Red heels are the mark of designer Christian Louboutin, whose shoes are a status symbol in the footwear world. But to the online military community, they could be anything from an act of rebellion against uniform regulations to a downright financially irresponsible purchase.

US Army WTF Moments shared an image of a female service member in dress blues sporting her likely hard-earned Louboutins, noting that they aren’t sexist for doing so. But the tweet ultimately drew backlash as a majority of the responses from military Twitter indicate support for a woman’s right to choose her own ($695) shoes.

User @LethalityJane points out that “the male jodhpur boot specifies that the sole cannot be a contrasting color but there are no such specifications for the female service pump,” adding, “commercial designs are authorized.”

While men are held to the standard of seeking out dress shoes “with a noncontrasting heel and sole,” that same stipulation is not required of women, who are free to select any pump “of a commercial design in black or white fabric. The pumps are untrimmed, with a closed toe and heel. The heel must be at least 1/2 inch but no more than 3 inches. The sole thickness will not exceed 1/2 inch. When a handbag is carried, the shoes and handbag must be made of the same material.”

Honestly, I hope she got a cute bag to match those heels. And several others agree, including this user who paints a harrowing but fierce picture of the kind of soldier I’d follow into battle.

“How the crap can she afford $1k shoes to wear in uniform?!?!” wrote user @Hunterrider, as if no other service member has invested their life savings on a PlayStation 5 or bought a Camaro and financed it at 27 percent. But go off.

“And this would be a big no for the AF,” she adds. “Heels are too high, the telltale signature makes them faddish.”

Faddish? You mean something that is contemporarily desirable and stylish?

To quote Mrs. Gardiner from Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ “Take care, my love. That savours strongly of bitterness.”

https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2020/11/24/female-service-member-pairs-700-heels-with-dress-blues-causing-the-internet-to-implode/

https://twitter.com/SW_usawtfm/status/1330954578133716992

Your Navy

Destroyer McCain conducts FONOP in Sea of Japan; Russia claims it led to a tussle with one of its destroyers

The guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the Sea of Japan — and Russia asserts the operation led to a tussle with a Russian destroyer.

According to the U.S. Navy, the McCain entered the Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan Tuesday as part of the FONOP and the service claimed the destroyer adhered to international law while challenging “Russia’s excessive maritime claims.”

In response, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its destroyer Admiral Vinogradov issued a verbal warning to the McCain and accused the U.S. destroyer of trespassing 2 kilometers into its internal waters, Russian state-run outlet TASS reports. Russia also warned it would employ a “ramming maneuver” to drive the McCain out of the region, per TASS.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the McCain then exited its territory and resumed sailing in international waters.

But the 7th Fleet challenged Russia’s assertions and cited how the USSR established a 106-nautical mile line to claim the Peter the Great Bay as internal waters in 1984. Russia has continued to claim the waters are theirs, which is “inconsistent with the rules of international law,” the 7th Fleet said.

“The Russian Federation’s statement about this mission is false. USS John S. McCain was not ‘expelled’ from any nation’s territory,” the 7th Fleet said in a statement. “McCain conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and continued to conduct normal operations in international waters.”

“By conducting this operation, the United States demonstrated that these waters are not Russia’s territorial sea and that the United States does not acquiesce in Russia’s claim that Peter the Great is a ‘historic bay’ under international law,” the 7th Fleet said.

The McCain just recently resumed operations following a fatal collision with a tanker in the western Pacific in August 2017. The incident resulted in the deaths of 10 of its crew members.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/11/24/destroyer-mccain-conducts-fonop-in-sea-of-japan-russia-claims-it-led-to-a-tussle-with-one-of-its-destroyers/

>>11790198