Should the NCO rank be on the sleeve (like USAF) on the combat uniform?

Arrgh..BLUF belong up front not at the end!!! That being said, I am partial to the AF rank placement. Easy to tell Os vs Es.

I am a traditionalist, I guess.

Let's keep the field uniform as is, but since we are on the topic of uniforms...

Put the NCO rank on the sleeve for the Class B shirt. Just like the it was with the old khaki uniform. Officers would place the rank, and if they really want it their branch insignia, on the collar. We should go back to a more military appearance. The khaki uniform was changed in November 1981 with a wear out date of September 1985. That was done in an effort to save soldiers money much like the ASU.

I just returned from a conference where several Army and Air Force officers were in attendance in their Class B uniforms. Sadly the civilians at the conference recognized the AF members, but thought our guys were hotel security.

That is one think that I don't think that OCP helps. The darker colors hide the rank. ACU was not bad but now when have brown on your rank patch it all just blends in until you are right up on them. Luckily I am in an Airborne unit so my beret clearly displays my rank as with those in my unit. But when on post you could run into CSMs and not even realize who they are.

I dislike the ACUs and ABUs. I'm not concerned about rank placement as it has never caused me any angst. The uniforms themselves look sloppy and the material is not durable.

It may suit to garrison needs to have the rank on the sleeve, but at the end of the day it is a combat uniform and shouldn't announce priority targets to the enemy.

As a prior Air Force soldier I found that one of the most difficult parts of my transition to the Army was identifying the ranks of Senior Enlisted members. I have also had career Army soldiers walk past me and not salute thinking I was a SPC. My own personal opinion is that it would help having the rank on the sleeve. I feel it would alleviate some of the issues I have encountered not only personally but have seen others experience.

Rank is really only needed for when you interact with other units. When I am with my team, they know my capabilities and what I am allowed to order. My CSM does not need rank on his uniform for me to recognize him. Would it be nice to recognize a CSM from a SGM from a 1SG, yes. Needed, no.

My question is do you want to make your rank more or less recognizable to the enemy.....?

I've always been a fan of placing it on the collar. Then you can easily distinguish from a fair distance who's coming up on you because officers wore their branch on the left of their collar.