Authorized for wear with almost every type of Coast Guard uniform (and a required component of at least four), the Coast Guard Combination Cap for Junior Officers employs several design elements that distinguish it from the rather plain version worn by enlisted personnel, but which aren’t quite as ornate as what you’ll find on caps worn by higher-ranking officers.
While the Junior Officer Combination Cap shares the same shiny black visor as what’s found on the combination hats worn by enlisted Guardsmen and CPOs, the half-inch-wide chin strap is gold rather than black. And while Junior Officers—which in the Coast Guard includes Ensigns, Lieutenants JG, Lieutenants, and Lieutenant Commanders—obviously don’t rate any type of gold-bullion ornamentation on the visor, they wear the same cap device as Commanders, Captains, and all grades of Admiral: a golden eagle clutching an anchor in its talons and sporting a shield on its breast. (Our Coast Guard Junior Officer Combination Cap feature a metal cap device, but uniform regulations do permit embroidered cap insignia.)
The Coast Guard and Navy differ from the Army, Navy, and Air Force in that they classify their Lieutenant Commanders (O-4), as Junior Officers, while Officers at that grade in the other three services are Majors and are considered Field-Grade Officers along with Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels. The Navy equivalent of a Field-Grade Officer is a Senior Officer, with only two ranks—Commander (O-5) and Captain (O-6)—in that category.