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 everything is completely different.

In the USA and in some countries it is allowed to be worn, in others it is not.

A special term has even been coined: “tactical beard.” What does it mean?

What does the Military Regulations of the Russian Federation say about facial hair? Is it possible for military personnel to have a beard? There is an opinion that this law prohibits. Is it so? Let's figure it out.

• How to get around the ban?
• Bearded Military Club
• Conclusion

Before we talk about Russia, let's talk about the armies of the world. First of all, about the USA. There, the law allows military personnel to wear beards and headdresses symbolizing religious affiliation.

However, not all Western countries are so liberal. Most of them strictly prohibit stubble, and if there is any, it is only as an exception to the rule.

Previously, facial hair was treated calmly in Israel and in other states with official religions: Islam and Judaism. But recently, even there it is necessary 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, it states, according to Article 344, Chapter 8, that the rules of personal hygiene include, in addition to washing, hygienic showering, washing hands and brushing teeth, mandatory shaving of the face and cutting of nails. Mustaches are, however, allowed, but only if kept neat and must also meet certain requirements.

Are there any exceptions to the law? In the same article in the old edition, a little lower in the text, midshipmen, warrant officers and officers were allowed to wear beards. There is no such exception now.

This is why you can't wear a beard in the army.

How to get around the ban?

As we have already seen, wearing a beard is prohibited according to the Charter. However, what if the soldier is Muslim or has irritation from shaving?

• The answer is clear - negotiate with the command. Moreover, the higher the rank, the greater the chances of 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 warrant officers, midshipmen and officers can have a beard. And although now there is no such exception on paper, in reality this is what happens. All rank and file are forced to shave off their hair, but those with a higher rank are given some concessions.
• Another reason to bypass the ban is being in the troops stationed in the north of the country. It’s not clear why (perhaps because hair helps fight frostbite), but they are much less strict about facial hair, even among privates.

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 Afghan and Iraqi military campaigns carried out by Western armed forces.

US soldiers were allowed to wear a beard in Afghanistan and similar countries in order to blend in with the local residents, as well as for hygienic reasons: the hair protects from dust, sand, chapping and frostbite.

Also, according to some publications, in those years a study was conducted to determine how much a beard helps in combat operations. Scientists have found that thanks to it, the soldier produces more of the “male” hormone testosterone. As a result, such a military man becomes stronger, shoots more accurately, and overall his combat effectiveness increases.

It is unclear how appropriate it is to use it in units.

Bearded Military Club

This club was created in 2011 by US special forces veterans. He grants some privileges to those men who serve in the army and have a beard. The abbreviation TBOC allows you to find their website on the Internet.

The club regularly holds public events for its members, 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 them to find like-minded people.

TBOC also sends custom tactical belts with a special field for the owner's name and a quality assurance certificate.

Conclusion

Yes, a 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.

Let's summarize what we learned about whether military personnel can wear a beard in the Russian Army:

Sanitary, hygienic and anti-epidemic measures 334. Every soldier must take care of maintaining his health, not hide illnesses, strictly observe the rules of personal and public hygiene and refrain from bad habits (smoking and drinking alcohol). 335. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene includes: - morning washing with brushing your teeth; - washing hands before eating; - washing your face, brushing your teeth and washing your feet before going to bed; - timely shaving of the face, cutting hair and nails; - weekly bathing with a change of underwear and bed linen, foot wraps and socks; - keeping uniforms, shoes and bedding clean, timely changing collars. A serviceman's hairstyle, mustache, beard, if any, must be neat, meet hygiene requirements and not interfere with the use of personal protective equipment and wearing equipment. Only officers and warrant officers (midshipmen) are allowed to wear a beard. Rules of public hygiene include: maintaining cleanliness in sleeping quarters, toilets and other common rooms, regularly ventilating the premises; maintaining cleanliness in public places, as well as in the territory where the regiment is located. 336. To ensure the immunity of military personnel to infectious diseases, protective vaccinations are carried out. Vaccinations can be scheduled and according to epidemic indications. Scheduled protective vaccinations for all regiment personnel are carried out in accordance with the vaccination calendar, and for epidemic indications - by order of the senior commander (chief). Military personnel are exempt from vaccinations only with a doctor's opinion. Vaccination records are recorded in medical records and military IDs. 337. A serviceman is obliged to report to command about cases of infectious diseases occurring among persons living with him in the same apartment (dormitory room), and to perform official duties with the permission of the regiment commander based on the conclusion of the head of the medical service. 338. When an infectious patient is detected in a regiment, the head of the medical service immediately reports this to the regiment commander and the senior medical commander, conducts active identification, isolation and hospitalization of sick people, disinfection in units, monitoring of persons who were in contact with the patient, and strengthens sanitary and hygienic control. If necessary, an observation or quarantine regime is introduced into the regiment, contact with the civilian population is stopped or limited, meetings of personnel and mass cultural events are prohibited within the regiment, and additional isolation facilities are installed.

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 not be shaved under any circumstances, 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 a military unit of the Russian Federation is compliance with the rules of personal hygiene. The Russian military regulations say that the rules of personal hygiene include not only daily washing, brushing teeth, etc., but also shaving the 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 he can wear a beard in the army or not, since a willful act can be punished.

Previously, Article 344, paragraph 8, stated that officers, warrant officers and midshipmen could grow facial hair, but over time, an amendment was made to the charter and now no one can have a mustache. Is it possible to ignore this prohibition if a person is Muslim or has an allergy to shaving?

As required by the military regulations?

In many countries. Some men are allowed to have a mustache, but this does not apply to Russia. This categoricalness is due to several factors:

These reasons prompted the government to review the charter and amend it.

Important! Since wearing facial hair in a military unit is prohibited by law, if the regulations are systematically not observed, a lawsuit may be opened.

Who in the army can wear a beard and mustache?

As we learned, no one should wear a beard or mustache during service, but there are exceptions. Since previously ensigns and officers could have vegetation, everything remained that way. Although amendments have been made to the charter, these official men still do as they are accustomed to. Only high-ranking military personnel enjoy concessions; this rule does not apply to the ordinary soldier.

If troops are stationed 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 wander. Thanks to this, men do not freeze their faces so much.

For reference! Low temperatures are not a reason to wear long stubble. Only commanders can arbitrarily allow soldiers to violate this rule of personal hygiene.

In other cases, military personnel must negotiate with their commander regarding the wearing of a beard and mustache. You can obtain an illegal permit if:

1. The soldier has a doctor's note advising him to grow facial hair.
2. The man has scars on his face.
3. A military man has severe irritation or allergies 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, when you leave the unit, you may be noticed by patrol officers who will start asking unnecessary questions.

Are you punished for wearing a beard?

According to the law, due to non-compliance with the regulations, 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 they need to be careful. Although some military personnel wear beards, most military personnel shave their facial hair completely.

In connection with the evolutionary development of metallurgy in Europe and Asia, various types of steel appeared in the 15-16th centuries, which made it possible, with good hardening and sharpening of some types of steel, to produce more or less painless shaving of the human head.
In the 3rd quarter of the 17th century. The fashion for a hairless male face was completely established in Europe.

It is known that the Sun King Louis XIV was against wigs and shaved faces, but they became such an important status symbol that the king was forced to shave. This happened in 1680. From this moment, an almost 150-year period of absence of mustaches and beards began in Western Europe (until the mid-19th century). This also applies to Russia, where at this time, at the peak of this fashion, Tsar Peter the Great reigned.

A really living Peter I is looking at us. This is a lifetime mask that
made of Peter by the sculptor Rastrelli in 1719. Mustaches are present.

On January 16, 1705, a personal decree was announced “On shaving the beards and mustaches of all ranks of people, except for priests and deacons, on collecting duties from those who do not want to comply with this, and on issuing badges to those who have paid the duty.”

Regarding wearing a beard, it should be noted that decrees on the mandatory shaving of beards appeared in Russia more than once.

From 1705 to 1875, a good two dozen decrees were issued that in one way or another regulated the life of bearded men (for example, they had to wear special clothing or special signs).
Having ascended the throne in 1762, Catherine abolished the duty on wearing a beard, but with a caveat: government officials, military officers and courtiers had to leave their faces “barefoot.”

When reconstructing the appearance of officers of Catherine’s era, one must always remember that right up to Pavlov’s reign... “In no service is an officer subject to less precise uniforms than in Russia. Neither the cut, nor the color, nor the form of clothing are similar to each other. Not only each regiment, but even each officer in it adheres to its own rule; officers wear indifferently long or short uniforms, white or colored vests, embroidered ties, bloomers of all kinds of colors, caps or hats, and in this form they appear to their superiors and even often to the main apartment."
V. Selivanov recalled: " Service under Catherine was calm: it used to be that when you went on guard duty (back then they stood on guard for weeks at a time), you took with you a feather bed with pillows, a robe, a cap, and a samovar. The evening dawn will break, you will have dinner, undress and sleep like at home. With the accession of Paul to the throne, the service became difficult and strict..."

Under Paul I, his personal barber I.P. Kutaisov even became one of the most influential persons in the state. Both under Paul I and later, anyone who did not shave his beard could not appear in public at all. For example, when A.S. Pushkin was traveling through Moscow in the fall of 1833, no one saw him: “He didn’t show up anywhere because he was driving with a beard, which he wanted to show off to his wife.”(Veresaev V. Pushkin in life.)
In 1762, Emperor Peter III published the “Drill Regulations for the Infantry Regiment of the Russian Army,” but it was not distributed among the troops. With the coming to power of Catherine II, the “Infantry drill regulations”, 1763, and the “Military regulations on equestrian execution”, 1763, were developed and adopted.

Already on November 29, 1796, that is, three weeks after Paul’s accession, the “Military Regulations on Field Infantry Service” appeared, consisting of “Rules for Combat Infantry Service”, “Garrison Regulations”, “Rules for Field Service in Peacetime and Wartime, Marching , camp and guard", "Applied part or tactical rules", military regulations on equestrian service, and on February 25 - Naval regulations.

Decrees followed decrees, regulations followed regulations, directives followed directives. During the four years of the reign of Paul I, 2,179 legislative acts were issued, or an average of 42 per month. And in all this multi-pound paper waste, it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to find a trace of the ban on wearing mustaches for the military!

In the cavalry regulations of 1755 (Part I. Chapter 10) there was the following clause: “Every cuirassier and dragoon should try as best as possible to grow a mustache, which would always be combed and blackened in formations and guards, and for horse grenadiers, the mustache, as long as possible, should be curled over the cheeks; who, at a young age, does not yet have a natural mustache , then use invoices in this way."
In 1803, on the instructions of Alexander I, a special committee was created “to compose a military manual.” The result of his work was the development in 1809. two instructions to the Charter of 1796 - “Note on the latest changes in training” and “School for recruits or soldiers”, which were then included in the “Military Regulations on Infantry Service” of 1811, in which single training was allocated to a special section. The main attention was paid to the drill training of soldiers and the accuracy of all drill techniques. The new item was “On learning to shoot at a target.” Previous drill regulations were limited to only general instructions in this regard.

In 1806, braids and curls (bunches), worn by hussars since the 18th century, were abolished; they were ordered to be cut “to a comb”, and officers were ordered to comb their hair “at their own discretion.”

In 1807, all branches of the military were abolished from wearing braids.

In 1809, powder was abolished.

There is a known Decree of August 7, 1820, allowing generals and officers in some other branches of the military to wear mustaches: dragoons, horse huntsmen and horse artillery.

But the order we are interested in was sent for No. 5008 from the first desk of the executive department of the Moscow chief of police, Major General Alexander Sergeevich Shulko, to his subordinate: ... “To the Moscow police chief of the second department, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel and Cavalier Obrezkov: I recommend that your honor make an order for the department entrusted to you to announce to all non-employee officials, but also to those serving in the civil service, especially young helipads from the merchant philistine classes, that they should not wear mustaches at all. and order those who have them to shave, confirming to them that if anyone is then seen with a mustache, the police will force the disobedient person to shave it off against his wishes.
Chief of Police, Major General Shulko. Ordained July 1, 1823."
Since 1832, military ranks were allowed to wear mustaches and sideburns, until then prohibited in the infantry, with the obligation, however, for lower ranks to wear them black (in 1855, Alexander II ordered this to be done only when on guard duty and in parades, and in 1859 this last relic of Gatchina-Pavlovsk cosmetics was abolished).

But despite this permission regarding wearing a mustache in the army, Nicholas I continued to rage against hairstyles, mustaches and beards in 1837.

Then, on March 3 and April 2, two strict decrees were issued prohibiting civil officials and people of court rank from wearing mustaches and not shaving “beards in the manner of the Jews or imitating French fashions.” Six months later, it was the turn of the military.

On November 15, 1837, in an order for the military department, director von Bradke published an equally interesting order: ... "...The Emperor, finding it indecent to allow in the troops the imitation of strange customs noticed by His Majesty, often reaching us from abroad - wearing long hair with various indecent hairstyles - deigned to give the highest command: to make it an indispensable duty for all military commanders to strictly to ensure that none of their subordinates are capricious in their hairstyles, that their hair is cut uniformly, and certainly so that in front, on the forehead and at the temples it is no longer than an inch (that is, no more than 4.5 cm) , and around the ears and on the back of the head are smoothly cut, without covering either the ears or the collar, and smoothed from right to left. At the same time, His Majesty deigned to command: not to allow any oddities: both in the mustache and sideburns, making sure that the first are not lower than the mouth , and the latter, if not brought together with a mustache, then also not below the mouth, shaving them on the cheeks opposite the onago.”
On April 5, 1837, Chief Chamberlain Prince Urusov sent order No. 1025 to Chamberlain Nikolai Alekseevich Mukhanov on government paper: ... “The gentleman with the rank of Chamberlain Mukhanov. His Serene Highness, Mr. Minister of the Imperial Court, was asked to notify me on March 18 of this year, No. 856, that it has come to the attention of the Sovereign Emperor that many of the gentlemen with the rank of Chamberlain and Chamberlain-Junker allow themselves to wear mustaches that have been assigned to them.” only to the military. As a result of this, His Imperial Majesty deigned to order the strictest prohibition, so that no one with a court rank would dare to wear either a mustache or beard, as well as civil officials.
I have the honor to communicate this Highest will to you for proper execution.
Chief Chamberlain Prince Alexander Urusov."
In the 7th book of the "Russian Archive" there is a story by A. N. Andreev about the mustaches of railway engineers, under the title: "Major Stuart and the Institution."
... "Having entered the institute in 1839, I found Stuart as a major and tutor at the institute. I don’t remember in 1839 at the end, or in 1840, Stuart married the daughter of the director of the Elizabethan Institute, the girl Bistrom. They said that Emperor Nicholas, visiting Institute and having learned that the headmistress’s daughter was a bride, he asked her: “My child, what can I do for you?” and, having heard from her a request: “Let my fiancé wear a mustache,” he awarded her an unflattering epithet...”

In 1874, Alexander II allowed the wearing of a beard in all troops and at sea, with the exception of the guards, grenadiers and imperial retinue (PSZ. 20 Aug. No. 53829. 53830).

And in 1875 he prohibited the fabrication of beards and mustaches for those who were allowed to wear them (PSZ. Aug. 2, No. 54988).

The last Russian tsars, Alexander III and Nicholas II, were already bearded.
Emperor Alexander III, by a special decree of 1882, allowed the wearing of previously prohibited beards in the army and navy, although both mustaches and beards were strictly prohibited for students. At the beginning of the 20th century. in the Russian army, all generals, officers and lower ranks were allowed to wear a beard; It was not only permitted, but also ordered that “lower ranks of the guard troops and grenadiers should not shave their beards.”
In 1901, cadets were allowed to wear beards.

In Soviet Russia there were no longer laws on facial hair. A beard, of course, could be perceived as a characteristic attribute of geologists, artists, and dissidents, but no one tried to take money for its presence. Shaving the beard remains mandatory only in the army.

In the summer of 2011, Russia adopted an updated Internal Service Charter. The section on how to maintain health, observe

Article 343 instructs the military not to hide illnesses and to take care of maintaining their health. If a serviceman notices that there is a sick person 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 localizing infected people, disinfecting premises and introducing quarantine is determined by Article 347.

In order to prevent infectious diseases, Article 345 provides for preventive vaccinations.

Along with clear regulations for 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 complete cessation of smoking and drinking alcohol. The provisions of the Internal Service Charter (Article 343) only state that the military must refrain from this. But this article states that the use of narcotic drugs should not be allowed.

Young people entering the service are required to take care of personal hygiene. How to do this is described in detail in Article 344 of the Internal Service Charter.

Military personnel must wash their face 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 regulations require hand washing before each meal. Conditions must be created for this even during field exercises.

Military personnel are required to shave and cut their hair and nails in a timely manner. Those who are allowed to wear a mustache are required to keep it neat. In the army, the length and shape of subordinates' mustaches is determined by their commander. Both the mustache and hairstyle should be such that they do not interfere with putting on and carrying equipment.

The new Internal Service Charter (Article 344) regulates washing in the bathhouse. Everyone should go there once a week (at least). After the bath, a change of footcloths or socks, underwear and bed linen is required. Keep your bed clean for a week.

In 2013, showers began to be installed in barracks bathrooms. The internal service charter prescribes a shower along with other hygiene procedures.

In accordance with the Charter, soldiers are responsible for the cleanliness of their uniforms and collars (the white material that is hemmed under the collar).

The Charter defines measures to maintain public hygiene. The 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 serviceman looks untidy, the commander has the right to punish him. The procedure for penalties is determined by the Disciplinary Charter.

In addition to their duties, military personnel have the right to adequate conditions for hygiene procedures. If these have not been created, you can file a complaint with the unit commander.

Service in the RF Armed Forces teaches young people to daily observe personal hygiene standards and take good care of their health.