Can a platoon sgt tell a female soldier that she is required to wear a bra when in civilians?

Without knowing where you are specifically, it’s hard to say whether or not the demand is unfair. However, I can’t imagine why your platoon sergeant felt the need to delegate this to a male supervisor. It’s completely inappropriate and puts him in a bad position. If for some reason she has to delegate that task, it should be to another female. If that’s not an option, she needs to cowgirl the hell up and do it herself.

Proud of all your comments, a very reasonable group of soldiers voicing real concerns.

Wow. Less than 24 hours old and this post has generated more than 70 replies! Not bad for a non-political, non-Stolen Valor topic.

It’s all about your interpretation. Question: have you thought about why your platoon sergeant highly recommend you to wear a bra? You stated you are in a rotation overseas, have you thought that the suggestion was probably made for your safety? It’s not always a negative thing when suggestions are made. Talk directly with your platoon sergeant to get more information. If it is noticeable that you’re not wearing a bra, unintentionally it can be misconstrued as something sexual in nature and can open you up to a SHARP complaint. So your start point should be with the platoon sergeant to get more information on the recommendation, because she may be looking out for your well-being. Good luck to you....

I would tell you as your NCOIC. Especially overseas. Your represent the Uniform and undergarments need to be worn.

SPC (Join to see)
I am not going to get into a debate about what happened or did not happen in the meeting that you reference in another comment, since that on the surface appears to be a SHARP issue as other commentators have stated.
However, I would take you to task about your 'interpretation' of the regulation where you state that "Nowhere in any reg does it say it's required not even in uniform." That is absolutely incorrect.
I will only cover AR 670-1.
Composition of uniform:
4-2d, 5-2d (Maternity Uniform), 6-2d, 8-2f (Hospital and Maternity Uniforms - Female), 10-2i (Food Service and Maternity Uniforms - Female), 11-2c, 12-2e, 14-2a(6), 15-2e, 17-2d, 19-2h, 20-28 (References DA Pam 670-1).
In DA Pam 670-1, Chapter 18, paragraph 18-30 it describes 'undergarments' and starts specifically with female undergarments.
18–30. Undergarments
a. Brassieres and underpants (female).
(1) Type. Brassieres and underpants are a one-time cash allowance purchase as part of the initial clothing bag allow-ance.
(2) Description. Brassieres and underpants may be of a commercial design, in white, black, or other neutral colors that are not readily apparent when worn under the uniform. The category of brassieres also includes sports bras.
(3) How worn. Females will wear brassieres and underpants with all uniforms.

I won't go through the rest of it because I think and believe that you get my point.

SFC JOHNSTON Is on point with this. From a female perspective, we must maintain a professional appearance at all times. Unfortunately this is subjective. We don't have any idea of what the current climate or situation is in the area in which you live. Although I understand it is much more comfortable to not wear an undergarment, we must be cognizant of our appearance. As most of us have grown up in a society wear undergarments are normal. Additionally, you may think that your "nipples" are not showing but in fact they could be. What one sees in the mirror does not always translate the same when outdoors.

That's an interesting question. I would say check with your local policy. I remember when I was in 2ID in Korea the policies regarding civilian attire were really conservative, we even had "Courtesy Patrol" to ensure soldiers where behaving and dressed properly. CQ personnel and NCOs will not allow soldiers to leave the barracks if their attire was in violation of the policies.

SPC Chastity B., I thought about this question for sometime before deciding to respond on this issue. Fortunately for me, you're being in a platoon having a female platoon sergeant and a team leader also a female makes this a little easier to address. AR-670-1, Para 3-9 does cite regulations regarding the wearing of civilian clothing by soldiers on and off-duty and yes the regulations have multiple exceptions and most are subject to interpretation. But it all boils down to this, your female PSG and team leader should sit down with you and pose the question: If you wear a bra while in uniform, why would you purposely draw a whole bunch of unwanted attention to yourself while off-duty and possibly even unintentionally affect the platoon mission by creating internal distractions in the platoon or the company. If you decide to disregard the recommendations of your superiors (both females - mind you) you may wind up compromising yourself through misinterpretation by others. As a male, I would not even consider making an approach to a female - even a subordinate - on this subject given the climate and sensitivity to male-female interactions in any military or civilian setting. While disregarding the counseling of the PSG and the team leader may not have a punitive consequence, why take a chance - be all you can be - without touting all you have.

DA Pam 670-1 Ch. 18-30 states that females will wear undergarments in all military uniforms (bra is an undergarment). Nothing specifically on "civilian clothes", but if you are in a "rotation" status overseas, then I am assuming it is not a normal 'getting off work at 1700' kind of gig. Therefore, civilian attire could be labelled as the "uniform" when not actively doing your job during the rotation.