Uniforms of the United States Navy

This article examines dress uniforms, daily service uniforms, working uniforms, special situations, and the history of uniforms of the United States Navy. For simplicity in this article, Officers refers to both commissioned officers and warrant officers.

The United States Navy has three categories of dress uniforms, from least to most formal: service, full, and dinner dress.

Service dress uniforms are worn for official functions not rising to the level of full or dinner dress. They are also commonly worn when traveling in official capacity, or when reporting to a command. The civilian equivalent is a business suit. They are seasonal, with the white uniform worn in summer and the blue in winter. Service Dress Blue may be worn year round for travel only. Ribbons are worn over the left breast pocket in all variations of the service dress uniform. The All-Weather Coat, Overcoat, or Reefer may be worn with service dress uniforms in cold or inclement weather.

The Service Dress Blue (SDB) uniform consists of a navy blue suit coat and trousers that are nearly black in color, or the optional skirt for women, a white shirt, and four-in-hand necktie (or neck tab for women). The material is generally wool or a wool blend, depending on the vendor. The men's jacket is double breasted with six gold-colored buttons, and the women's jacket has a single row of four gold-colored buttons. Rank insignia is the gold sleeve stripes for commissioned officers, while rating badges and service stripes are worn on the left sleeve by Chief Petty Officers (CPOs). The prescribed headgear is the white combination cap, although a navy blue garrison cap is optional, unless stated otherwise by the prescribing authority in some situations when the jacket is not worn. Beginning in 2016, the Navy began phasing out the female combination cap and now prescribes a cover similar to the male version for female officers and CPOs. Commissioned and warrant officers wear a cap badge of the American shield and eagle in silver upon gold crossed anchors; CPOs wear a single fouled anchor. The combination cover's chinstrap is gold for commissioned and warrant officers, narrower gold for midshipmen, and black for CPOs. Female officers and chief petty officers wear beltless slacks with the SDB, although since January 2017, belted slacks can be worn as an alternative.

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