Purses, Parkas, and Patches—Air Power Uniform Board Unveils New Adjustments, However No Beards

The Air Power Uniform Board unveiled adjustments to Air Power and House Power gown and look laws March 21, together with updates to chilly climate gear, purses and purses, and “heritage-like” morale patches.

One space of look laws that went unchanged was facial hair coverage. Over the previous a number of years, there was a gradual stream of calls from Airmen on social media to permit beards and not using a particular waiver. As a part of a press release on facial hair coverage, an Air Power spokesperson mentioned the department coordinates with the opposite companies.

“We’re part of a joint power that represents our nation and likewise considers the insurance policies and procedures of our sister-services,” the spokesperson mentioned.

On the identical day the uniform adjustments had been introduced, Chief Grasp Sergeant of the Air Power JoAnne S. Bass launched a memo saying that facial hair coverage, and the stigma that many shaving waiver holders report going through, is on her thoughts. Earlier this month, the navy’s high enlisted service member, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Workers Ramón Colón-López, was criticized by some on social media for dismissing the push for lifting the beard ban as an try “to look cute.”

“With every change we make to develop alternative to serve and scale back synthetic boundaries, I’m keenly conscious the authorization of beards throughout the Whole Power is on the forefront for a lot of,” Bass wrote in her memo. “I’m writing you to make it clear that as we proceed to have a look at this and different points, we are able to and should act now to take away any stigma, or private bias, towards these Airmen licensed to take care of facial hair, both for medical or spiritual causes.”

The brand new adjustments to Division of the Air Power Instruction 36-2903 go into impact April 1. The request for adjustments had been submitted through the Guardians and Airmen Innovation Community, which permits Airmen and Guardians to submit and vote on concepts for change. They embody:

• Little one Growth Facilities: New language in Air Power laws will enable set up commanders to designate CDCs as a no-hat, no-salute zone. Salutes additionally won’t be required when Airmen or Guardians are carrying kids exterior of CDCs.

• Chilly climate headbands: Airmen and Guardians can now put on a headscarf in chilly climate along with scarves, earmuffs, a watch cap, and gloves.

• 4 badges above the service tape: The brand new language ups the utmost variety of badges that Airmen and Guardians can put on on the entrance of their occupational camouflage sample (OCP) uniforms above the U.S. Air Power or U.S. House Power tape from two to 4.

• New headgear with flight responsibility uniform: Airmen licensed to put on flight responsibility uniforms will now have the ability to put on the OCP patrol cap or tactical OCP hole with these uniforms, in addition to the blue flight cap they’ve historically worn.

• Small brand on purses and purses: Earlier than this modification, it was troublesome for Airmen and Guardians to hold purses or purses to work with them resulting from restrictions on displaying company logos in uniform. Now Airmen and Guardians can carry purses and purses to work with them, as long as the brand doesn’t exceed one inch in diameter. There are not any coloration or brand restrictions for Guardians holding a backpack by hand.

• Olive drab inexperienced backpacks: Airmen and Guardians can now put on olive drab inexperienced backpacks. Earlier than this modification they might put on solely black, brown, gray or darkish blue backpacks.

• Any measurement brand on fitness center luggage: No extra “small” brand in Air Power laws on fitness center luggage.

• Sure industrial parkas at the moment are allowed: New language expands the present laws to permit chilly climate parks to be bought commercially. Nevertheless, the Parkas should be OCP sample or Coyote Brown and have title tapes, service tape, rank, and patches worn in the identical licensed configuration.

• Friday morale shirts with logos: On Fridays, Airmen and Guardians can now put on morale shirts with logos on each the again and the left facet of the chest. Nevertheless, the brand on the chest can’t exceed 5 inches in diameter, although the one on the again could be a bigger diameter. The shirt additionally should be coyote brown whatever the brand.

• “Heritage-like” morale patches: This variation removes language from Air Power laws “limiting present or previous official organizational emblem or any variations for the [flight duty uniform], just like the OCPs and two-piece flight responsibility uniform.”