Uniform Wear Banned Off Base in Europe
U.S. troops in Europe are now forbidden to wear their uniforms off post “to the maximum extent possible,” including daily commutes to and from the office, as part of an effort to prevent servicemembers from standing out in a crowd, according to U.S. European Command.
The new policy, which comes three weeks after a deadly shooting outside Frankfurt Airport that left two Airmen dead and two badly wounded, takes effect immediately. The EUCOM mandate affects all Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines serving in the European theater. The rule also takes effect as U.S. forces engage Libya in a high-profile operation being commanded from U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart and could bring added attention to U.S. troops here.
“The directive specifically forbids the wear of uniforms for travel between duty and domicile, short convenience stops, conduct of physical fitness, travel between installations, and off post messing,” according to a EUCOM message broadcast Wednesday on American Forces Network - Europe.