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Two map frames distinguished by proportion alone.
Look at the aspect ratio. A friendly unit is a rectangle — wider than it is tall. A neutral unit is a square, with equal sides. Colour helps when you have it, blue against green, but the system is built so shape alone works: a map may be photocopied, faxed or read in monochrome.
A friendly rectangle and a neutral square differ only in proportion, which is easy to misjudge on a cluttered map.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | NATO friendly unit frame | NATO neutral unit frame |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | blue | green |
| NATO friendly unit frame | NATO neutral unit frame | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Rectangle, wider than tall | Square, equal sides |
| Conventional colour | Blue | Green |
| Affiliation | Friendly or own force | Neither supporting nor opposing own forces |
| Why shape and not colour | So the map survives monochrome reproduction | So the map survives monochrome reproduction |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with NATO neutral unit frame — A friendly rectangle and a neutral square differ only in proportion, which is easy to misjudge on a cluttered map. | Commonly confused with NATO friendly unit frame — A neutral square and a friendly rectangle differ only in proportion, which is easy to misjudge on a cluttered map. |
APP-6 — NATO Joint Military Symbology
NATO Standardization Office · retrieved 2026-08-20
The NATO standard for military map symbology. Authoritative for member and partner nations using it; the promulgated edition changes periodically and records describe the framework rather than a specific edition's every detail.
Count the points and then ask which country. A British pip is an eight-pointed Bath star with a motto ring at its centre; a US rank star is a plain five-pointed star. Three pips is a British captain. Three US stars is a lieutenant general. The gap between those two ranks is enormous, which is why this is worth getting right.
A campaign medal is issued to everyone who served in a defined operation for a defined period. A gallantry decoration is awarded to a named individual for a specific act, on a citation, usually after a recommendation and a review. The first is a record of presence, the second of conduct — and a row of campaign medals says nothing about bravery, which is worth knowing before drawing conclusions from a photograph.
A clasp is a bar across the ribbon with a place or campaign written on it — it names the action. A star is a small applied star with nothing written on it — it counts an additional award of the same medal. So a clasp adds information and a star adds a number, and neither has anything to do with rank, which is the mistake the star attracts because a star also marks rank on shoulder boards and collars.
Look at where on the sleeve they sit. Chevrons mark rank and are worn high on the upper arm. Service stripes mark completed years of service and sit low, at the cuff. One tells you the wearer's authority; the other tells you how long they have served, and a very junior person can have several.