507.17—Procurement and wear of heraldic items.
(a)
The provisions of this part do not apply to contracts awarded by the Defense Personnel Support Center for manufacture and sale to the U.S. Government.
(b)
All Army and Air Force service personnel who wear quality controlled heraldic items that were purchased from commercial sources will be responsible for ensuring that the items were produced by a certified manufacturer. Items manufactured by certified manufacturers will be identified by a hallmark and/or a certificate label certifying the item was produced in accordance with specifications.
(c)
Commanders will ensure that only those heraldic items that are of the quality and design covered in the specifications and that have been produced by certified manufacturers are worn by personnel under their command. Controlled heraldic items will be procured only from manufacturers certified by TIOH. Commanders procuring controlled heraldic items, when authorized by local procurement procedures, may forward a sample insignia to TIOH for quality assurance inspection if the commander feels the quality does not meet standards.