Is the idea to end ban on beards in the British Army growing on them?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ม.ค. 2024
- Will the Army allow beards in 2024?
The British Army could be reconsidering its centuries-long ban on beards.
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Beards aren’t the problem. Capita are. And I am stunned the top brass don’t think that maybe young people aren’t signing up because of the low salaries and all the bad publicity regarding the accommodation and being prosecuted for doing your job because some smart arsed lawyers think they can make money.
@mightymqb4800if he prayed to not be hit by incoming, could they cancel each other out?
Not true. Especially for the reserves. Many people want beards but you are right with everything else
@mightymqb4800I love that one. The antithesis of the British Army.
You're completely right mate. However even though the salary is low, I don't know about you, but when I was serving I saved more money than I ever have anywhere else because i had absolutely no outgoings 🤣 if you're young, single and have no financial responsibilities it turns out to be very well paid especially when you get your first banana.
I feel that's very much the company paid to improve recruitment having failed, they have blamed beards as being a reason they can't get lads in. Not the pay, food, accommodation or deployments....
“They can’t get the lads” don’t forget the lasses and others
@@user-bu9ju5ic9h indeed and they try VERY hard to get lasses. Even though they are very much less effective in combat and rarely do any pass the new opportunities offered to them at great expense, they do keep trying.
It’s all of them but beards play a small part. Especially for the reserve force.
I am absolutely certain that allowing beards is going to make all the difference, when it comes to meeting recruiting targets. Not.
Islam values much
@@friendlyghostkindawas going to say, British Army would look like the Taliban.
Except not really because what makes a beard islamic is a beard with no moustache. The army would still look british @@TheBooban
Clearly it's not designed to, but if beards can be donned safely and are of no risk to the soldier or army, why not loosen up the rules? There are plenty of men out there that flat out refuse to shave their beard, me included.
If it goes some small way to help without hurting at all, it's a success, obviously.
@@TheBooban look like?
Beards won't fix the fact Capita has been derailing the recruitment process for over a decade. Units used to be able to run their own recruitment administration, then it was centralised (first mistake), and handled by Capita (second mistake). If the army want to fix their recruitment crisis, they need to let individual units handle their own recruitment administration, privatisation has not worked.
The military is such a specialised organisation, that I cringed when I found that an outside organisation(Capita), handled recruitment.
Recruitment should only be done by the relevant units, and or military organisations.
Beards??...Anything to help in camouflage for stealth could even be made mandatory???, or at very least, optional.
Anything to give a battle situation advantage in split second decisions??
Why do you have Pedro bear as your avatar?
Pedro the pedo bear@@tomhenry897
@@tomhenry897is that a bad thing
How about actually sorting out the pay? Single accommodation if you are in recruit training or extremely lucky is good, majority is disgusting. Too many married quarters are disgusting. Contracting out the support means that all accommodation issues can not be sorted out meaning often falling below legal requirements. Stop shafting personnel on pensions. There's loads more support needed on injury recovery, it's changed massively, still not there yet. But no the civil service Einstein's come up with beards, give me a break!
When I was in beards weren't permitted because the respirator wouldn't have a good seal when under chemical attack. I don't know how much truth there is in that.
It’s pretty much true. The only counter argument people give is that SF often have beards. However if you look at them when they’re on operation, they’re clean shaven. The Iranian Embassy proved this. They all shaved.
TRUE
@@him050the Iranian Embassy siege was over 40 years ago 😂
@@renatolaranja52 and? It’s the only detailed footage of them on an active operation, wearing respirators and they’re clean shaven.
@@him050 there's plenty of footage of modern day SAS fulfilling Black role. You probably think they still use the MP5 🤣
The rush to join up will be unbelievable
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Beards yes bum fluff no 😂
👍🤣.
One women or men?
I joined at 16. Can mind the Sargent having a go at another recruit. Have you shaved ,no Sargent I don’t need to was the reply,your in the army now son nd you shave wither you need to or not 🤔😂😂😂
EXACTLY 😂👌🏼
Until they drop the ban, Army Reserve numbers will dwindle more, especially with all the cutbacks. No one's going to shave off a beard for a couple of hours once a week, some are fortnightly and a weekend away once a month.
Having a beard doesn't make you a super soldier, but it can boost confidence and you can't be confidence
I'm literally in this situation. Would join up in a heartbeat if I didn't have to shave just for one day a week. Will still probably go for it but it really sucks.
@@etherealhawkwe have a win.
Agree. I remember when beards were a rarity but so many people have them now that it must have really hit the reserves hard to not allow them. I can kind of understand the regs not having them as a way to promote uniformity but you can’t do that with weekend warriors and you can’t have two rules.
Many moons ago I trained a platoon of National Service Mech-Infantry. Being National Service, these men tried to see how far they could stretch the rules as applied to them and exercised their individual right to cultivate facial adornment in the form of beard growth. This lasted eggsackly until their first NBC training session that included a visit to the gas chamber. Baboon Platoon overnight became Baby's-Moon platoon with one section united in the Snaggle Snoot Troop.
It's all fun and games until you've got a lungful of CS.
@@LuchaCapitan Yep! Hairy business!
They made us remove our respirators so as to enjoy the effect of the tear-gas.
After looking at photos of Victorian Soldiers with beards. It certainly makes young soldiers look as they're going to do the job and terrifies the enemy. The photos of the Paras & Royal Marines with their taches after capturing Stanley says it all, facial hair has always been part of the British Military certainly up and till I left.
Beards are a sign of masculinity, surely the woke recruiters won't like that?
I've seen so many squaddies with beards, inthinknyou should only be allowed to grow them on operations. In barracks it just looks rough.
Beard or not, We need soldiers and effective ones at that, Long as its maintained and kept clean they should be no issue i
Spoken like a true, ill informed CIVILIAN who knows NOTHING about modern warfare. Heres the reason beard should be banned. " Its wrong, wrong WRONG. HOW can you ensure an airtight seal on your respirator if you have a beard? In a gas or chemical attack, ALL beard wearers will be dead in minutes."
Which no will join if they don't feel confidence, looks matters, why did n...axis care about their style soo much? Because of motivation and confidence.
Tribes had more man than the today's army.
You cannot get a gas tight fit with a beard, a trimmed goatee you can get a seal so where you expect the use of Gas, etc you would need to lose your beard.
This is not true and old thinking.
trim the seal lines into a beard and you can but full beard no@@russellfox4541
My father was in the army and shaved twice a day (light shave) rather than once a day (close shave) and no shave on Sunday. Skin infections were countered with Old Spice aftershave, (the one for real men) ouch !
Is there a regulation aftershave smell in the MOD ?
It's Lavender in Whitehall.
The Canadian Armed Forces has allowed full (well trimmed of course) beards for a number of years now and it's been fantastic. No issues around respirators (you know, gas masks), and it also looks very cool (you know, bad ass LOL). Well worth the changes.
...if you like beards on women
Recruitment will be a problem until the UK is a nation worth fighting for, a nation with pride in itself and an attitude of "we are good and the best" rather than "sorry we were bad in the past, we're terrible".
You've got to get Abdul to join somehow.
if you cant grow dont show!
Do they still have the two-week rule in the RN, where you have to request to stop shaving then have a fortnight to grow a decent set or shave it off again?
Pay people proper salaries, if you have a recruitment problem that will definitely help. Also look after them, don't force them and their families to live in a hell hole of an apartment. And look after people once they have left.
As for the beards, telling people it's because of respirators is silly when the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force also have respirators. If respirators function completely fine in other services with beards then the Army are simply stating something that isn't truthful.
Respirators don’t “function completely fine” with beards. RN or RAF personnel have to shave their beards off if they are deployed to theatres where wearing a respirator might be necessary.
Seams the Army will drop all standards to try and recruit, better if you want to boost recruitment din all the Woke nonsense up the levels required to be a soldier to the original standards and start looking after your personnel and not leave them to rot on the streets to rot once you have finished with them
@@chad6080 TROLL ALERT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@chad6080 says the guy who thinks Call of Duty is real.... if you can't see it then open your eyes..... Or better still don't comment on topics you have little to know knowledge of and stick to your bubble....
I agree. Look at all those Ukrainian soldiers! Almost of all of them have beards! And they have no standards or fighting ability...😂
Apart from the "morale effect", hard luck when you want to use a respirator. I'll what you writhing in agony as you can't get a seal.
If you want one, become an Assault Pioneer SGT.
Seriously though, if you can't cope with having to shave, what next - forget about cleaning your weapon, PT becomes optional??
This is oldhead thinking, hundreds of thousands spend on research and development on respirators to ensure a good seal on bearded faces. Sikh's have been a huge part of the Army for 100 years or more and they still need protection during CBRN
Not being able to pick and chose which orders to follow are problematic too.
Changing standards, in preparation for conscription.
There's a hotel, full of men with facial topiary, in a town near me.
They want to replace us with them. White men are going to die for (((them))) again, like in WW2.
I wondered how long it would take for the racist to appear!
@@garagenigel How is a factual observation 'racist'?
@@Oxley016 because @garagenigel see racism in everything... I bet White toast is racist too that POS.
@@Oxley016 it's racist because what has a hotel with brown in it people got do with "conscription"??
They finally did it!🎉
Why would you want to fight for such a spineless government
I've tried my CBRN suit on and the only issue is the respirator wouldn't create a suitable seal against the skin.
The humble beard is a battleground for bacteria. Not only is a beard unsanitary, but not washing it can also lead to itchy, dry skin and ingrown hair. Between improper maintenance and thick, curly hair, it’s easy to wind up with a petri dish on your face.
Best shave all body hair too then right?
Shaving your face and causing micro abrasions on the skin leaves it prone to issues more than leaving the hair to grow.
its not beards that is needed, its better after care ,like homes and job training for when you get out
Tomwheeler7816 totally agree with you.💯
Gives more respect. A well maintained beard gives more respect. The Portuguese used beards in battlefield.
Beards won't magically solve recruitment and retention. We know this. We're all adults (perhaps some a little adultier than others) but never the less. That said I think people would be surprised the difference it would make, would it be small? Yeah it'd be small but more significant than most people imagine. People like having autonomy and feeling more comfortable.
Think better paid would help
I kinda think it might make a difference to reservist recruitment actually. The reservist training is fairly uninspiring and takes ages. The requirement to shave every Tuesday night just to sit in 2 hours of pretty dull classroom lessons does put people off. Loads of reserves have moustache’s anyway which makes them look ridiculous. Understand it when in camp etc but relaxed rules would help.
Well allowing beards may not magically fix the recruitment issue, bet might affect it positively by a fraction. Having a beard is an authonomy to be an individual. If you have your looks in civilian life, now you are forced to shave every few days ofc it would upset some of the boys including myself :)
Having served in the military I can tell you the reason not to have a beard. Your gas mask will not seal correctly against your skin, thus allowing nerve gas (or other nastiness like antrax spores)to leak in. So it's important in the field but not so much in peace time barracks. Except of course when you go into the tear gas chamber to check the fit of your mask
(a tip, cover all skin carefully, the gas really stings. Ask me how I know.)
I’m sorry but I got triggered just watching you shaving whilst wearing a shirt
I signed up over 10 years ago, did the Barb, got a high score but was told there were only spaces in infantry. I got told how much I would be paid and that I’d have to shave my beard off. If I’m going to get shot at for lower pay than a supermarket worker - I’m not doing it bare faced…
The Beard/Respirator issue is a bit of an excuse. Queen Victoria banned the beard and restricted it to certain ranks and the Royal Navy only. Ask the armed forces of Pakistan and India if there are issues of having a beard and wearing a respirator. Ask most of the armed forces of the Dutch, German and Nordic countries. As long as the beard is trimmed and neat and not looking like a crow's nest, it is not a problem.
That's not a beard that's a facial hair
We’re allowed beards in the Irish army since last year, and tbh I haven’t heard one recruit they that’s why they joined. I think it was our medical corps who finally recognised that shaving causes injuries and infections.. Personally I’m clean shaven
Hadn't thought about it but now you mention it, I have seen bearded blokes wandering around the Curragh in uniform. Not many but definitely some but I'd never taken much notice. Thanks, I'll be on the lookout next time I drive through - regular, quicker route to Kildare from me - out of curiosity now.
Who’s the Irish army going to fight?
Can’t even keep the peace doing peace keeping for the UN
wait, the Irish have an army? lol. what for? Its not like they ever get involved in conflicts. Thats probably why they let them have beards, it hardly matters, its not like there ever have an enemy to see them with their beards.
@@EvidentlyFire at the moment we’re in Syria and the Lebanese/Israeli border. In the last 10-20 years we’ve been on operations in Mali, Liberia, Chad, Eritrea, East Timor, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia. What we don’t have is an aggressive foreign policy we were launch attacks against (and like the US and UK mostly lose) other countries and their innocent people. Want to go on?
@@bigmartin i stand corrected
I doubt the type of recruits they want these days will be able to grow beards anyway .
"I'm not joining the Army because they won't let me have a beard" said absolutely nobody.
Loads of reservists have refused to attend their weekends due to this. Since the public doesn't like the idea of conscription we will be relying on the reservists
Apparently your also be allowed to wear track suit bottoms and a hoody. The army estimates millions will be saved in uniform costs. Plus the yoof of today are more likely to be enticed, innit. The army that is.
I guarantee more people would join the resevres if beards where allowed
I think short beards should be acceptable and only if you are capable of growing what should deemed as a 'beard' not a patchy set of pubes.
Can we just not tell men what to do with hair that grows on their body. You'd never enforce a pubic hair shaving rule, leave the facial hair alone. Hire for talent, not for looks
Weren't moustaches a requirement in British Army the 19th century?
To become an officer you needed to have a mustache
The reason why the RN has long permitted beards is because in the days of sail it was very difficult to shave safely. In polar waters facial hair also protected against frostbite when working aloft.
The army has to operate outside vehicles with a respirator which doesn't work properly with a beard unless they have changed the design since I tested one with tear gas when I served in the Royal Navy where the ships provide a gas free environment. Most men can't grow a beard quickly enough to look "decent" in the time between exercises. As to the recruitment problem - topic for another day
Beards should be ok as long as they are well groomed, they help in colder weather (as long as they're dry, that is) and also for camouflaging. They also need to get rid of that silly ruling of no tattoos, i heard a mother of a teenage boy say her son was rejected from the application process due to him having a visable tattoo... thats ludicrous in todays world, im afraid. You want soldiers who want to be there, and that lad wanted to be there.
There isnt a no tattoo rule. Its no tattoos on the face or front of the neck. Also not allowed offensive tattoos. I have tattoos and got through no issues.
@jamesmccann531 I'm guessing that lady's son had a neck tattoo or something then mate. They didn't elaborate on where the tattoo was situated annoyingly, as I also remember a couple of mates of mine who have tattoos who served, although my mates were on the back, and on the upper arms.
Once a mighty Army, is slowly crumbling. Time for the politicians to join up. 😅
The US military permits beards amoungst special forces units (all branches) during combat deployments in the middle east with the idea that the soldiers will blend in better. Don't think wholesale change will happen else where though.
James do write your own script or is one handed to you? In any case with an opening like that one of you has to go. Shaving with a shirt on😂
The navy have had beards for years and they too are struggling on the recruitment front, so I cant see how letting someone grow a beard will entice them to join the forces!! I would say nobody wants to join due to the way we have let the younger generation in society get so pathetic.
I don't think the Army can say no to beards tbh.
Women and men can have sex changes and boob jobs part financed by the military. Saying a "man" can't have a beard is just ridiculous tbh.
Sorting out increased pay, food, kit, accommodation and a better annual leave policy should be a the biggest priority tho.
As soon as they do...being clean shaven will come back into fashion lol
It never went out of fashion unless you wanted to look like a homeless bum. Lol. Clean-shaven and short hair, the refined man
In '73 Israeli soldiers came back from the front with ragged half grown beards of all descriptions. About a month after the cease fire they all returned clean shaven. There had been reliable intelligence that the Syria and Egypt had chemical weapons. Should we assume that the issues of air tight seals for gas masks has been resolved? I certainly hope so of poor pity all those senior sergeants. Aside from tactical concerns, why not allow beards but I doubt it will resolve the recruitment problems.
It's resolved
With all the problems facing the British Armed Forces it seems like this little story is either a distraction or a confirmation that those in charge need replacing ASAP!
And Forces News has just sunk way down in my estimation.
The issue is actually the fact that Sikhs Muslims and certain Christian and Jewish denominations are allowed them for religious purposes while everyone else is forced to shave. You can also get a waver to not have one if you develop a skin condition. Given these numerous exceptions to the rule and this ridiculous double standard it makes no sense to ban beards in the army anymore. If a respirator doesn’t work on a Muslim or a Sikh it may as well not work on anyone.
I think that’s the least of their worries right now. If modern women can have beards, so should the men😂
FWIW, the US Armed Forces are in the same quandary as far as low recruiting numbers go esp. since 2019. It's a real mess right now and the US is mostly looking at relaxing the tattoo prohibitions even more to encourage enlistment. However, they are still sticking by the CBRNE exception for still not allowing beards though, though that usually does not apply to SOF and other Operator ODA units-----ever see a 6ft plus 28 year old thin build Caucasian redhead with a beard walking around Afghanistan in tac-pants and a denim shirt and try to guess what he does for a living?? But like you said, it's not working. A lot of police departments here in the States have walked away from their old beard restriction and still recruiting continues to be a problem.
It's for religious grounds nothing more. A guy in my former regiment changed religion to Rastafarian in order to grow dreadlocks wrapped into a bun. Angered the whole regiment but he felt he won his desire to have a chilled time. There was soon 10 of them and all speaking Rastafarian.
So rubbish pay, rubbish accommodation, rubbish pension , being treated like a child and no incentive to stay anymore aren’t the reason for low retention ?? No no of course not. It’s because people aren’t allowed to grow a beard that’s it.
How will we differentiate between our special forces if everyone has a beard!!!
we had to shave, otherwise, your respirator would not have a proper air-tight seal
Correct but youre dealing with civvies on here. They know NOTHING about modern warfare. 2 Para, 74-97.
@@peterstubbs5934 They can just shave before they deploy to an area with known CBRN threat
@@peterstubbs5934not correct these days. Currently serving since 2003.
@@peterstubbs593474-97. Says it all really
Ask the Royal Navy, see if that’s made any difference …..
Those lazy at shaving will be sloppy In the field and sloppy maintaining weapons.
It's about mental refinement.
Lazy habits lazy life. Life is about mind.
You made a video for this????
if they lived in Canada any bit of facial hair takes the bite out of the cold. Never ever had a beard in the Brit Army anywhere, and my face was frozen in top cover sentry in Belfast and Bosnia...Would loved to have had a beard the whole time....
I thought they had beards during the Crimean War
They did
And in Afghan so you'd get respect from tribal leaders
So you can’t grab it and a beard is unhygienic
Bad take, you can grab ears, should we cut those off?
Should we wear skin tight leotards and no body armour so we can't grab our clothing too?
Sensible idea. The rules are inconsistent at the moment. Why allow those from particular religions to wear a beard, but prohibit others? On parade, uniform ranks of shaven-faced soldiers is already a thing of the past. As for the fit of respirators, if and when there's a CRBN threat, shaving can return to being a requirement.
50% less in recruitment well treat your personnel better especially when being retired
I thought they was going to say that having a beard effects camouflage of some kind, which tbh if ur ginger like me that’s fair enough
Let the pay grow not the facial hair.
It's called discipline and you shave for a reason, in an NBC situation a beard will prevent the gas mask from making a perfect seal around your face
But I’m proper proper ugly without my beard 😂 no beard no war
Are you in a CBRN situation when just cutting around at the barracks. No. If you are going on ops that has potential for CBRN? Okay lads you all need to shave. Problem nipped. Does this exercise have a CBRN scenario. Lads you need to shave. Let's not act like there isn't work arounds
The respirator issue is non-existent now, has been for a while.
Taking a razor to my cheeks and neck has nothing to do with discipline.
Recruit more Gurkhas
They have finally solved the crisis of lack of recruitment
I don’t think respirators work too well with beards!
Incorrect it’s been proven they work just fine with beards
To much old school.
If a soldier wants a beard go ahead.
Having a beard doesn't stop soldiers being professional and ready for war.
Sailors have beard's
Piper's in Highland pipers have beard's doesn't stop them from engaging the enemy
We know why.
Should be allowed long hair too, because in the intrest of equality women have been allowed it for decades and do the same job more or or less
Didn't make any difference in the RAF some just look scruffy now.
derf9465 true, a lot of the men look unkept.
It’s bizarre how people can think beards are the key to recruitment and retention and not fixing accommodation, improving pay, career opportunities, equipment, decent treatment by chains of command…….
T(he undefended southern border is a bigger concern)
Chuck norris had a beard. Wouldnt mess with him.
Its actually just like ths firs service you can not get a seal with a gas mask , so simple send recruits in the traing tunnel with gas without masks then tell them to fight see how that works out
Not the same respirators
Time to move on from the 1800’s, allow blokes to grow beards
Spoiler alert, we can grow beards now.
Adds to the camo
Your respirator won’t fit. That was the rule in the 70/80’s. Is there no longer a chemical weapons threat?????
Beards keeps you cozy and makes you feel like a big dog
Shaving each day is about maintaining routine and discipline. The notion that lads aren't joining up because of beards is cope. And probably a lie. They're just lowering the standards for nefarious reasons
Beards ain’t gonna make a noticeable difference but they defo look cooler with beards
@@adamatch9624who cares about looking cool?
@@jarraandyftmthere's billions of pounds spent every year on cosmetic products, hairstyles, beard trims. The average male under 30 cares more about their appearance than you'd like to believe.
Also, soldiers grooming is always in line with society. It's good security to blend in out of uniform so you're not targeted, right now squaddies stand out like a sore thumb amongst the majority of bearded men their age
@@russellfox4541 cheers dits.
Half the country has beards these days
Beards should not be allowed period only a moustache, clean shaven or lamb chops for sailors in the navy
Ive got a solution to this ridiculousness: DO NOT JOIN AND PERPETUATE WARS, simples
Since when did being defenceless make your safer?
British army standards has gone down hill
Now you're allowed to have long hair
Beards mustaches and tattoos
Allowed only for veterans
Now we know why GB.PLC has shipped in the men with beards. Off to the Ukraine maybe.. Nw model Army.
And yet Muslims and Sikhs in the British army can have neatly trimmed beards.
Beards,then nail polish, then manicures. Should Britain tremble?
Only mtp colours for nail polish please
Geoffcropper1410 yuck.Oh! For the clean shaven straight man. ❤️