Red shoulder cords are authorized for wear by a vari-ety of military, military-related, and civilian organizations. In Air Force and Navy Junior ROTC units, silver-tipped shoulder cords (fourragère style) are reserved for wear by staff members (other organizations may also authorize metal-tipped shoulder cords).
In the Army Junior ROTC, red shoulder cords are worn by unit members participating in drill activities, and in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) the color is authorized for wear by the primary members of a CAP Wing’s Cadet Advisory Council; both organizations permit the wear of only one shoulder cord at a time.
The U.S. Navy Sea Cadet Corps and its junior organization, the Navy League Cadet Corps, authorize red shoulder cords to cadets serving as Masters-at-Arms and Recruit Division/Company Commanders.
Scarlet red is the official branch color of the U.S. Army Field Artillery / Air Defense Artillery Corps, and Commanders have the discretion to prescribe the wear of branch-colored shoulder cords (although they also have the responsibility of seeing to it that the cords are provided at not cost to personnel.