which is the first noncommissioned officer grade?

Both are E-4. The specialist wears the eagle device and is not a noncommissioned officer. The corporal wears two chevrons, is a noncommissioned officer, and is the entry grade of the NCO corps with the authority and responsibility that come with it.

What is the difference between the patch worn on the left shoulder and the patch worn on the right shoulder?

The left shoulder carries the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Soldier's current organization. The right shoulder carries the shoulder sleeve insignia for former wartime service, commonly called the combat patch, which is the insignia of a unit the Soldier deployed with in a designated hostile fire or combat zone.