Military Flag Order of Precedence

by

Have you ever wondered where the Marine Corps flag should stand next to the service flags of the other military branches?

Although Marines think we’re better than everyone else, the Marine Corps flag is not the ranking flag when all U.S. military flags are displayed (but it’s close).

Here’s the order of precedence:

  1. American Flag
  2. Army Service Flag
  3. Marine Corps Flag
  4. Navy Service Flag
  5. Air Force Service Flag
  6. Coast Guard Service Flag
Military Flag Order
Correct Order of Precedence for military service flags; ranked by seniority from left to right.

 

Looking to buy a military service flag for your home or for a gift – shop from a wide selection here: https://www.gettysburgflag.com/military-flags

Need the means to display your service flag, look here: https://www.gettysburgflag.com/flagpoles

Correct order of precedence for American Flag and U.S. military service flags.
Correct order of precedence for American Flag and U.S. military service flags.
A joint color guard carries the U.S. Flag, Army Service Flag, Marine Corps Flag, Navy Service Flag, Air Force Service Flag, Coast Guard Service Flag.
A joint color guard carries the U.S. Flag, Army Service Flag, Marine Corps Flag, Navy Service Flag, Air Force Service Flag, Coast Guard Service Flag.

Correct order of precedence

**EDIT: As of December 2019, the military order precedence has changed with the addition of the Space Force to the United States Armed Forces. As an offshoot of the Air Force, the Space Force flag flies below the Air Force flag but above the Coast Guard flag. However during war times the Coast Guard flag rises above the Air Force flag. For more information, see this updated blog post on order of flag precedence: The Proper Order of Flag Precedence: A Guide to Displaying Flags with Respect and Honor

Jeremiah McCloud is a freelance writer, marketing consultant, and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He joined the Marines in 2001, and attained the rank of Sergeant before attending the U.S. Naval Academy. After graduating from the Naval Academy, he served as a Marine Corps signals intelligence officer, and deployed to Afghanistan as part of a foreign military advisor team. Jeremiah writes on a range of topics including military lifestyle, politics, marketing, and strategy.

6 Comments

  1. Michael Sivers

    where would the Pow/Mia and the American Legion Post flags be in the precedence order?

    Reply
    • Cheryl

      Precedence is American, then in order of importance, so generally POW would be next, then state, then organizational.

      Reply
  2. Earl F,. Suchomelly

    Do you know why the Coast Guard flag is after the Air Force flag since the Coast Guard was founded before the Air Force.

    Reply
    • Cheryl

      We do know that:

      “The order of precedence when displaying military flags together is Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Except that Coast Guard moves up right behind Navy when the Coast Guard serves as a service of the Dept of the Navy in time of war. The basic citation is Department of Defense Directive 1005.8”

      In regards to the reason – some say its because the Coast Guard was not “part of the big four” – even though they are older than the Air Force.

      Reply
  3. Tom

    On a single flag pole the U S flag would of course be on top. Which would be next? The POW/MIA flag or the State flag?

    Reply
    • Maria C

      Great question! While there is no official policy regarding the POW/MIA flag, it traditionally falls beneath the United States flag (and International flags) but above the state flag. We offer the POW/MIA flag this position as best practice despite there being no codified rule regarding it.

      Reply

Leave a Reply