Maintaining a sharp and professional appearance in your Afjrotc Uniform is paramount. When you don the uniform, you embody the image of a disciplined cadet, ready to meet any challenge. These standards aren’t just about aesthetics; they instill discipline, promote unit cohesion, and reflect the high standards of the Air Force. This guide breaks down the essential aspects of AFJROTC uniform appearance and grooming, ensuring you present yourself and the corps with pride.
General Appearance and Grooming Standards
The foundation of uniform wear rests on five core principles: neatness, cleanliness, safety, uniformity, and military image. Neatness and cleanliness are objective standards ensuring hygiene and order. Safety is a practical consideration, preventing hazards associated with improper wear or accessories. Uniformity is key to presenting a cohesive unit. Finally, military image, while somewhat subjective, is crucial as both military personnel and civilians form perceptions of the Air Force based on the appearance of those in uniform. Striving for a professional military image means avoiding extremes, unusual styles, or fleeting trends.
Drill Team, Color Guard, and Exhibition Uniforms
Representing AFJROTC in drill team, color guard, and exhibition events demands a distinctive and sharp uniform. As of March 1, 2016, the standard for these teams shifted to emphasize a clear Air Force dress uniform. This means utilizing either:
- A combination of standard Air Force blue components: This includes blue trousers/skirts, a light blue shirt, and optionally, the blue service dress coat.
- The Airman Battle Uniform (ABU).
Detailed depictions of the standard blue and ABU uniforms can be found in Chapter 7 of the AFJROTC Operational Supplement.
Units have some leeway to enhance their blue drill team, color guard, or exhibition uniforms using non-Air Force funds. Authorized accessories include solid-color berets, ascots, gloves, and a single shoulder cord (worn on the left shoulder with the blue shirt and service dress coat only). Pant modifications are also permitted; blue trousers may be altered to include a stripe along the outer seam in silver, white, blue, black, or grey, again using non-Air Force funds. Berets must be black, while ascots, gloves, and shoulder cords can be locally determined colors, provided they are conservative and in good taste.
ABU Uniform Specifics
When wearing the ABU, adhere to these specific guidelines:
- Headgear: Only the garrison ABU cap is authorized.
- Footwear: Sage green boots are mandatory.
- Pants: ABU trousers must always be properly bloused over the sage green boots.
- Accessories: Shoulder cords and ascots are not authorized for wear with the ABU.
The regulations outlined in AFI 36-2903, which govern Air Force uniform standards, are rooted in military tradition and aim to project a specific image to the public. The Air Force uniform philosophy centers on a plain yet distinctive dress, minimizing the number of badges, insignia, and devices worn.
Special Uniform & Appearance Rules
Beyond the basic uniform components, several specific rules govern jewelry, eyewear, tattoos, and body piercings.
Jewelry
Jewelry should be worn modestly. Avoid excessive or gaudy pieces. Facial rings (nose, eyelids, tongue, lips) are strictly prohibited for both male and female cadets at all times. Male cadets are not permitted to wear earrings while in JROTC uniform.
When in uniform, you may wear a wristwatch and up to three rings. One bracelet is allowed, provided it is neat, conservative, no wider than one-half inch, and does not detract from the military image or pose a safety risk. Ornaments on the head or around the neck, and thumb rings are prohibited. Bracelets supporting causes with color are also not allowed.
Female cadets may wear conservative earrings – one small spherical earring (diamond, gold, white pearl, or silver) per earlobe, either pierced or clip-on. Earrings must match, fit snugly without extending below the earlobes (unless clip-on), and male cadets are not allowed to wear earrings.
Eyeglasses and Sunglasses
Eyeglasses and sunglasses must be unadorned, without ornaments on frames or lenses. Lenses should be conservative – clear, slightly tinted, or photosensitive lenses are permitted indoors or in military formations. Outdoors and in uniform, sunglasses and eyeglasses must have conservative lenses and frames; mirrored or faddish lenses are prohibited. Sunglasses are not allowed in military formations. Eyeglasses and sunglasses should never be worn around the neck while in uniform.
Tattoos and Brands
Tattoos or brands, whether visible in or out of uniform, are prohibited if they are obscene, advocate discrimination (sexual, racial, ethnic, or religious), or are deemed detrimental to good order and discipline or could discredit the Air Force.
Excessive tattoos or brands, even if not explicitly prohibited, must not be visible while in uniform, including visibility through the uniform. “Excessive” is defined as tattoos or brands covering more than one-quarter of an exposed body part, or those above the collarbone and readily visible with an open collar uniform.
SASI may exercise discretion for new cadets with tattoos that may not fully comply. Such tattoos may be covered with a skin-colored bandage while in uniform, allowing program participation. However, cadets will be counseled regarding potential military service limitations due to tattoos.
Body Piercing
Body piercing is restricted. Cadets in uniform are prohibited from attaching or displaying objects, jewelry, or ornamentation to or through ears, nose, tongue, or any exposed body part (including anything visible through the uniform). The exception is for female cadets, who are permitted to wear conservative earrings in their earlobes as described earlier.
Specific Female Cadet Grooming Guidelines
Female cadets have specific guidelines for hair, fingernails, and skirts.
Hair
Hair should be styled to allow for proper wear of headgear and must not exceed 3 ½ inches in bulk from the scalp. Hair length must end above the bottom edge of the collar and not extend below an invisible line parallel to the ground, both front to back and side to side. Bangs or side-swept hair must not touch either eyebrow or fall below an invisible line across the eyebrows. During PTU wear, long hair can be secured with loose ends and may extend below the collar’s bottom edge.
Hair Accessories
Authorized hair accessories, regardless of hair color, must be black (e.g., fabric scrunchies, hairpins, combs, clips, headbands, elastic bands, barrettes). Locs, braids, twists, micro-braids, French braids, Dutch braids, and cornrows are permitted. Added hair must be natural-looking and similar to the cadet’s natural hair color, conservative, and not faddish. Hair must meet bulk and length standards and not extend below the collar. Headgear must fit correctly.
Locs, braids, and twists must be of uniform dimension, no wider than one inch, with natural spacing, and tightly interwoven for a neat appearance. Multiple locs/braids should be uniformly small (approx. ¼ inch diameter), show no more than ¼ inch of scalp, and be tightly fused/interwoven. Locs, braids, and twists must continue to the hair’s end without design and follow the head’s contour, worn loose or secured within hair standards. Micro-braids or twists are an exception and don’t need to continue to the hair’s end.
Fingernails
Male cadets are not allowed to wear nail polish. Female cadets may wear a single color of nail polish that is conservative, complements their complexion, and does not detract from the uniform. Extreme colors (purple, gold, blue, black, bright red, fluorescent colors, etc.) and nail designs or multi-tone colors are prohibited. White-tip French manicures are permitted. Fingernails must be clean, well-groomed, and not exceed ¼ inch beyond the fingertip.
Skirts
Skirt length should fall between the top and bottom of the kneecap. Skirts must fit smoothly, hang naturally, and not be excessively tight. Hosiery is required with skirts – sheer nylon in neutral dark brown, black, off-black, or dark blue shades that complement the uniform and skin tone.
Specific Male Cadet Grooming Guidelines
Male cadets have specific guidelines focusing on hair.
Hair
Hair must be clean, neat, and trimmed, without excessive grooming aids that are visible. Groomed hair should not touch the ears or eyebrows, and only closely cut or shaved neck hair should touch the collar.
Hair bulk should not exceed 1 1⁄4 inch, regardless of hair length. Bulk is measured as the distance hair projects from the scalp. Hair bulk and length must not interfere with headgear wear or protrude below the headgear’s front band. Hair must taper on sides and back, both with and without headgear, generally matching the skull’s shape. No visible foreign items are allowed in the hair. Dyed hair must look natural, not unusual or contrasting with natural color.
Sideburns
Sideburns are permitted if neatly trimmed and tapered like the haircut. They must be straight, even width (not flared), and end in a clean-shaven horizontal line, not extending below the lowest part of the outer ear opening. Extreme or faddish hairstyles are prohibited, and hair must not protrude below the front band of properly worn headgear.
By understanding and adhering to these AFJROTC uniform and grooming standards, cadets ensure they present a professional and disciplined image, reflecting positively on themselves, their unit, and the Air Force.
