Office of The Secretary of Defense Identification Badge

The Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge is a military badge issued to members of the United States armed forces who are permanently assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and its subordinate offices, and in addition, to some of the Defense Agencies and Department of Defense Field Activities.

The badge was first created in 1949 and was referred to as the "National Military Establishment Identification Badge." In 1950, the badge was renamed as "Department of Defense Identification Badge." On December 20, 1962 the badge was given its current name.

It is issued as a permanent decoration and is to be worn for the remainder of an individual's military career, provided that a service member served at least one year (two years for Reserve personnel not on active duty) in or in support of OSD. Personnel who are awarded the badge include all military personnel, when they are assigned on a permanent basis to any of the following organizational elements:

  • The Immediate Offices of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense.
  • The Offices of the Under Secretaries of Defense.
  • The Offices of the Assistant Secretaries of Defense.
  • The Office of the General Counsel of the Department of Defense.
  • The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense.
  • The Offices of the Assistants to the Secretary of Defense or Deputy Secretary of Defense.
  • The Office of the Defense Advisor, U.S. Mission to NATO.
  • The Offices of the Directors of Net Assessment
  • The Office of the Director of Administration and Management (DA&M)
  • The Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E)
  • Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO)
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
  • DSCA

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    “The office of the prince and that of the writer are defined and assigned as follows: the nobleman gives rank to the written work, the writer provides food for the prince.”
    —Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)

    “We need not fear excessive influence. A more generous trust is permitted. Serve the great. Stick at no humiliation. Grudge no office thou canst render. Be the limb of their body, the breath of their mouth. Compromise thy egotism.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    “The truth is, the whole administration under Roosevelt was demoralized by the system of dealing directly with subordinates. It was obviated in the State Department and the War Department under [Secretary of State Elihu] Root and me [Taft was the Secretary of War], because we simply ignored the interference and went on as we chose.... The subordinates gained nothing by his assumption of authority, but it was not so in the other departments.”
    —William Howard Taft (1857–1930)

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    —P.J. (Patrick Jake)

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    In the Rialto you have rated me
    About my moneys and my usances.
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    You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,
    And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine,
    And all for use of that which is mine own.”
    —William Shakespeare (1564–1616)