NationStates Jolt Archive

compare the two. anybody who wears a dress uniform into combat is looking at several hours worth of cleaning assuming he doesn't get greased by the enemy or his own side. wearing, even clean, battle dress doesn't get you very far else where in the world.

then there is the observation that just about any solider that prefers to wear the dress uniform doesn't make it very far on the front. any soldier that doesn't wear the dress doesn't make it very far in high society.

the support of high society is often what is needed to gain political power, short of a military coup. many soliders that prefer to wear the battle dress don't easily gain political power.

after a military coup, often the second thing to go is the fancy dress uniform.

so why?

i think it was an attempt to keep the skilled and dedicated soliders out of political arena.

or at the least that's what i think after the first thought iteration.

Soldiers receive several sets of uniforms, from battle or work dress (that which allows the soldier to do his or her job, stay hidden, or at least modestly comfortable, supposedly), to garrison dress (not so fancy, sometimes in between 'work-clothes' and dress uniforms for office work and light activity), to dress uniforms (for parades, special guard duties, etc.). The various uniforms are necessary either to look good (and occasionally mean), or to be functional.