Whether for male or female, all of the Navy’s Combination Caps use an elastic mounting band for attaching devices indicating the wearer’s basic rank or rate classification, i.e., Enlisted, Chief Petty Officers, and Officers. Simply slip the band around the brim with the large circular area centered in the middle of the visor; the cap screws for the chin straps also secure the mounting band in place.
The cap device for the Female Enlisted Combination Cap is almost identical to the one worn by male and female Sailors (E-4 to E-6) on their Garrison Caps, but it has the initials “USN” centered between the Navy Eagle’s spread wings. The size of the Enlisted Combination Cap device is markedly smaller than the CPO and Officer cap devices, so be sure to choose the correct mounting band for your rank.
The Female Enlisted Combination Cap was worn with both the Blue and White Female Service Dress uniforms, which featured a jumper-style blouse and knee-length skirt, until 2016, when the Secretary of the Navy mandated that Female Enlisted (E-1 to E-6) Sailors wear the same “Crackerjack” blue and white uniforms worn by males, including the White Hat (“Dixie Cup”). But pushback by some Female Sailors led to only a partial implementation of the change, with the Navy keeping the old Female Service Dress Blues and its Combination Cap as an optional uniform until October 2018.