Royal Marine commandos will officially be allowed to grow beards for the first time to tackle the recruitment crisis.
Senior officers are set to scrap a ban ensuring commandos remain clean shaven at all times.
However, specific rules will dictate the ‘length and shape’ of any beards and soldiers will not be allowed to have ‘caveman’ facial hair.
The move has apparently been approved by King Charles in an effort to increase recruitment statistics, the Telegraph report.
It comes only recently after the Army decided to allow regular troops to grow beards last year for the first time.
Soldiers in special service units such as the SAS have alternatively always been allowed to wear beards.
In September, defence chiefs ordered Royal Marines’ training exercises to be renamed because their aggressive and sexual connotations could offend recruits.
Long-established mission rehearsals such as ‘Final Thrust’ and ‘Violent Entry’ have been deemed inappropriate for millennials because of the potential innuendos.
Royal Marine commandos will be allowed to grow beards for the first time. Recruits undergoing training for the Royal Marines in Lympstone.
Royal Marines in France for the 80th anniversary of D-day this year. Senior officers are set to scrap a ban ensuring commandos remain clean shaven at all times
The Royal Marines at the Tower of London. The move has apparently been approved by King Charles in an effort to increase recruitment
So the manoeuvres, which could involve female personnel, have been rebranded as ‘Commando Forge’ and ‘Green Salmander’ respectively.
Even the seemingly generically named exercise ‘Direct Action’ has been rebranded as ‘Dragon Warrior’.
The Royal Navy insisted the new titles were ‘more professional’ and aligned better with names used by Britain’s strategic military partners.
The move follows the scrapping of gender-based titles such as ‘seaman’ and ‘airman’, which have been changed to ‘seafarer’ and ‘aviator’ by the Navy and RAF.
UK commanders want to ensure a military career appeals to as broad a range of people as possible.
A Royal Navy spokesperson told the Telegraph: ‘The Royal Marines are reviewing recruitment and service policies.’
