By Army News Service, Army.mil

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The number, size and placement of tattoos have been dialed back under revised Army Regulation 670-1, which governs the Army’s grooming standards and proper wear of the uniform.

The revised regulation was published this week.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III addressed why the changes were made.

“The Army is a profession, and one of the ways our leaders and the American public measure our professionalism is by our appearance,” he said. “Wearing of the uniform, as well as our overall military appearance, should be a matter of personal pride for all Soldiers.”

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Some of the changes include:

TATTOOS

Tattoos cannot be located anywhere on the neck or head above the lines of a T-shirt. They also cannot be located anywhere below the wrist bone.

Soldiers who currently violate these revisions can be grandfathered in as long as commanders validate their current tattoos. Also, each year, commanders much check each Soldier for new tattoos that might be prohibited. The checks will be done when Soldiers are in their physical fitness uniform and do not include tattoos that might be hidden by the shorts or T-shirts.

UNIFORMS

Soldiers on official travel and traveling by commercial carrier are no longer allowed to wear the Army Combat Uniform, or ACU. Instead, they must either wear civilian attire or the service uniform.

Identification tags must be worn at all times while on duty in uniform unless otherwise directed.

MALE GROOMING

Fancy-style haircuts, including the “tear drop,” “landing strip” or “Mohawk,” and “horseshoe” are no longer authorized.

FEMALE GROOMING

Hair must be neatly and inconspicuously fastened or pinned.
Hair extensions and wigs are now authorized as long as they have the same general appearance as the natural hair and conform to all other hair regulations.

Fingernails cannot exceed 1/4 inch from the tip of the finger and only clear nail polish is authorized with all uniforms.

OTHER

Soldiers cannot mutilate their bodies in any manner, such as tongue bifurcation.

Jewelry or objects cannot be attached to, through or under the skin or other body part. This applies to all Soldiers on or off duty. The only exception is that female Soldiers can wear authorized earrings.

Personnel in civilian clothing, whether on-duty or off-duty, on or off post, must dress in a way that does not detract from the profession.