Are You One of the Few Who Can Identify These U.S. Military Uniforms?

U.S. military uniforms do more than identify someone as a service member. They can signal branch, rank, duty, occasion, and tradition, which is why telling them apart is not always as easy as it looks. Dress uniforms can be highly distinctive, while everyday working uniforms used by different branches may share similar colors, camouflage patterns, and equipment.

This quiz-style guide looks at uniforms worn across the six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Some are immediately recognizable, while others require a closer look at camouflage, insignia, colors, and other details. See how many you can identify before reading the descriptions.

This is the U.S. Navy Working Uniform Type III, or NWU Type III, the Navy's standard working uniform ashore. Its four-color digital camouflage pattern incorporates tiny Anchor, USS Constitution, and Eagle emblems into the fabric. The woodland-style Type III is worn broadly throughout the Navy, while the desert-colored Type II has a much more specialized role and is issued to Naval Special Warfare personnel, sailors who support them, and certain expeditionary units.

This is the U.S. Coast Guard Service Dress White uniform, one of the service's more formal and recognizable uniforms. Often informally called "choker whites," the officer version features a white coat with a standing collar, white trousers, white shoes, and a combination cap. It is associated with ceremonies and official functions and should not be confused with the Dinner Dress White Jacket uniform, which is a separate formal uniform. Service Dress Blue remains much more commonly encountered for Coast Guard business and ceremonial occasions.

This is the U.S. Marine Corps Blue Dress uniform, one of the most recognizable military uniforms in the country. Depending on the specific variation and the Marine's rank, it combines a dark blue coat with distinctive red piping or trim, blue trousers or a skirt, and prescribed insignia, medals, or ribbons. The Marine Corps maintains several versions of its dress uniforms for ceremonies and formal occasions, with the exact components varying between officers, enlisted Marines, and different levels of formality.

This is the U.S. Navy Working Uniform Type II, the desert-colored member of the Navy's digital-camouflage uniform family. Unlike the Type III, which is the Navy's standard working uniform ashore, the Type II is intended for specialized tactical use in desert, tundra, and other arid environments. Navy regulations authorize it for Naval Special Warfare operators, sailors supporting those units, and selected Naval Expeditionary Combat Command personnel. Its tan digital pattern makes it easy to distinguish from the greener woodland-style Type III.

This is the U.S. Army Service Uniform, or ASU. The blue uniform grew out of the Army's traditional Dress Blue uniform and uses a dark blue coat with blue trousers for general officers and light blue trousers for other officers and enlisted soldiers, with a skirt also authorized for women. The Army is currently transitioning back to the Army Green Service Uniform for everyday service wear. Beginning Oct. 1, 2027, the AGSU becomes the required service uniform, while the blue ASU remains authorized as an optional formal and ceremonial uniform.

This is the U.S. Army Green Service Uniform, commonly shortened to AGSU. It was announced in 2018 and began rolling out to soldiers in 2020. Designed as the Army's everyday service uniform for professional and office settings, it features a heritage green coat and taupe trousers or slacks. The design deliberately draws inspiration from uniforms associated with the World War II generation. All soldiers are required to possess the AGSU by Oct. 1, 2027, when it becomes the Army's standard service uniform and the blue ASU shifts to an optional formal role.

This is the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform, or MCCUU. It is readily distinguished by the Marine Pattern camouflage better known as MARPAT. The Marine Corps adopted the uniform in the early 2000s as a service-specific combat utility uniform, with woodland and desert MARPAT serving as its two principal camouflage versions. The digital pattern and embedded Marine Corps emblems help distinguish the MCCUU from the Operational Camouflage Pattern uniforms worn by the Army, Air Force, and Space Force.

This is the U.S. Army Combat Uniform, or ACU, in the Operational Camouflage Pattern. It serves as the Army's everyday work, utility, and field uniform. The Air Force also adopted OCP for its combat utility uniform, and the Space Force uses the same camouflage pattern for its duty uniform with service-specific insignia and configuration. The Coast Guard is different: its everyday working uniform is generally the dark blue Operational Dress Uniform, although certain Coast Guard personnel and units may be authorized to wear the Navy Working Uniform Type III for specific missions or assignments.