The Army issued new uniform wear instructions on allowing some soldiers to carry their phones while wearing PT gear and new rules covering the Army Green Service Uniform’s regular and tropical versions.
“Adhering to policies and regulations regarding appearance, including uniform wear and grooming standards, demonstrates a shared commitment to maintaining a professional military appearance,” according to the directive issued Monday.
The official notice issued Monday also gives commanders and noncommissioned officers directions to enforce “on-the-spot-corrections” for tightened grooming rules on soldiers’ hair and makeup.
Sgt. Maj. Kissta DiGregorio, a spokesperson for Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer’s office said the directive finalizes instructions for the Army Service Green Uniform, or AGSU, which was announced in 2018 and began showing up in the force in 2021 as an everyday garrison uniform. By Oct. 1, 2027, all soldiers will be mandated to wear AGSUs, which can be worn in a normal Class A configuration or in Class B/tropical version in hot weather locations. Local commanders will establish when soldiers can wear the tropical AGSU, according to the directive.
The memo issued Monday includes several detailed instructions on uniform specifics for the tropical version. For instance, soldiers will wear “no more than two rows of ribbons consisting of six ribbons total” on the AGSU Class B/tropical version’s Ike Jacket, and may wear only one combat or special skill badge or metal tab replica a quarter inch above the ribbons.
Top Stories This Week
The same location rules also apply to the two new mariner and mountaineering badges which were announced in March. The Mariner Badge includes an anchor and a ship’s helm surrounding a winged wheel (a design with a passing resemble to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team logo). The Mountaineering Badge is similar to the current Rams Head Device worn exclusively by the Vermont National Guard.
Officers will wear pin-on insignia on the coat’s shoulder loops while enlisted soldiers wear it on their collars. Windbreakers can be worn without insignia while wearing civilian clothing.
PT uniforms
The directive also authorizes some soldier to wear a small belt to carry a phone in the Army Physical Fitness Uniform, or APFU.
“At their discretion, commanders may authorize leaders within their formations to wear a runner’s belt only while wearing the APFU,” according to the directive. The belt includes a small pocket. The belts can be up to 4 inches wide and cannot be part of other duty uniforms.
DiGregorio said the belt rules were created to address soldiers who were “seen out running with phones in their hands” and provide instructions on how to safely secure them.
Soldiers are still banned from either wireless or wired headphones during physical training outdoors.
