From Military.com:
“Navy Authorizes Two-Piece
Swimsuits, Gold Star Lapel Button”
The Navy has authorized a range
of new clothing items, including two-piece swimsuits for male and female
sailors, special pins to designate survivors and next-of-kin of fallen troops,
and a thermal neck scarf for cold weather. In a Navy administrative message
Monday, officials announced that sailors have the option of wearing two pieces
for their semi-annual physical readiness test, or PRT. But don't show up in a
bikini; Navy officials made clear that this regulation change is for sailors
who want more coverage, not less. Full torso coverage is still required for all
swimsuits worn. The new guidance makes it possible for sailors to add a pair of
swim shorts to a one-piece, or a rash-guard top to swim shorts based on
preference or religious conviction. Also authorized is full-body swimwear, like
the "burkini" wetsuit-style option popular with Muslim women. Robert
Carroll, the head of the Navy's Uniform Matters Office, told Military.com that
the change is the result of feedback from the fleet, coupled with the fact that
existing swimwear guidance was ambiguous. "We have sailors who have
religious convictions, or religious concerns or beliefs," he said.
"Then you have people who just prefer a different level of modesty." The
change will also help those, he said, who just want a greater level of warmth
in the water. Swimming is an optional alternative to running in the Navy's
current PRT. Also newly authorized are special lapel pins, approved by
Congress, as official designation for surviving family members of service
members. The Gold Star Lapel Button, designed and created in 1947, is awarded
by the government to surviving families of service members who were killed in
action. The closely related Next of Kin Deceased Personnel Lapel Button was
approved in 1973, specifically for family members of fallen service members
from the Army Reserve or Army National Guard. The small round pins feature a
gold star at the center. Navy guidance specifies that these pins are approved
only for optional wear with the service's most formal uniforms: service dress
and full dress. Carroll said the decision to authorize the buttons followed a
number of requests from the fleet. Also approved for wear is a black neck
gaiter, authorized during "extreme cold weather conditions,"
according to Navy guidance. Sailors must procure their own all-black gaiters,
and the item is authorized only with the cold-weather parka, Navy working
uniform type II/III parka, pea coat, reefer and all-weather coat. The guidance
comes out just ahead of the Army-Navy game this weekend. However, conditions at
the U.S. Naval Academy are expected to be relatively balmy, at a rainy 53
degrees Fahrenheit, and likely do not merit the gaiter. When to wear the gaiter
is a decision reserved for Navy regional commanders, Carroll said, who will
promulgate the policy for their region. Finally, the Navy is authorizing a new
chief warrant officer insignia for acoustic technicians, which is approved for
wear by all warrants with a 728X designator. The service redesignated submarine
electronics technicians as acoustic technicians in 2017, reopening the field,
which had been closed since 2011. The electronics technician insignia had
depicted a helium atom. Carroll said the new insignia will be a throwback to
earlier Navy acoustic ratings, and feature a globe with a sea horse in the
center and a trident emerging from it. "They're pretty excited about
it," Carroll said of the acoustic technician community. In addition to new
uniform items, the Navy announced it is redesigning two current items to
improve the design. The summer white/service dress white maternity shirt will
undergo redesign "to enhance appearance and functionality when worn,"
officials said. The new shirt, once complete, will include princess seams for
fit, adjustable side tabs with three buttons, epaulettes and two hidden pockets
in the side seams. The new shirt will also look more like the Navy's service
khaki and service uniform maternity shirts, with chest pockets removed.
Additional details, including a timeline for the shirt's release, will be
announced in a future message, officials said. Also being redesigned is the
black fleece liner for the Navy Working Uniform and cold-weather parka. Updates
will include outer fabric that is resistant to rain and wind, an attached rank
tab and side pockets with zip closures. Officials continue to test the I-Boot
5, a next-generation work boot that improves on previous designs. "The
evaluation will continue through the end of calendar year 2019 to facilitate
wear during cold weather conditions," officials said in a release.
"The completion of the I-Boot 5 evaluation, participant survey and final
report to Navy leadership with recommendation is expected to occur by the first
quarter of calendar year 2020." As for other recently rolled-out uniform
items, Navy officials say previously announced mandatory uniform possession and
wear dates have not changed. Enlisted women in ranks E-1 to E-6 must adopt the
"Crackerjacks" jumper-style service dress blue with white "Dixie
cup" hat by Jan. 31, 2020; female officers and chief petty officers must
own the choker-style service dress white coat by the same date; enlisted
sailors E-1 through E-6 must have the service dress white with blue piping by
Oct. 31, 2021; and all sailors must own the new Navy fitness suit by Sept. 30,
2021. The black cold-weather parka is also designated for mandatory possession
by April 30, 2021, officials said.
^ Hopefully these uniform changes
will be a good thing for the sailors and that the Navy listens to any issues
that come once the changes take effect. ^
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