In some countries, a beard in the army is not just a whim, but a mandatory rule. Facial hair is a symbol of masculinity and wisdom; it should never be shaved off, as this is the dignity of a man.
However, not everyone attaches such importance to hair. What can be said about the Russian Federation? Let's get acquainted with the charter of this country and find out if there are exceptions to the rules.
One of the basic rules in the military unit Russian Federation is the observance of the rules of personal hygiene. The military regulations of Russia say that the rules of personal hygiene include not only daily washing, brushing your teeth and more, but also shaving your stubble.
Although shaving is a strict requirement, some men allow themselves to grow a mustache. Before a military man grows his hair, he needs to find out whether it is possible to wear a beard in the army or not, as a willful act can be punished.
Previously, paragraph 344 of Article 8 stated that officers, warrant officers and midshipmen could grow facial hair, but over time, they amended the charter and now no one can have a mustache. Can this ban be ignored if the person is a Muslim or has an allergy to shaving?
As it should be according to the charter of military personnel?
In many countries. Some men are allowed to have mustaches, but this does not apply to Russia. This categorization is due to several factors:
These reasons prompted the government to revise and amend the charter.
Important! Since wearing facial hair in a military unit is prohibited by law, if the charter is not systematically observed, a court case can be opened.
Who in the army can wear a beard and mustache?
As we have learned, no one should wear a beard and mustache during the service, but there are exceptions. Since earlier ensigns and officers could have vegetation, everything remained the same. Although the statutes have been amended, these official men still do as they are used to. Only high-ranking military officers enjoy concessions; this rule does not apply to an ordinary soldier.
If the troops are located in the north of the country, where the temperature is very low, they are allowed not to shave their stubble. Even an ordinary private, being in such conditions, can freely have a ford. Thanks to this, men do not freeze their face so much.
For reference! Low temperatures are not a reason to wear long stubble. Only commanders willfully allow soldiers to violate this rule of personal hygiene.
In other cases, the military must negotiate with their commander about wearing a beard and mustache. You can get illegal permission if:
- The soldier has a doctor's note advising him to grow facial hair.
- The man has scars on his face.
- The military has a severe irritation or allergy to shaving.
The higher your rank, the more likely you are to be allowed to break this rule. Even if you were allowed not to shave, after leaving the unit, you may be noticed by patrolmen who will start asking unnecessary questions.
Are beards punished?
According to the law, due to non-compliance with the charter, the military must be punished. As for the beard, despite the ban, there are men in the military unit who wear it, but they do not forget that you need to be careful. Although some military personnel wear a beard, in general, everyone shaves their facial hair completely.
Good afternoon.
I am a serviceman of the FSB border agencies, can I have a beard if there are scars on my face and what document regulates this?
Neither the norms of the current legislation, nor the provisions of departmental legal acts establish a direct ban on wearing a beard by military personnel passing military service under the contract.
By virtue of Art. 344 of the Charter of the internal service, the implementation of the rules of personal hygiene includes,
344. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene includes:
morning wash with brushing your teeth;
washing hands before eating;
washing, brushing your teeth and washing your feet before going to bed;
timely shaving of the face , hair and nail cutting;
taking a hygienic shower;
washing in the bath at least once a week with a change of underwear and bed linen, footcloths (socks);
The hairstyle of a serviceman, mustache, if any, must be neat, meet the requirements of hygiene and not interfere with the use of personal protective equipment and wearing equipment.
Public hygiene rules include maintaining cleanliness in sleeping quarters, toilets and other common areas, regular ventilation of premises, maintaining cleanliness in public places, as well as on the territory of the regiment.
With regard to the imposition of a disciplinary sanction on the wearing of a beard and its abolition, there is judicial practice
Appeal ruling of the IC in administrative cases of the 3rd district military court of Moscow dated July 06, 2017 in case N 33a-204/2017
Judicial Board for Administrative Cases 3 district military court composed of: presiding Ushakova M.The., judges Tomashevich The.The. and Mordovin A.A., with the secretary Sanfirov V.I., with the participation of the administrative plaintiff Rodionov S.B. and the representative of the administrative defendant - Bayeva A.A., via videoconference with the Mirnensky garrison military court, in an open court session, considered the administrative case on the appeal of the administrative plaintiff against the decision of the Mirnensky garrison military court dated April 06, 2017, which was denied satisfaction of the administrative claim statements by serviceman S. B. Rodionov about challenging the actions of the commander and chief of staff of the same military unit related to bringing him to disciplinary responsibility.
Having heard the report of Judge Mordovin A.A., the statements of the administrative plaintiff in support of the arguments of the complaint filed by him, as well as the position of the representative of the administrative defendant, who objected to its satisfaction, the judicial collegium
SET UP:
The appealed decision of the court denied satisfaction of Rodionov's administrative claim, in which he challenged the actions of the commander and chief of staff of the military unit _, related to the imposition of disciplinary sanctions on him.
Disagreeing with the judicial decision, the administrative plaintiff in the appeal asks to cancel it and take a new decision on the case, in support of which he cites arguments, the essence of which is as follows.
Outlining in detail the circumstances of the case and the content of the disputed court decision, giving them his own assessment, and also referring to various regulatory legal acts, Rodionov claims that the court unreasonably refused to call the witness Ya. parts _. In addition, a disciplinary sanction for violating the statutory deadlines for considering citizens' appeals, according to the administrative plaintiff, was imposed on him outside the period established by the Disciplinary Charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
According to Rodionov, the court of first instance approached the consideration of his claims superficially, which led to the adoption of an illegal decision. Thus, the decision was made following the results of one court session, which, taking into account the volume and complexity of the case, raises doubts about the proper study of the case materials by the court.
The court did not give an assessment to his explanations that he had partially completed the task of drawing up a vacation schedule, as well as draft orders for the combat unit, however, he was nevertheless brought to disciplinary responsibility. The plaintiff draws attention to the fact that in accordance with the task set, the vacation schedule should have been presented to them not by 4 pm, as erroneously indicated in the court decision, but by 12 pm. As for drawing up orders for the combat unit, this is not part of his job responsibilities. According to Rodionov, these penalties were subsequently removed from him in pursuance of the submission of the military prosecutor, but this circumstance was not reflected in the text of the court decision.
Further, disagreeing with the conclusion of the court on the justified bringing him to disciplinary liability on December 26, 2016 for violating the rules of personal hygiene, the administrative plaintiff in the appeal analyzes the provisions of Art. 344 of the Charter of the internal service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and asserts that there is no direct ban on military personnel wearing beards in the current legislation.
In addition, Rodionov expresses disagreement with the conclusion of the court that he violated the rules for wearing military uniform clothes, since he wears a uniform in strict accordance with the requirements of the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation of June 22, 2015 N 300, about which he wrote an explanatory note addressed to the commander of the military unit _. This explanatory note was subsequently lost by the administrative defendants, which was also not reflected in the decision of the court of first instance.
In his appeal, the administrative plaintiff points out that the fact of his being late for military service on January 14, 2017 was not proven, and in this part casts doubt on the testimony of witness G, who, according to Rodionov, is a person interested in the outcome of the case.
In addition, the author of the complaint claims that he did not fulfill the duties of filling out the book of official records for objective reasons, namely, due to the fact that personal computers designed to work with information constituting state data were at that moment occupied by other servicemen, in connection with which he was deprived of the opportunity to issue the corresponding book in a timely manner. At the same time, Rodionov draws attention to the fact that the command of the military unit assigned him the task of starting a new book of official records, and not filling out the old one, as erroneously indicated in the appealed court decision.
In the conclusion of his complaint, the administrative plaintiff indicates that during the trial in the court of first instance he was being treated in a hospital and would in fact be deprived of the opportunity to properly participate in the consideration of the case by the court.
In the court of appeal, Rodionov supported the arguments of the complaint regarding the illegality of the actions of the commander of the military unit _, related to bringing him to disciplinary liability for failure to comply with the requirements of Art. 344 of the Charter of the Internal Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (rules of personal hygiene) and requested that a new decision be made in this part to satisfy this requirement, and in the rest of the arguments of the appeal, the arguments of the appeal should not be taken into account.
In turn, the representative of the administrative defendant Baeva, believing the arguments of the administrative plaintiff to be untenable, asked that the contested decision be left unchanged, and his appeal dismissed.
After listening to the speeches of the persons participating in the court session, having considered the case materials, having studied the arguments of the appeal and the objections received, the panel of judges comes to the following conclusions.
In accordance with the requirements h. 1 Article. 308 of the CAS RF, the court of appeal considers the administrative case in full and is not bound by the grounds and arguments set forth in the appeal, presentation and objections to the complaint, presentation.
In refusing to satisfy the plaintiff's claim to declare illegal the actions of the commander of the military unit _, related to bringing him to disciplinary responsibility for violating the rules of personal hygiene, the court of first instance proceeded from the fact that, having established during the proceedings that Rodionov ignored the lawful demand to shave off his beard and declared him for this disciplinary sanction in the form of a reprimand, the commander of the military unit _ acted within the powers granted to him and did not violate the rights of the plaintiff.
However, this conclusion of the court cannot be accepted.
By virtue of Art. 344 of the Charter of the internal service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the implementation of the rules of personal hygiene includes, among other things, the timely shaving of the face. The hairstyle of a serviceman, mustache, if any, must be neat, meet the requirements of hygiene and not interfere with the use of personal protective equipment and wearing equipment.
According to Art. 81 of the Disciplinary Charter of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the decision by the commander (chief) to apply a disciplinary sanction to a subordinate soldier is preceded by a trial that is conducted in order to identify the perpetrators, identify the causes and conditions that contributed to the commission of a disciplinary offense.
Part 2 of Art. 62 of the RF CAS establishes that the obligation to prove the legality of the contested normative legal acts, decisions, actions (inaction) of bodies, organizations and officials vested with state or other public powers rests with the relevant body, organization and official.
Meanwhile, it is seen from the case file that the administrative defendant did not provide any convincing evidence of the conduct of the proceedings and the establishment of the fact that Rodionov committed a disciplinary offense, expressed in wearing a beard that interferes with the wearing of equipment and the use of personal protective equipment. At the same time, as correctly noted by the author of the appeal, neither the norms of the current legislation, nor the provisions of departmental legal acts establish a direct ban on the wearing of a beard by military personnel serving under a contract. No other data testifying to the plaintiff's violation of the rules of personal hygiene were presented to the court.
Failure to prove established by the court of first instance circumstances relevant to the case, by virtue of paragraph.2 h.2 Article. 310 of the CAS of the Russian Federation is the basis for the cancellation of the court decision on appeal, since this violation led to the adoption of the wrong decision.
In view of the foregoing, the judicial board considers it necessary in accordance with paragraph 2 of Art. 309 of the CAS of the Russian Federation, cancel the appealed court decision in this part and adopt a new decision in this part, according to which the disciplinary sanction in the form of a reprimand of December 26, 2016, announced to Rodionov by the commander of the military unit for failure to comply with the requirements of Art. 344 of the Charter of the internal service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and oblige the specified official to cancel it.
Assessing the rest of the judgment, the panel of judges finds that the circumstances relevant to resolving the merits of the dispute on Rodionov's claims to recognize as illegal the actions of the commander of the military unit _, related to bringing him to disciplinary responsibility for violating the established deadlines for considering the appeal of a serviceman and failure to fulfill official duties on maintaining the book of official records, as well as the actions of the chief of staff of this military unit, related to bringing him to disciplinary responsibility for not preparing the vacation schedule on December 5, 2016, being late for work on January 14, 2017 and violating the uniform, were established by the court of first instance comprehensively and objectively, and the contested decision in this part is duly motivated, is based on the correct application of substantive and procedural law and does not raise doubts about its validity from the panel of judges. Moreover, during the court session of the appellate court, the administrative plaintiff did not challenge the court's decision in this part.
Changing the decision of the court, in accordance with the requirements of Part. 3 Article. 111 and part 4 of Art. 311 of the CAS RF, entails a change in the distribution of court costs associated with the consideration of the case in the court of first instance and the payment by the plaintiff of the state fee when filing an administrative claim and an appeal, which, in the opinion of the judicial panel, are subject to collection in the amount of 450 rubles in favor of Rodionov with FKU "Joint Strategic Command of the Northern Fleet" - "3rd financial and economic service", which is for the military unit _ a contenting financial body.
Based on the aforesaid and guided by Article. Art. 111, 307 - 311 CAS RF, Judicial Board, -
DETERMINED:
the decision of the Mirny garrison military court of April 6, 2017, in the part where the demand of the serviceman Rodionov S. B. to be declared illegal and subject to cancellation of a disciplinary sanction in the form of a reprimand of December 26, 2016, announced by the commander of the military unit _ for failure to comply with the requirements of Art. 344 of the Charter of the internal service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (rules of personal hygiene), cancel.
Adopt a new decision in this part, according to which to recognize as illegal a disciplinary sanction in the form of a reprimand of December 26, 2016, announced to the plaintiff by the commander of the military unit _ for failure to comply with the requirements of Art. 344 of the Charter of the internal service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (rules of personal hygiene) and oblige the specified official to cancel it.
Collect from the branch of the Federal State Institution “Joint Strategic Command of the Northern Fleet” - “3rd Financial and Economic Service” in favor of Rodionov S.B. 450 rubles in compensation for the court costs incurred by him related to the payment of the state fee for filing a lawsuit and an appeal with the court.
The rest of the decision of the Mirny Garrison Military Court of April 6, 2017 is left unchanged, but the appeal of the administrative plaintiff? without satisfaction.
Why not? If they do not violate the general rules of military personnel with their appearance? Remember Marshal Budyonny. Doesn't he just have a mustache, but o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o?
If women have begun to wear beards, how is this a mistake of nature,
then God himself ordered the warriors.
it all depends on your rank and position. Of course, ordinary ordinary soldiers cannot! but the officers are allowed. we are talking only about the mustache, no one can have a beard. I have a friend who works in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, so he also wanted to let go of his mustache and let him go. Only he is an officer and says even he was forbidden and not allowed. but he still did what he wanted, explaining that there was not a single normative document which would forbid it.
from history: earlier, all firefighters were required to have a mustache. the thing is that when they went into the smoke, they bit their mustaches and breathed through them. how much it helped, I don’t know, but since they did it, it was good
Hee, I immediately recall the phrase of Ensign Shmatko from the TV series soldiers: Mustaches are dirt, fleas, mice .. And rats! The higher ranks, I think, can.
I asked my father this question, since he is a retired military man. So, in the army it is not allowed to wear a beard, you can’t even grow a light stubble.
But you can wear a mustache.
A beard is allowed only if there is a flaw on the face that disfigures the appearance, which the person is ashamed of. Like a big scar.
Yes, but I remember that some of the military went with a mustache, but I saw only one person with a beard. they said it was because of the scar. And getting a scar from a soldier is ten times higher than that of a person of a peaceful civilian profession.
In the Army, mustaches and beards are not required, first of all, they need very careful care, and this takes time, and naturally in the Army there is no time for this, so almost everyone is clean-shaven and without mustaches and beards, and units are allowed to wear mustaches.
I have not read the Charter and I don’t know on the basis of what they can ban the wearing of a beard in the army, but a mustache can definitely be worn. Since ancient times, mustaches have been considered the hallmark of the military and in any historical book you can read how bravo they twisted their mustaches before the next feat. As for the beard, they say that wearing them is left to the discretion of the commander, and it seems like captains and officers in the navy can wear beards, again paying tribute to tradition. And recently I heard that, according to studies conducted somewhere by someone, bearded men are more combat-ready and courageous, and therefore wearing a beard is simply mandatory in the special forces of many countries, especially during military operations.
Military personnel with extensive experience and rank can, of course, wear a mustache and beard
These are experienced people who have seen everything. And a mustache with a beard suits them very well
Those who have neither title nor experience, of course, can also wear facial hair.
But she needs to be looked after, and this takes time, which they catastrophically do not have.
Therefore, many people shave their beards and mustaches so as not to waste extra time on their care.
Mustaches and beards can be worn, but they must meet two main requirements:
First, be neat and tidy.
Secondly, they should not interfere with the wearing of personal protective equipment.
And of course, that awkward transitional moment when a three-day stubble smoothly turns into a mustache and a beard needs to be waited out somehow, often this can only be done on vacation or on sick leave. The rest of the time, the soldier will not be allowed not to shave for so long, some shave even 2 times a day.
When I served in the army, although it was a long time ago, this was categorically not allowed. The only one who did not fall under this rule, who already had a mustache in the photo on the military ID. As you can imagine, there were very few of them. I think that since the time of the Union, hardly anything has changed in this matter.
The beard has always been a symbol of masculinity. For several centuries, it was even associated with strength and warriors. Remember the ancient Slavs and Vikings. However, in modern times, things are completely different.
It is legal in the US and some countries, but not in others.
A special term has even been coined: tactical beard". What does it mean?
What does the Military Charter of the Russian Federation say about facial hair? Can military personnel wear a beard? There is an opinion that this law prohibits. Is it so? Let's figure it out.
- How to bypass the ban?
- Bearded Military Club
- Conclusion
Before talking about Russia, let's talk about the armies of the worlds. First of all, about the USA. There, at the legislative level, military personnel are allowed to wear beards and hats, symbolizing religious affiliation.
However, not all Western countries are so liberal. Most of them strictly prohibit stubble, and if it is, then only as an exception to the rules.
Previously, facial hair in Israel and in other states with official religions: Islam and Judaism were treated calmly. But recently, even there, it is required to obtain permission from the command, and not from one officer, but from a whole series.
Is it possible to wear a beard in the army in the Russian Federation?
Let's turn to the Charter already mentioned above. So, he states, according to Article 344, Chapter 8, that the rules of personal hygiene imply, in addition to washing, hygienic showering, washing hands and brushing teeth, obligatory shaving of the face and cutting nails. Whiskers, however, are allowed, but only in a neat manner, and they must also meet certain requirements.
Are there exceptions in the law? In the same article, in the old version, a little lower in the text, midshipmen, ensigns and officers were allowed to wear beards. Now there is no such exception.
That's why you can't have a beard in the army.
How to bypass the ban?
As we have already seen, according to the Charter, wearing a beard is prohibited. However, what if the soldier is a Muslim, or has shaving irritation?
- The answer is clear - negotiate with command. At the same time, the higher the rank, the more chances for permission. Medical certificates will help increase the likelihood of a positive outcome. In addition, if the lower part of the face is disfigured by a scar, the military may also be allowed to wear a beard.
- In the old version of the Charter there was a clause that ensigns, midshipmen and officers can have a beard. And although now there is no such exception on paper, but in reality, this is what happens. The privates are forced to shave off the vegetation, but those who are older in rank are given some concessions.
- Another reason to get around the ban - being in the troops stationed in the north of the country. It is not clear why, (perhaps due to the fact that vegetation helps fight frostbite), but there is much less strictness in facial hair, even among the rank and file.
In Muslim countries, being a beardless man is a shame. And it was in such states that the concept of "tactical beard" was born. It arose as a result of the Afghan and Iraqi military campaigns conducted by Western armed forces.
US soldiers were allowed to wear beards in Afghanistan and similar countries in order to blend in with the locals, as well as for hygienic reasons: hair protects from dust, sand, chapping and frostbite.
Also, according to some publications, in those years a study was conducted, the purpose of which was to establish how much a beard helps in the conduct of hostilities. Scientists have found that thanks to her, the soldier produces more of the "male" hormone testosterone. As a result, such a soldier becomes stronger, shoots more accurately, and in general, his combat effectiveness increases.
How expedient its use in parts is not clear.
Bearded Military Club
Such a club was created in 2011 by US Special Forces veterans. He grants certain privileges to those men who serve in the military and have a beard. The abbreviation TBOC allows you to find their website on the Internet.
The club regularly holds mass events for those who are members of it, organizes material support and meetings of like-minded people around the world. In addition, they are given special badges that are attached to the form and allow you to find like-minded people.
TBOC also sends special tactical belts with a special field for the owner's name and a quality assurance certificate.
Conclusion
Yes, the beard has always been a symbol of masculinity and strength. In a number of countries it is prohibited, in other states it is allowed. Russia, alas, is not one of them. Whether the situation will change, only time will tell.
To summarize what we learned about whether the military can wear a beard in the Russian army:
In the summer of 2011, an updated internal service charter was adopted in Russia. The section on how to maintain health, observe
Article 343 instructs the military not to hide illness and take care of maintaining their health. If a serviceman notices that there is a patient next to him, then, in accordance with Article 346 of the Internal Service Charter, he is obliged to report this to the commander. The procedure for localization of the infected, disinfection of premises and the introduction of quarantine is determined by Article 347.
In order to prevent infectious diseases, Article 345 provides for preventive vaccinations.
Along with a clear regulation of sanitary and epidemiological actions, the authors of the new way of life were quite loyal to tobacco and alcohol. The service does not provide for a complete cessation of smoking and drinking alcohol. The provisions of the Charter of the Internal Service (Article 343) only state that the military must refrain from doing so. But in this article it is written that the use of narcotic drugs should not be allowed.
Young people who have entered the service are required to monitor personal hygiene. How to do this is detailed in Article 344 of the Internal Service Charter.
The military must wash and brush their teeth every morning and evening before going to bed.
Before going to bed, you need to wash your feet.
The internal service charter prescribes the washing of hands before each meal. For this, conditions must be created even during field exercises.
Soldiers are required to shave, cut hair and nails in a timely manner. Those who are permitted to wear mustaches are required to keep them neat. In the army, the length and shape of the mustache of subordinates is determined by their commander. Both mustache and hairstyle should be such that they do not interfere with putting on and wearing equipment.
The new Charter of the internal service (Article 344) regulates washing in the bath. Everyone should go there once a week (at least). After the bath, it is obligatory to change footcloths or socks, underwear and bed linen. During the week, independently maintain the cleanliness of your bed.
In 2013, shower cabins began to be installed in the barracks bathrooms. The charter of the internal service prescribes a shower along with other hygiene procedures.
In accordance with the Charter, soldiers are responsible for the cleanliness of their uniforms and collars (white matter that is hemmed under the collar).
The Statute defines measures for the observance of public hygiene. Duty services are required to maintain the cleanliness of the premises and ventilate them in a timely manner.
Monitoring compliance with personal hygiene standards is carried out according to the daily routine (Article 188), during the morning examination. If a soldier looks untidy, the commander has the right to impose a penalty on him. The order of penalties is determined by the Disciplinary Charter.
In addition to duties, military personnel have the right to proper conditions for hygiene procedures. If none have been created, you can file a complaint with the unit commander.
Service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation teaches young people to observe daily personal hygiene standards and take care of their health.