Rank insignia of the First Order

The First Order used two systems of rank insignia in its military.

Army and Navy insignia
The military rank of officers of the First Order Navy, and of the army when not in combat situations, was denoted by a combination of uniform color and arm insignia. General officers wore charcoal gray uniforms, senior officers wore teal, junior officers wore light gray, and non-commissioned officers wore black.

Rank was further denoted by insignia worn on the left sleeve of the uniform. Insignia consisted of a black cuff title edged in silver, typically bearing the name of a particular Imperial hero or unit of the Galactic Civil War depicted in silver Aurebesh letters. Insignia for Generals and Admirals was somewhat different and consisted of two blank black stripes, both edged in silver. Generals' stripes were further accentuated with black piping, while Admirals' stripes had red piping.

Stormtrooper insignia
While in armor, the rank of a stormtrooper was indicated by the color of their pauldron: red was for officers, black for sergeants, and white for squad leaders.

Behind the scenes
The First Order's use of braided armbands as rank insignia seems to be inspired by the cuff titles used by Nazi Germany for unit identification.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens