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

Famous quotes containing the words office, secretary, defense and/or badge:

    No people is wholly civilized where a distinction is drawn between stealing an office and stealing a purse.
    Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)

    ... the wife of an executive would be a better wife had she been a secretary first. As a secretary, you learn to adjust to the boss’s moods. Many marriages would be happier if the wife would do that.
    Anne Bogan, U.S. executive secretary. As quoted in Working, book 1, by Studs Terkel (1973)

    Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, every where.
    Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)

    Just across the Green from the post office is the county jail, seldom occupied except by some backwoodsman who has been intemperate; the courthouse is under the same roof. The dog warden usually basks in the sunlight near the harness store or the post office, his golden badge polished bright.
    —Administration for the State of Con, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)