Members of the Canadian Armed Forces rock harder and come in second at the annual military skills competition

Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets were businesslike in the front and partying in the back during an annual military skills competition held in the U.S.

“The Canadians have embraced the mullet,” an American member of the gold-mining team told the British Forces Broadcasting Service. “We prefer a beautifully combed head of hair – cleanly cut – and that is our secret sauce.”

An April 30 video posted to the broadcast service’s Forces News Facebook page shows a handful of uniformed Canadians rocking the retro hairstyle, with long locks in the back and shorter-cut hair in the front, top and sides.

Two Canadian teams competed in the 57th annual Sandhurst Military Skills Competition, held at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY, representing the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec .

With an impressive second and fifth place respectively, they competed against 46 teams from 14 other countries on April 26 and 27. The grueling two-day competition tests the military skills, physical endurance and teamwork of officer cadets, and includes events such as marksmanship, swimming in full combat gear, administering combat first aid and navigating 27 miles of difficult terrain. Canadians have finished first four times since 2006.

“The Canadian team also appears to be driven by mullets this year, rather than a tactic adopted by the Americans,” said a Forces News correspondent in her coverage of the event. “Canada thought they and their mullets had done enough, but in the end it was (the U.S. Military Academy’s black team) that brought it home.”

As part of an effort to attract more troops and diversify its ranks, the Canadian Armed Forces relaxed its dress code in 2022 to allow everything from artificial nails to facial tattoos and colored hair. The changes also mean that recruits no longer need to shave their heads for basic training, while the hair can be any length as long as it does not cover the face and is tied back if it is longer than shoulder length.

“We heard from our members that existing dress instructions were not comprehensive and did not allow our members to represent their authentic selves while in uniform,” said Maj. Gen. Lise Bourgon said at the time that the dress code changes were announced. “Professional skills and competence are not determined by the length or color of your hair.”

With Canada’s second place in this challenging competition, Bourgon appears to be right.

The US military, on the other hand, requires men to have completely shaved or closely cropped hair. Only natural hair dyes are allowed, although women may tie long hair back. The US military also only allows beards for religious reasons, while Canada allows neatly groomed sideburns, beards, mustaches and goatees of any length.

In an April 29 press release, the Canadian teams’ commanders congratulated them on their achievements — without any mention of their winning style in a field of tight competitors.

“The performance of the RMC and RMC Saint-Jean teams in this international competition is a testament to the quality of military training provided at Canada’s Military Colleges,” said Commandant Major General Denis O’Reilly of the Canadian Defense Academy. “The lessons learned will help them throughout their careers as future leaders and demonstrate that they are an inspiration to the rest of the military community.”