GOLD BRAID SHORTAGES DULL SHINE FOR NAVAL OFFICERS
Chronic shortages of the embroidered peaked officers’ caps in Canada’s Navy are keeping some sailors uncomfortably out of uniform, with many of those under the rank of lieutenant-commander left without their dress uniform for official functions, and having to make do with wearing combat dress instead.
Multiple sources within the Royal Canadian Navy told the National Post that junior officers have been without a source of gold-embroidered peaked caps since late last year — an essential part of all but one of the four regulation uniforms issued to Canadian sailors.
Worn by all enlisted and commissioned ranks in the RCN, peaked caps worn by junior officers are identical to those worn by enlisted sailors, save for a single solid gold braid embroidered onto the hat’s brim. The senior officers wear gold oak leaf embellishments — known as “scrambled eggs” — on the brim of their caps, which are common among many of the world’s militaries.
This headwear shortage is forcing both newly commissioned officers and those in need of a replacement to attend functions and public events instead in their work uniforms, which are normally reserved for deployment aboard ship or while in garrison.
The Department of National Defence did not respond to a request to comment on the shortage.
Peaked caps are required kit for all but one of the Royal Canadian Navy’s four orders of regulation dress.
As decreed in the Canadian Armed Forces Dress Instructions, ceremonial dress is worn on formal occasions, while mess dress — the military equivalent of formal evening wear — is worn during functions where tuxedos would be appropriate.
Service dress — also referred to as a “walking-out” uniform — is most commonly worn by service members out in the public, and is analogous to a civilian business suit.
The only uniform that doesn’t require peaked caps are naval combat dress, consisting of a blue dress shirt, black jacket, black pants, and either a regulation baseball cap or, less commonly in the Navy, a beret.
Sources tell the National Post the online ordering portal for CAF uniform supplier Logistik Unicorp ran out of junior officer’s caps last year. All sizes were still listed out of stock as of Monday.
Sailors visiting the site are greeted with a pop-up window advising the Department of National Defence is transitioning to a new cap, and that distribution of the new caps “begins in 2022.” The new hat also uses the gold braid for junior officers’ peaked caps.
An October 2021 news release described the new caps as a more comfortable and easier-to-care-for option over the older hats, and they also feature a new machine-washable and replaceable outer cover meant to extend the life of the garment.
These new hats, the press release says, were to be made available to enlisted members in September 2021, with officers’ versions available in “early 2022.”
However, as of Monday, both old and new cap versions were listed as out of stock on Logistik’s website.
In addition to outfitting military personnel, Logistik Unicorp provides uniforms to other federal departments, including the Canadian Border Services Agency and Corrections Canada. The Canadian Armed Forces are in the midst of revamping their uniforms, with a goal to make all dress gender-neutral.
Richard Shimooka, national defence analyst and senior fellow with the Macdonald- Laurier Institute, said that while CAF routinely struggles with issues surrounding large-scale procurement, logistics around smaller-scale procurements might be more specifically related to broader problems with supply chains connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a challenge that DND (Canada’s Department of National Defence) is facing in a number of areas, whether it be big procurements or small procurements, due to supply chain issues,” he said. “It’s another challenge among many, but one that is probably reasonable or understandable given the circumstances,” Shimooka said.