List of United States military premier ensembles

A premier ensemble is a term used in the United States armed forces to refer to a certain class of military bands. Premier ensembles are configured and commanded so as to attract the highest-quality musicians available, and competition for enlistment is typically fierce. Unlike non-premier ensembles, which provide musical support to specific military units or commands, premier ensembles exist to promote the U.S. military to the public at large, to support state ceremonies, and to preserve the heritage of American martial music. As of 2016 there are eleven such units.

Each of the five branches of the U.S. armed forces designates one or more of its military bands as premier ensembles, however, the exact terminology used to describe such units varies (the U.S. Army uses the term "Special Bands"). While branch-wide, as opposed to unit-specific, bands have existed since the formation of the U.S. Marine Band in the 1790s, the idea of forming superior music ensembles posted in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. originated with John Pershing in the early 1920s and formalized with the transition of the U.S. Navy School of Music from a training program for naval bandsmen to a multi-service institute responsible for Navy, Marine Corps, and Army premier musicians in 1951.

New enlistees in premier ensembles automatically enter at the rank of E6 (a staff sergeant in the Army, or petty officer, first class, in the Navy) and enjoy enlistment contracts that guarantee they are not deployable outside the United States, meaning competition for billets is fierce. These organizations have typically attracted the highest-caliber musicians available, selected through a competitive audition process.

In the past, some premier ensembles have been administered separately from the rest of their branch's bands; they generally do not have any duties other than musical performance. During wartime, by contrast, non-premier U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army bands reconfigure into light infantry units responsible for rear-area defense and EPW (enemy prisoner-of-war) security. Personnel of the U.S. Marine Band forgo recruit training altogether; instead, after enlistment under a four-year contract, they are directly assigned to their duty station at the Marine Barracks in Washington, where they receive on-the-job training to provide them with the necessary military skills required to perform their role.

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