THOMSON: Armed forces about turn on sloppy appearances

Last week the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) announced that it was amending its dress instructions to “improve consistency” in the appearance and deportment of its members. It’s a move that’s long overdue and remedies a situation that was completely avoidable in the first place.The changes announced 5th June take effect 2nd July of this year. They will significantly curtail some of the liberties CAF members were allowed regarding their personal appearance, when the Canadian Forces (CF) Dress Instruction was drastically modified in September 2022.That was when Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Wayne Eyre announced sweeping — and questionable — changes to the CAF’s uniform policy. The goal was to make it “more inclusive and less prohibitive, and to allow CAF members increased personal choices regarding their appearance, while reflecting credit on the CAF and maintaining safety and operational effectiveness.”Perhaps it was well-intentioned — a bold gambit even, to stem appalling levels of attrition and stagnant recruiting. But, it was poorly thought out and implemented.It wasn’t long after the changes took place that pictures of soldiers looking less than professional started to surface on social media.A pink hair mohawk was spotted in the crowd of a briefing taking place in Camp Adazi in Latvia. Another widely shared picture showed an overweight and dishevelled looking soldier sitting at a picnic table taking a vape break with a beard and hair that would have shamed the plumage of an exotic bird. But those are just a few examples. There were also mutton chops straight out of the Civil War era, and beards that would have made the members of ZZ Top jealous. The result was that Canada quickly received attention for the changes, but not in a good way.On the domestic front, many retired veterans were appalled to see the changes that were taking place in the organization. They warned that diverging from adherence to the long-standing tradition of uniformity in favour of individualism might threaten the foundation of a cohesive group identity and lead to internal rifts.Some also rightly pointed out that the changes Gen. Eyre brought in were too liberal and lacked the necessary guardrails for the chain of command to maintain a force that was both professional in appearance, while still accommodating members joining from a changing society.Those who voiced any degree of dissenting opinion were often derided as dinosaurs, or relics, by serving members who thought themselves to progressive to fail.But those supposed old fools understood that an orgy of individual indulgence fully sanctioned by the chain of command was never going to end well — and they were right. Friends of mine who are still serving in the CAF tell stories of cancelled training opportunities with foreign countries and rescinded invites from host nations that didn’t want the bad publicity of having unkempt and unprofessional-looking Canadian troops with their own.Of course I’d have preferred to confirm this anecdote through an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) request but the CAF has become as secretive and forthcoming as the Illuminati when it comes to sharing information with the public. So I’ll leave it to them to confirm or deny.Bottom line, the organization which has always been regarded as a highly professional force has lost a little bit of its lustre.Admittedly, looking like garbage doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll perform like garbage — although there can be a correlation in some circumstances. Thankfully in regard to our armed forces, it does not appear that the colour or length of our soldiers hair, or beards has detracted from the conduct or performance of our members. A recent example is the Canadian contingent that competed in the 57th annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition, held at West Point, N.Y. But, while the two teams from Royal Military College (RMC) placed a very respectable second and fifth place in the competition, it wasn’t their performance that garnered them attention, it was their mullets.That’s a shame.A professional army shouldn’t want their soldiers' hair to be the focus, following a successful showing at a prestigious military competition. It should want its allies and the press praising the quality of training, the educational techniques, and the skill and proficiency of the cadets that delivered those results.That’s what will inspire others to join and respect our military institutions — not their hairstyle.But, like any policy that goes to extremes in one direction, inevitably the pendulum swings back the other way. In this case the question is whether it has swung back far enough. Arguably, the newly proposed changes seem reasonable in terms of striking a balance between what Eyre initially set out to do in 2022 and the standards of appearance that many Canadians expect of a professional military.Unfortunately, for a significant number of personnel in the CAF who’ve changed their appearance, this is going to come across as a betrayal leaving many questioning whether they still belong in the organization.This sentiment was reinforced by a few members I spoke with that expressed that if they weren’t close to their pension, this change would have been enough to drive them out of the organization.Ultimately the flip-flop on dress standards is emblematic of an organization that is reacting somewhat incoherently to the myriad of challenges it faces. From confronting an externally imposed culture crisis, increased operational tempo, and dwindling personnel, the CAF needs thoughtful leadership and incremental change.Hopefully the next CDS, whoever that is, will recognize that there is a lot to consider when it comes to meddling with the social construct and identity of the CAF. With any luck they’ll leave this issue alone for the entirety of their tenure and focus on more important issues, like rebuilding the organization's reputation and war-fighting capabilities.

THOMSON: Armed forces about turn on sloppy appearances

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