The question of what uniform(s) get worn at the Pentagon comes up every few years or so. History tells us that wearing of uniforms was rare during and after the war in Vietnam. Cap Weinberger brought them back in 1981 or so. Much of my DC time in the Navy was spent in Summer Whites or Service Dress Blues, with Khakis verboten. Now, most of the Navy spends its time there in Khakis.
Just after 9-11 and in what was probably not a bad idea for the time, the wearing of Cammies (BDU's, whatever they're called) proliferated. The nation was at war, and the wearing of more war-like uniforms reinforced (theoretically) the concept that everyone at the Pentagon was there to support the folks pulling triggers.
Now, SECDEF Gates has put the kibosh on the wearing of cammies by his staff. This doesn't apply to everyone at the Pentagon, just his staff. Good for him. I was never a big fan of cammies at the Pentagon (don't even get me started on flight suits) and I hope this causes the Services to fall into lockstep. I'm not a big fan of meaningless gestures, and I always saw the move to cammies as just such a show. If I had it my way, the Navy would wear Service Dress Khaki there year round--a uniform with a tie appropriate for meetings out of the building, and one in which the wearer could take the jacket and tie off and open the collar back at the office.
Bryan McGrath
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