New uniform rules coming for boots, pins - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

New uniform rules coming for boots, pins

Sailors will be able to wear new combinations of warfare pins — and women will be allowed to get certain types of permanent makeup — under new uniform rules approved recently.

The Navy Uniform Board also allows sailors to wear flight-deck boots with the Navy Working Uniform in more places and has approved the Africa Command badge for use by sailors.

It’s all expected to be released soon in a fleetwide message, based on changes approved by the board July 30.

More warfare pins

Effective when the message appears, those with two warfare pins in the same category — such as aviation — will be allowed to wear both at the same time. Before, multiple warfare pins could be worn only if they were in separate categories.

Sailors are still limited to two pins at a time, and the pin for the current assignment takes precedence.

The ruling was a “direct result” of the decision to reclassify the aircrew insignia as a warfare device, said Capt. Vince Drouillard, branch head within the Navy’s personnel, plans and policy division.

“The old rule would have prevented sailors who were aircrew qualified and aviation warfare specialists from wearing both pins,” Drouillard said.

The aircrew pin was converted to a warfare pin as part of a new warfare program for enlisted aircrew approved earlier this year.

Since 1965, the badge has been a standard qualification pin. Anyone who qualified for it could wear it regardless of whether they were in an aircrew billet. From now on, only those in the Navy aircrewman rating can compete for the pin. This will require attendance at the aircrew school and completion of a warfare qualification.

But enlisted aircrew members aren’t the only ones affected by the decision to allow two warfare pins from the same category to be worn at the same time. For example, Drouillard said, aviators who are also qualified naval flight officers can wear both pins. The same is true for prior-enlisted, aviation-warfare-qualified sailors who become pilots or NFOs.

Permanent makeup

After Nov. 1, women will be allowed to wear permanent makeup as part of a change to the Navy’s cosmetics policy. Women must ask their chain of command for permission before undergoing the procedure.

This type of makeup is permanently applied by staining the skin with needles. The new policy will allow it for eyebrows, eyeliner, lipstick and lip liner.

This practice, Drouillard said, is gaining popularity among civilians and many potential recruits are being turned away because they had the procedure done.

“Our research has shown that there’s a growing interest among our women to have makeup that doesn’t have to be reapplied,” he said.

Navy officials plan to release another fleetwide message closer to November that will explain what is considered acceptable — and not.

In short, officials say, the policy will mirror what is in place for standard makeup. For example, the current rules state that lipstick colors must be conservative and complement the individual. Faddish cosmetic styles are not authorized.

“We are working on making the guidance as clear as possible,” Drouillard said. “That way, sailors know what’s acceptable up front and don’t overstep their bounds if they elect to get the procedure done.”

Flight-deck boots

When the message appears, sailors and officers who work on flight decks and in squadron and flight-line areas will be allowed to wear their aviation boots with the Navy Working Uniform when they leave those environments.

“This change allows them to wear the boots outside of the normal flight-deck and flight-line environment,” Drouillard said. “Before, they could wear it in those places, but would have to switch to an authorized boot before leaving their command.”

Flight-deck boots look like the standard leather NWU boots, but include soles that will not pick up small items such as nuts, screws and pebbles — any items that could fall onto the flight deck and potentially destroy an aircraft engine. The flight-deck boots are also 8 inches high, 1 inch shorter than the NWU boots.

When worn with the NWU, the boots must be shiny and not scuffed.

New AfriCom badge approved

Once it goes on sale sailors assigned to U.S. Africa Command will have their own command badge to wear.

“This is consistent with other combatant commands like [U.S. Central Command] and others who already have a badge,” Drouillard said. “We are simply adding Africa Command to this list.”

Men will wear the badge centered on the left breast pocket. For women, the placement is one quarter-inch above the left pocket or one quarter-inch above authorized ribbons/medals/breast insignia.

The badge will be available for purchase through the Navy Exchange Uniform Support Center starting Sept. 15. The center can be reached at 800-368-4088 or 757-502-7450.

PIN CATEGORIES

The Navy has lifted the restriction on wearing of breast insignia that are in the same category. Sailors and officers are still allowed to wear only two warfare pins at the same time.

The affected categories:

Aviation warfare

Naval astronaut

Naval astronaut (NFO)

Naval aviator (Pilot)

Naval aviation observer and flight meteorologist

Naval flight surgeon

Naval flight nurse

Naval flight officer

Aerospace experimental psychologist and aerospace physiologists

Aviation warfare specialist

Naval aircrew warfare specialist

Naval aviation supply corps

Professional aviation maintenance officer (qualification insignia)

Explosive ordnance disposal

Master EOD

Senior EOD

Basic EOD

Fleet Marine Force

FMF officer

FMF officer (chaplain)

FMF enlisted warfare specialist

Seabee combat warfare

Officer

Enlisted

Special warfare

Special warfare (SEAL Trident)

Special warfare combatant-craft crewman

Submarine warfare

Submarine (dolphins)

Submarine medical

Submarine engineer duty

Submarine supply

Surface warfare

Enlisted surface warfare specialist

Surface warfare officer

Surface warfare Dental Corps

Surface warfare Medical Corps

Surface warfare Medical Service Corps

Surface warfare Nurse Corps

Surface warfare Supply Corps

Officer in charge/petty officer in charge

Small craft

Craftmaster

Parachutist

Naval parachutist

Basic parachutist

Submarine patrol

Submarine combat patrol

SSBN deterrent patrol

Underwater

Diving officer

Diver (medical)

Master diver

Diver (medical technician)

First class diver

Second class diver

SCUBA diver

Deep submergence

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