Aiguillettes are worn by both officers and enlisted personnel serving as aides or in other special assignments in all five branches of the Armed Forces of the United States. Only the Navy, however, has authorized unique Dress and Service aiguillettes to distinguish those serving as aides to the President. The design of the Navy’s Service aiguillettes varies depending upon the rank or office of the individual an aide is serving; the higher the rank, the higher the number of loops that comprise the aiguillette.
Four loops are used in the Navy Service Aiguillettes for aides to the President, Vice President, Admirals (and General Officers of equivalent rank in other services), and Naval Attaché and Assistant Attachés, as well as by the Navy Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the Department of the Navy. But the aiguillette for Presidential aides features four gold loops, as opposed to the four gold-and-blue spiral banded loops of the aiguillettes worn the other aides and attachés.
Service aiguillettes are authorized for wear beneath the epaulet or shoulder board with the Navy Service Uniform, jacket, overcoat, all-weather coat, reefer, and pullover sweater. They are also authorized for wear, at the commander’s discretion, with the Naval Working Uniform’s Type 1 shirt and Parka by personnel in billets for which aiguillettes are prescribed uniform items. Naval aides to the President always wear the Service aiguillette on the right shoulder.