Description
On a blue shield, 3/4 inches in height, surmounted by a gold color eagle displayed with wings reversed ½ inch in height, three crossed arrows in gold color between four white enameled stars (two and two).
Background
Within the United States Army, aides-de-camps are specifically appointed to general-grade officers (NATO Code OF-6 through OF-10), the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of Defense, Vice President, and President of the United States; rank and number determined by the grade. For those general officers with more than one aide, the senior-ranking aide is usually considered to be the senior aide and serves in the capacity of coordinating the other aides and the others of the general's personal staff such as the driver, orderlies, et al.. For the majority officers, the maximum tour of duty for aides is generally two years. The following is a listing of the accepted number of aides allotted a general officer:
- Brigadier General: 1 First Lieutenant. At the Brigadier General level it is not uncommon to have a Captain as aide-de-camp.
- Major General: 1 Captain; 1 Lieutenant
- Lieutenant General: 1 Major; 1 Captain
- General: 1 Lieutenant Colonel, 1 Major, 1 Captain
- General of the Army (or Chief of Staff, USA): 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant Colonel, 1 Major Lieutenant
- Colonels and Colonels commanding units (battalions and brigades, respectively) do not have aides, but it is generally accepted that the unit's adjutant—called the S-1—also serves the commanding officer as an aide.
In some circles of the U.S. military, an aide-de-camp is known as a dog-robber, because the aide is expected to rob anyone including the family dog, to get his general what he wants. U.S. Army aides-de-camp wear a special device in place of the branch-of-service (i.e., infantry, artillery, quartermaster, et al.) insignia they would otherwise wear on the lapels of their service uniform. The rank of the official whom the aide serves is indicated on the device. Although the Chief of Staff of the Army is a four-star general and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a four-star general or admiral, their aides-de-camp wear devices specific to those offices, vice the normal four-star aide device. See below. An aide-de-camp wears a special aiguillette on the shoulder of his dress uniforms.
Date Approved
The insignia for Aides to the Secretary of Defense was approved in August 1948. The three crossed arrows are of the style on the Department of Defense Seal. Four stars are commonly used on positional flags for secretarial level positions.