The Public Health Service uniform is distinct from the Navy uniform because of the devices and components used. The PHS and Navy insignia and devices on the caps, shoulder boards, collar (khaki and winter blue), and sleeve (SDB) are service-specific. PHS Officers must be sure to ask for the PHS versions when purchasing uniform parts from Navy sources. The gold buttons on the SDB, SDW and formal PHS uniforms, as well as the combination cap, are made with the PHS Corps device and must be requested when ordering those uniforms. Finally, the chin strap for the PHS combination cap (for male officers and female officers at O-4 and below) is distinct from the Navy item.

Most PHS uniform components like shirts, pants, shoes, ties, and jackets are the same as the Navy uniform items and can be purchased from Navy uniform sources. Navy items may be worn as basic components, with the appropriate PHS insignia and devices, except where the regulations specify that it has been excluded. Not all Navy items are approved for wear as PHS uniform components.

Two examples are:

1. The cardigan and V-neck sweaters approved for use by PHS Officers are Army sweaters. The Navy sweaters are not authorized PHS uniform components.

2. The black garrison cap is a distinctive item, made specifically for the PHS uniform. It is obtained from commercial sources only. The blue garrison cap used by Navy enlisted personnel does not have the distinctive gold piping as does the PHS black garrison cap. The khaki garrison cap, however, is the same as the Navy khaki garrison cap and may be purchased from Navy sources.

What uniform is appropriate for travel?

Officers may wear SDB or the uniform of the day for the destination location, or the uniform specified in the travel orders while in travel status. If the uniform specified is different than the destination, the officer should be prepared to wear the required uniform of the day for the destination. Officers may also wear civilian attire for travel.

Officers traveling outside the United States are not permitted to wear the uniform unless the individual has been authorized by the Surgeon General to wear the PHS uniform. Requests must be submitted to the OSG in writing and in advance of the travel.

For space available travel, the uniform is neither required nor recommended. Department of Defense asks that Officers traveling Space-A wear tasteful civilian attire.

When are CDC officers required to wear the uniform? I am presenting a paper at an out-of-town conference.

CDC officers are encouraged to wear the uniform daily! The current CDC policy is for officers to wear the uniform at a minimum:

Each Wednesday;
On special occasions as directed by the LUA;
When addressing the news media;
When making a public presentation; and
When meeting with officers of other uniformed services

I heard a military service member refer to his uniform as “Class A.” Can you explain that terminology?

Some military branches identify their various types of uniforms by “classes.” PHS does not refer to their uniforms by class; however, there are equivalent uniforms to other services. When working with members of other uniformed services, it may be desirable to coordinate what “class” uniform is worn. See the table for service equivalents.

Yes! As officers, we have a responsibility to each other and to the Corps to do everything possible to ensure that the PHS uniform is always worn correctly. Wearing the uniform correctly puts the PHS in the best possible light as a professional service. A proudly-worn uniform instills confidence in those we serve.

When one notices another officer with a uniform issue, he or she should be approached in a friendly and respectful manner, politely and with discretion. One should be careful not to embarrass the Officer by correcting him/her in public. The officer should simply state that he/she has observed something that should be corrected, state specifically what has been observed, and offer assistance in correcting the problem. Chances are good that the errant officer was unaware of the mistake or did not know or understand the correct method of wear.

Officers should be teachers, role models, and mentors for each other. The correct wear of the uniform is an example of how we can assist one another and help maintain the professional image of the Corps.

What maternity uniform options are available to officers who become pregnant and no longer can wear their regular uniforms?

Maternity versions of several female uniforms are available. Please refer to the July 2005 Commissioned Corps Instruction 7 (PDF) for a full description of the maternity uniforms. .

How and when is the CDC identification badge worn?

The CDC identification badge must be worn with the PHS uniform while on CDC premises. The badge should be clipped to the pocket or lapel or on a chain or plain cord around the neck. However, badges must be removed when leaving CDC premises.

What uniforms require “hard” shoulder boards?

Hard shoulder boards are worn with Service Blue and Summer White. The shirt for the Service Blue uniform, also called “Salt and Pepper,” is the same worn with the Summer White uniform. It has an open collar (unbuttoned, no necktie).

For men only, the white “dress” uniforms (e.g., Service Dress White) require hard shoulder boards.

Two outer garments also require hard shoulder boards, for men and women: the reefer and the overcoat.

Are shoulder boards specific as to gender?

Yes, shoulder boards are specific as to gender. Both hard and soft shoulder boards are made in male and female versions. Hard shoulder boards are more obvious as to the difference. The male boards have a tab and snap that threads under the shoulder loops on the shirt. The female boards have a slot for threading through the epaulet and attaching it to the shirt. For soft shoulder boards, the difference is the size of the PHS device on the shoulder boards.

When can the black V-neck sweater be worn?

The Army Black V-neck Sweater is authorized to be worn with the following uniforms: Service Dress Blue Sweater, Service Blue, Summer White, and Service Khaki. It may also be worn with the Indoor Duty White, Winter Blue, and Winter Working Blue uniforms. Officers wear soft shoulder boards and the name tag with the V-neck sweater. The sweater is never worn under the SDB uniform jacket.

If a female officer has both the skirt and the slacks of the uniform, which is appropriate to wear? What shoes are appropriate?

Female officers may choose to wear either the slacks or skirt. However, Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD) requests that only the slacks are worn with the Working Khaki uniform during deployment.

Women may wear either the dress or service shoes with both the slacks and skirt uniform options. However, when wearing the dress shoes (with either the skirt or slacks) skin-complimentary hosiery must be worn. When wearing the service shoes with the skirt, hose are worn; appropriately colored socks are worn when wearing the service shoes with slacks. For example, white socks are worn with the white slacks, and black socks are worn with black slacks.

On deployment in Working Khaki (and with other working uniforms as well), the type of shoes (e.g. safety shoes) may be specified by the local uniform authority to meet the conditions of the mission.

Is there a male version of the beret?

No. There is no male version beret authorized to be worn with any uniform. Women only wear the black Navy-style beret. A PHS miniature cap device is worn (same one as used with the garrison cap).

What outer garments are recommended for wear with my uniform? May I wear civilian outer garments when in my uniform?

Uniforms should not be worn with civilian items, including overcoats, jackets and caps. Civilian clothing like coats, caps, and jackets are not part of a PHS uniform. Fortunately, a variety of authorized outer garments may be worn, and some items like the raincoat may be used for all uniforms. Officers should obtain and wear the appropriate uniform outerwear. Outer garments authorized for wear include the following:

Service Dress Blue: Overcoat, Raincoat, Reefer, Cardigan Sweater (without coat)*
Service Dress Blue Sweater: Overcoat, Raincoat, Black Windbreaker Jacket, Army v-neck Sweater (required for this uniform)
Modified Service Dress Blue: Overcoat (women only), Raincoat, Reefer, Black Windbreaker Jacket
Summer White: Raincoat, Black Windbreaker Jacket, Army V-neck Sweater, Army Cardigan Sweater*
Service Blue: Raincoat, Black Windbreaker Jacket, Army v-neck Sweater, Army Cardigan
Sweater*
Service Khaki: Raincoat, Black or Khaki Windbreaker, Army v-neck Sweater, Army Cardigan
Sweater*
Winter Blue: Overcoat, Raincoat, Reefer, Black Windbreaker Jacket, Army v-neck Sweater, Army Cardigan Sweater*
*Army black cardigan sweater is for indoor wear only.

When should I wear my Service Dress Blue uniform?

The Service Dress Blue (SDB) uniform is authorized for wear year-round. It is the equivalent of civilian “suit-and-tie.” It may be worn when in travel status, while attending official meetings, on recruiting visits, when representing the PHS, while participating in ceremonial activities, or in other appropriate circumstances. All officers are required to own and maintain a SDB uniform.

Service Dress Blue can be designated on certain days and occasions by the Local Uniform Authority, such as a visit by the Surgeon General or another high-ranking government official.

What is the difference between the Service Dress Blue Sweater uniform and the Service Dress Blue uniform?

The Service Dress Blue Sweater (SDBS) is a modified version of Service Dress Blue. The officer wears the Army Black V-neck sweater [link-photo] instead of the SDB jacket. The SDBS uniform is worn on routine occasions and during normal office work while at a duty station. A PHS name tag is worn on the v-neck sweater, but ribbons are not worn. Both male and female officers may wear the combination cap or black garrison cap (with gold piping) and female officers may wear the beret.

Can the black windbreaker jacket by worn with the SDB uniform?

SDB may be transformed into modified SDB (MSDB) by substituting the black windbreaker jacket may be worn in lieu of the SDB coat. MSDB may be worn at one’s duty station and when in transit between one’s residence and duty station. It is worn for normal office work, but should not be worn for formal occasions where suit-and-tie would be expected for civilians. It is never worn over the SDB coat. With MSDB, neither ribbons nor name tags are worn on the shirt. A tie always must be worn (men and women). The black windbreaker jacket also may be worn with the Service Dress Blue Sweater (SDBS) uniform. When the black windbreaker is worn, it is zipped at least three-quarters of the way up. Full-size metal rank insignia are pinned on the shoulder loops. The combination cap, black garrison cap, or beret (women only) may be worn with the MSDB.

The women's blue slacks and skirt are not interchangeable. The belted slacks (with the zipper in the front) and skirt (with zipper in the back) are worn with the SB and WB uniforms only. The blue belt with gold buckle must be worn with these items. The non-belted slacks and skirt (with zipper on the side) are exclusively for the Service Dress blue uniform (all varieties of the SDB including the MSDB and SDBS).

Soft shoulder boards are worn on the shirt for SDB (all forms). Hard shoulder boards are worn on the SB shirt. WB does not use shoulder boards.

A tie is always worn with the SDB (all forms). The name tag and ribbons are never worn on the SDB white shirt. The name tag and ribbons are worn with the SB and WB uniform shirts. A tie is never worn with the WB and SB uniforms.

Can the Service Dress Blue coat be worn unbuttoned? Can the windbreaker jacket be worn unzipped?

The Service Dress Blue coat is to worn buttoned at all times. The windbreaker jacket is to be zipped up at least ¾ of the way whenever worn.

Which uniforms use collar devices? How are the rank and Corps devices aligned on the shirt collar and the utility coat for the BDU?

The Service Khaki (SK), Winter Blue (WB), Working Khaki (WK), and Winter Working Blue (WWB) have the PHS Corps device (on the left collar) and the rank device (on the right collar). However, the placement differs as follows:

SK, WK: Devices are placed with the vertical axis on a line that bisects the collar from the lower collar point to the upper edge. The devices are placed at a point where the center of the device is one inch from the front and back edges of the collar. O-4 and O-5 rank devices have the stem pointing toward the tip. For O-6 rank devices, the eagle faces to the left and with the head oriented up.

WB and WWB: The devices are placed in the same position for both WB (collar closed, with tie, or WWB (collar unbuttoned without tie). Place the device so that the vertical axis of the device is parallel to the front edge of the collar. The top plane of the device is also to be parallel with the edge of the shirt along the neck. The center of the device is positioned to be one inch from the front edge of the collar and one inch from the edge of the shirt along the neck. O-1, O-2, and O-3 rank devices have the bar(s) parallel to the front edge of the collar. O-4 and O-5 rank devices have the oak leaf stem aligned to be parallel to the front edge of the collar. O-6 rank devices have the eagle head up and facing left. The top axis (through the wings tip to tip) should be parallel to the edge of the shirt along the neck.

How are rank devices to be placed on the BDU cap, raincoat, and windbreaker jacket?

The large (full-size) rank devices are used on the BDU cap and on the epaulets of the raincoat and the windbreaker jacket. They are placed as follows:

Raincoat and windbreaker jacket: The rank devices are positioned 3/4 of an inch from the outside epaulet seam. For the O-6 device, the eagle faces forward. For the O-4 and O-5 devices, the leaf stem is centered and points outward from the wearer. For the O-1, O-2, and O-3, the rank bar(s) are parallel to the outside epaulet seam (bar(s) point forward).

BDU Utility Cap: the rank device is centered both horizontally and vertically on the front panel of the cap. For the O-6 device, the eagle faces to the right. For the O-4 and O-5 devices, the leaf stem points downward. For the O-1, O-2, and O-3, the rank bar(s) point downward.

What is the "Salt and Pepper" uniform? When can it be worn?

The Service Blue (SB) uniform is also known as "Salt and Pepper." SB may be worn at CDC facilities year-round, according to current CDC uniform of the day issuances. SB is the exception to the “all fabrics match” rule: the trousers or skirt are poly-wool, and the shirt may be either CNT (polyester) or poly-cotton. For men, the SDB trousers may be worn, but for women only slacks or skirt with belt may be worn (not the SDB components). The cover worn with SB may be the combination cap, the black garrison cap, or the beret (women only).

SB is perhaps the most distinctive PHS uniform, as Navy officers do not wear SB. Therefore, officers should be prepared to explain that SB is an authorized PHS uniform when worn around Navy personnel.

I have seen a uniform with a long sleeve blue shirt and trousers, which is worn with a tie but occasionally with an open collar. What is this uniform?

The uniforms described are the Winter Blue (WB) and the Winter Working Blue (WWB). WB is a service uniform suitable for office settings, and it is an option for officers at CDC during the fall/winter season. It is worn with a tie. Women may wear either the skirt or slacks (the same ones worn for SB). Because it is a working uniform, WWB is worn with neither a tie nor ribbons. It may only be worn in situations where other uniforms would be unsafe or become unduly soiled; therefore, it is not authorized for wear in normal office settings.

What is the Indoor Duty White Uniform? Is it the same as the Summer White Uniform?

The Indoor Duty White Uniform is the Summer White Uniform but without ribbons and may only be worn by officers assigned to duties in clinical or laboratory settings. The Indoor Duty White is a working uniform and is not appropriate for wear when circumstances indicate that a service uniform should be worn, such as meetings scheduled in advance with official visitors or members of the general public.

When are the formal uniforms, which look like civilian evening dress, worn?

There are two formal uniforms: Formal Dress and Dinner Dress. The Formal Dress Uniform may be worn at official formal evening functions when male civilians normally wear white tie. The Dinner Dress Uniform is worn at official functions when male civilians would wear black tie attire. The Dinner Dress Uniform must conform to the appropriate season, that is, the Dinner Dress White Jacket and Dinner Dress White uniform are worn in summer months only.

What is the Summer White uniform?

The Summer White (SW) uniform is one of the three required uniforms for all Commissioned Officers (this requirement was added in the 2005 uniform instructions). It is described on Page 15 of CC26.3, Instruction 4 (men) and CC26.3, Instruction 5 (women). It is worn for normal office work and similar settings.

The uniform consists of a white shirt, worn open collar, with hard shoulder boards, a white belt with the gold buckle, and the white combination cap. Name tags and ribbons are worn. Men wear white trousers; women may choose to wear white slacks or a white skirt. The fabrics are poly-cotton or CNT, but all of the fabrics, including shirt, trousers/skirt, belt, and cap cover, must be the same material. White shoes are worn, with white socks (hosiery if women wear the white dress shoes). Women may wear the beret or the combination cap, but for men, the combination cap is the only authorized cover.

Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs)

Are PHS officers required to own and maintain BDUs?

As of now, PHS officers are not required to own and maintain BDUs. However, PHS officers may be required to obtain and wear BDUs to participate in designated deployment activities.

Can BDUs be worn to the office or in settings other than deployments?

PHS officers are not to wear BDUs unless they obtain specific authorization from their local uniform authority. LUAs may authorize BDUs for emergency response activities, for field training and other exercises with other uniform services personnel, or for work details in which other uniforms would be inappropriate.

What type of BDUs do PHS officers wear?

PHS officers wear the Navy Woodland Green BDUs.

Can PHS Officers wear the new-style “digi-cami” that some military units wear?

The newer-style BDUs being introduced by the U.S. Army are not authorized for PHS officers.

What are the basic components of the PHS BDU?

Below are the basic components of a Battle Dress Uniform (BDU). Many more components are described in more detail in the CCPM 26.3, Instruction 7 – Special Uniform Situations.

Utility coat, woodland camouflage
USPHS and name tapes, subdued PHS corps collar device and subdued collar rank device, to be attached to the Utility Coat
Trousers, woodland camouflage
Undershirt, black with yellow PHS lettering
Belt and Buckle, black
Utility cap, woodland camouflage,
Rank device, full-size, bright-metal Navy-style, to attach to Utility Cap
Boots, black combat
Socks, black

How are the name tape, PHS tape, and collar devices placed on the BDU?

The tapes and devices are sewn on to the utility coat. The diagram shows the correct placement of the tapes and devices.

May an officer wear the PHS Ball Cap with BDUs?

The PHS Command Ball Cap, like other optional headgear, may be worn with BDUs only if authorized by the LUA.

Where can I obtain BDUs and the components?

The best and most dependable source of BDUs and components is the Navy Exchange Uniform clothing shops or the Navy Exchange mail-order service. The toll-free number is 1-800-368-4088. The Exchange also maintains a web site to shop and place orders.

BDUs and components are also available commercially. If obtained through commercial sources, care must be taken to ensure that the items are certified for use by the U.S. Navy, and they should have a certification label stating that the item meets Navy specifications.

What t-shirt is needed for wear with the BDU?

The USPHS Black imprinted BDU T-shirt is available for ordering at the Navy-Nex. It may not yet be purchased online, but you can call in an order at 1-800-368-4088.

Last Reviewed: December 6, 2005

Frequently Asked Questions About the PHS Uniform

Navigation for the CDC Commissioned Corps Website

Contact CCPT

Additional Navigation for the CDC Website