Officer candidate

Officer designates in the army and air force wear the same uniform and insignia as the corresponding NCOs; added a silver metal tissue cord on their shoulder straps.

However, his rank insignia on mounting loops for the field uniform are identical to the non-commissioned Hauptfeldwebel; plus the cord of the officer designate.

The navy doesn't use a silver cord to indicate the officer designates; instead a golden nautical star is displayed.

The rank insignia of Seekadett and Fähnrich zur See is the same as for the corresponding NCOs, but exchanges the anchor symbol with the nautical star.

RTIs follow the same curriculum and requirements as OCS and commission graduates who receive federal recognition into the Army National Guard.

Regardless of pay grade, traditionally, but technically incorrect, candidates are outranked by any course cadre or permanent party enlisted soldiers they may encounter.

Although their status does not correspond to a position of authority within the standard U.S. Army ranks, candidates serve in leadership training roles at the platoon or company level.

A major distinction between the two programs was the use of enlisted Marine Corps drill instructors in the AOCS program, a vestige from the World War II and early 1950s period when AOCS graduates were given the option of being commissioned in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps before proceeding to flight training.

AOCS was disestablished in 1994 due to BRAC action and merged into the current OCS program in 1994.

Officer candidate is also the rank to which participants in the active duty commissioning program "Seaman to Admiral 21" are appointed.

While attached to their colleges or universities, officer candidates are looked to as mentors to the midshipmen throughout the school year.

[8] On khaki and working blue uniforms, fouled anchors are worn on the collar points until candidate officer status is achieved, at which time OCs wear the bar insignia similar to their senior/midshipmen 1st class counterparts at the U.S.

Similar to the Army officer candidates, Air Force officer trainees exist in a gray zone with regard to rank, and their status does not directly correspond to a position of seniority or authority within the standard Air Force ranks.

OT rank insignia loosely parallels that of Air Force ROTC and United States Air Force Academy Cadet Insignia, except in the case of the directly commissioned chaplains, lawyers, and medical personnel.