It's a question a lot of service members and their families ask: does the military actually issue sunscreen? The short answer is that, in most cases, sunscreen isn't part of standard-issue gear. Service members who want sun protection usually buy their own or rely on what family sends from home.
What service members say
Accounts from troops, military doctors, and lawmakers line up. A Navy and Air National Guard flight surgeon has described sunscreen as something sold at the base store rather than issued, with family mailing it in care packages. Surveys summarized by the Melanoma Research Alliance found that most veterans reported being sunburned while deployed, and only a small share said they used sunscreen regularly.
Congress has started asking the same question
In July 2026, Rep. Frank Pallone and 15 other members of Congress wrote to the Secretary of Defense asking the Pentagon to make sunscreen readily available to servicemembers and to include it in standard personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. The letter also asked whether any rules prevent troops from receiving or using their own sunscreen during training and deployment.
That followed earlier action on military cancer risk. The FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Defense Health Agency to study cancer rates in military aircrew, and the ACES Act signed in 2025 directed the VA to study cancer, including melanoma, in military aviators.
Why it matters
Military jobs put people in intense sun for long hours, often in places where the UV index regularly hits extreme levels: desert bases, high-altitude training areas, flight lines, and carrier decks. Research has linked military service with higher melanoma rates. For example, a USSOCOM study found higher melanoma incidence among special operations forces than other personnel, and identified limited access to sun protection in austere environments as a likely factor.
Military dermatologists recommend packets
Writing in the journal Military Medicine in 2022, a dermatologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center recommended issuing soldiers small portable packets of sunscreen to carry on their person, and putting small packets of sunscreen in MREs. Packets solve the practical problems that keep bottles out of the field: weight, bulk, leaks, and the fact that a bottle left in a bag doesn't help when it's time to reapply.
What you can do now
- Service members: carry a few single-use packets in a cargo pocket or aid bag so reapplication is easy.
- Families: add sunscreen packets to your next deployment care package.
- Units and buyers: see our military sunscreen page for bulk orders and procurement information.
SunSingles is a veteran-founded company making single-use SPF 50 sunscreen packets in the USA, and is registered in SAM.gov (CAGE 22T09).