Plan B Forum

The saddest part of this presidency is not the behavior of the commander in chief of the armed forces. Everyone knew what he is and how he was likely to behave from well before he won the presidency. The saddest part is what he reveals about individuals in high places, and institutions that we once thought relatively free from moral rot. What this episode shows is that the black fungus of fear, and ambition, and servility is more pervasive than might have been imagined. It stains uniforms even as it has stained business suits. The president has merely brought it to the surface.

Military personnel often wear unofficial unit patches, sometimes imbued with humorous images, as part of an effort to build unit cohesion and morale.

However, service members are prohibited from exhibiting political messages while in uniform.

Unit commanders are usually responsible for ensuring that the unofficial patches do not violate military regulations.

Department of Defense guidelines say that "active duty personnel may not engage in partisan political activities and all military personnel should avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause."

"Navy leadership is aware of the incident and reviewing to ensure the patch doesn't violate DoD policy or uniform regulations," US Navy spokesperson Lt. Sam Boyle told CNN. [My guess would be that they will determine that they didn't violate the regulations, even though they clearly did]

Scooter wrote:DoDD 1344.10 - Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces. It doesn't specifically prohibit wearing the equivalent of a campaign button on one's uniform, but I'm guessing it wouldn't fly.

the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military Departments, the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of the Inspector General of
the Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, and all other organizational
entities in the Department of Defense (hereafter referred to collectively as the “DoD Components”).

It is DoD policy that:

3.1. The wearing of the uniform by members of the Armed Forces (including retired members and
members of Reserve components) is prohibited under any of the following circumstances:

3.1.1. At any meeting or demonstration that is a function of, or sponsored by an organization,
association, movement, group, or combination of persons that the Attorney General of the United States
has designated, under Executive Order 10450 as amended (reference (c)), as totalitarian, fascist,
communist, or subversive, or as having adopted a policy of advocating or approving the commission of
acts of force or violence to deny others their rights under the Constitution of the United States, or as
seeking to alter the form of Government of the United States by unconstitutional means.

3.1.2. During or in connection with furthering political activities, private employment or
commercial interests, when an inference of official sponsorship for the activity or interest may be drawn.

3.1.3. Except when authorized by the approval authorities in subparagraph 4.1.1., when
participating in activities such as unofficial public speeches, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies or
any public demonstration, which may imply Service sanction of the cause for which the demonstration
or activity is conducted.

3.1.4. When wearing of the uniform may tend to bring discredit upon the Armed Forces.

3.1.5. When specifically prohibited by regulations of the Department concerned.