Goodbye, Miss August: On Military Posts, XXX Goes PG and G

Whether the reason is "morality" or business, personnel at Fort Meade and elsewhere are about to lose easy access to a military staple as common in many rucksacks as canteens and Skivvies: Playboy and Penthouse magazines.

Shoppers at post exchanges on Army and Air Force bases will no longer be able to buy adult magazines, including those old favorites and many others. 

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service has nixed sales of the so-called "adult sophisticate" magazines, along with nearly 900 other titles as part of what they call a cost-cutting measure. AAFES specifically mentioned Playboy, Penthouse, American Curves and Tattoo as magazines that will no longer be sold.

More benign titles, including the Spongebob Comics and The Saturday Evening Post, are also among the cuts.

AAFES said sales of adult magazines have slid 86 percent at post exchanges since 1998. All magazine sales dropped 18.3 percent from 2011 to 2012. 

“The decision to no longer stock the material is a business decision driven by the time, money and energy required to facilitate buying habits, combined with decreasing demand,” Army Lt. Col. Antwan C. Williams, AAFES public affairs chief, said in a statement.

About 2,000 magazine titles will still be sold, though the selection at each post exchange is driven manager decisions and regional interest. 

To be clear, adult magazines have typically made up a miniscule portion of magazine sales at post exchanges. The Wall Street Journal, citing AAFES statistics, said those magazines made up 0.014% of all sales at exchange facilities in 2012.

Maxim and FHM, which often include photos of scantily clad women but are not considered pornographic, will still be available, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

While AAFES said the reduction in magazine selection was due to cost-cutting, it comes after the anti-pornography group Morality in the Media wrote a letter to the Defense Department arguing that the sale of adult magazines was a violation of the Military Honor and Decency Act of 1996.

In a response last month, defense officials said the sale of adult magazines was permitted as long as the titles were behind privacy panels and not within reach of children, the Wall Street Journal reported.