The design of the Air Force E-7 Master Sergeant rank insignia reflects the Air Force’s desire to organize its Enlisted cadre into three distinct tiers: Junior Enlisted Airmen, Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs), and Senior NCOs.
From its inception, the E-7 Master Sergeant rank featured six chevrons or stripes, divided into three “rockers”—the curved chevrons at the bottom of the insignia—below three downward-pointing chevrons. In 1991, the Air Force changed the insignia by removing a rocker and moving it to the top as an upward-pointing chevron, resulting in the three Senior NCO rank insignias being the only ones to feature upward pointing chevrons and NCO insignias being distinct from Junior Enlisted ranks due to their rockers; Enlisted insignias featured only stripes.
Tie tacks and tie clasps are worn with the blue Herringbone twill necktie (pre-tied or regular), centered between the bottom of the knot and the tip of the tie. Air Force uniform regulations almost universally prohibit the wear of any uniform accouterments on civilian clothing, but make an exception for authorized tie tacks and clasps, which include designs utilizing rank insignia, the Air Force symbol (colloquially called the “Eagle Device”), and the “Hap Arnold” wing-and-star emblem.
More E-7 Master Sergeant Insignia and Devices