U.S. NAVY MOUNTING BAND FOR FEMALE CPO CAP

This black hat band is designed for wear with the circular brims and rigid, upswept sides of the caps worn by the Navy’s female Chief Petty Officers (E-7 to E-9). Dubbed “bucket covers,” they are the equivalent of the combination caps worn by male Navy Officers and CPOs.

For CPO hats, rank is indicated by the fouled anchor insignia worn in the center of the hatband that extends upward into the crown; a fouled anchor with no stars indicates a CPO, one star is a Senior CPO, two stars is a Master CPO, and three stars is reserved for Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. While the hats worn by female Enlisted, CPO and Officers are all the same, the mounting band is shaped differently to accommodate the appropriate insignia; the Officer device is the largest, followed by CPO and then Enlisted.

This style of hat is being phased out by the United States Navy. In 2016, its wear by enlisted female Sailors at the rate of E-6 and below was prohibited as the “Dixie Cup” was authorized for wear by both male and female enlisted personnel with the Service Dress White uniform. The wear-out dates for the Female Combination Caps were 31 October 2018 for the Khaki and 31 December 2019 for the White.