F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot Capt. Ryan Watkins climbs into the jet for takeoff at Bezmer Air Base, Bulgaria, July 24, 2025. An Air Force policy change taking effect Friday authorizes pilots and other aircrew members to wear callsign name tags daily with flight duty and desert flight uniforms. (Jenna Bond/U.S. Air Force)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — As the Pentagon cracks down on personal appearance across the military, the Air Force is loosening uniform rules in a bid to boost morale.
As of Friday, airmen may wear unit morale T-shirts on Fridays, and aircrew members are allowed to wear callsign name tags daily.
The changes are outlined in new interim guidance from the service’s chief of staff, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, that was issued in a memo Monday.
They are among Wilsbach’s first official acts since he took up the role Nov. 3. The memo was posted Wednesday on the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page and verified by an Air Force spokesperson Thursday.
Airmen may now wear colored T-shirts with utility uniforms on Fridays, provided they are not deployed, participating in an exercise or assigned to a joint or Space Force unit, according to the memo.
The shirt color must reflect the heraldry and heritage of the member’s assigned unit. Wing commanders will maintain a list of approved colors and may authorize supporting units to wear their assigned unit’s shirts.
The memo also authorizes pilots and other aircrew members to wear callsign name tags daily with flight duty and desert flight uniforms. Those name tags used to be typically reserved for wear on Fridays.
Under the new guidance, officer name tags may include a callsign or first name followed by last name. Enlisted aircrew members will have their rank, followed by their callsign and last name on their name tags.
Commanders are expected to ensure that name tags are in good taste and reflect military order, discipline and professionalism.
“Our uniform reflects years of Airmen bound by a proud heritage and united in shared purpose,” Wilsbach wrote in the memo. “It connects us to those who came before and signals professionalism, discipline, and continued unity in today’s force.”
The changes stand in contrast to broader efforts by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has made stricter grooming and uniform standards a priority across the services.
In a Sept. 30 address to senior military leaders, he emphasized the need for narrower guidelines, prompting the Air Force to adopt tighter facial hair regulations the following month.
Since Hegseth’s appointment in January, the Air Force has also revised standards covering nail polish, eyelash length and boot height.
Wilsbach’s memo notes that official guidance to implement the T-shirt and name tag changes is forthcoming.
