The U.S. Air Force is set to debut new appearance standards for the men and women in the military branch. These will cover new grooming requirements, including new policies on facial shaving for men and the color of nail polish for women. The new rules will go into effect on February 1.
The new requirements were explained in a memo released earlier this month from Air Force chief of staff Gen. David W. Allvin, reported Air & Space Forces Magazine.
“Earlier this month, I released a video explaining why our service is reviewing certain policies and standards to ensure they are easy to understand, easy to comply with, and easy to enforce across our entire Air Force,” Allvin wrote in an email to the men and women in the Air Force. “Today, I am following through on my promise to swiftly distribute updates.”
“As you review the memoranda and take action to ensure compliance, never forget that discipline and accountability are, and always will be, the backbone of an effective and lethal fighting force,” Allvin said. “Complying with and enforcing standards demonstrates shared commitment to our winning team, as well as an understanding of the gravity of our profession in today’s volatile security environment.”
According to the new standards, men in the Air Force are required to be clean-shaven at all times, unless given a medical or religious waiver. Additionally, men must keep their hair cut and groomed so it does not go past their ears. Women, while in uniform, who wear nail polish are only permitted to have a clear color or an American or French manicure.
The most significant change regarding uniform standards applies to men and women. According to the memo, Duty Identifier Patches for the military branch will no longer be allowed on uniforms. Allvin explained the patches were being removed to promote unity, promoting the idea of a team over that of an individual, which he said such patches represented.
“This is a lot of tabs,” Allvin said. “Under the principle that we have of ‘easy to understand, easy to comply with, easy to enforce,’ this fails that test. But there’s a bigger issue at play here: as we identify ourselves as one type of Airman or another, with one specialty or one skillset or another, we really diminish ourselves. While that is a contribution we make, our real value is our integral part of a winning, warfighting team. And that’s what we want to emphasize: that we value the team over the individual.”
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David A. Flosi emphasized that the changes were vital as part of the branch’s overhaul to maximize readiness, reported Air & Space Forces Magazine.
“Our unmatched war-winning capability is built on the strength and readiness of our Airmen,” Flosi said in a released statement. “Clear and enforceable standards are the bedrock for our ready and lethal flying force. “Our Airmen live a life of service; we are in the Profession of Arms. We are committed to defending our nation, deterring our foes, and, if necessary, we will defeat them.”
Additionally, the Air Force remarked that the new changes were planned before President Donald Trump‘s recent executive orders. Lt. Col. Karl Wiest, a spokesperson for Allvin, said in an email that the updated standards had been in the works for months, long before the November presidential election results. Apparently, they would have been implemented even if former Vice President Kamala Harris had won the election.
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“Gen. Allvin and service senior leadership—both officer and enlisted—have been collaborating on an approach to renew our force’s commitment and adherence to standards for months now,” Wiest said.
“These updates were not directed by the new administration, but they do effectively contribute to the Department of Defense’s renewed focus on lethality, accountability, standards, and readiness,” he added.
