MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Navy: No more beards allowed

There might be an exception whenever freshwater is in short supply

Argentina's Navy issued an internal regulation whereby all active members must refrain from donning a beard effective April 1, it was reported in Buenos Aires. The measure dated Feb. 27 is signed by Rear Admiral Juan Carlos Romay, General Director of Personnel and Welfare, and is said to “facilitate” military training.

 The only exceptions will apply to ”units deployed outside their natural operational base, which as a result of a contingency or by design of the unit limits its freshwater capacity and that, if not rationalized, affects the fulfillment of the mission (for example, Surface units/elements, Submarines, Marines, Marines in operations, etc.), Marine Infantry in prolonged operations, Antarctic Campaign Units/Combined Antarctic Naval Patrol, sailing south of parallel 60° and Antarctic Bases“ and also by ”medical prescription,“ in which case ”it must be full, with moustaches, neat and trimmed, avoiding any eccentricity in its shape and dimensions.”

Under President Fernando de la Rua (1999-2001), Navy officers were allowed to have a beard by then-chief-of-staff Admiral Joaquín Stella but only for officers with the rank of lieutenant commander or higher. Later, it was extended to lower ranks and even to non-commissioned officers. It remained forbidden for the Army and the Air Force.

Earlier this week, the Defense Ministry banned all inclusive language (the use of both masculine and feminine pronouns in the same sentence and/or gender-neutral adjectives in Spanish). Specifically, it mentioned the ranks of “generala” and “sargenta” which would be feminine for general and sergeant. Minister Luis Petri's decision was grounded on Law 23,554, also known as the Dictionary for Joint Military Action and the Glossary of Definitions and Abbreviations. According to military sources quoted by Buenos Aires outlets, “there is a military vocabulary to comply with” and that the elimination of inclusive language will serve “to reinforce discipline.”