Pete Hegseth Orders Strict Military Grooming Crackdown on Beards

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a strict crackdown on military grooming standards after observing sailors with beards during visits to the USS Boxer in Singapore in May and the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego in June 2026. Hegseth, who refers to himself as the Secretary of War, is intensifying the enforcement of a September 2025 memo that restricts facial hair and limits medical-based shaving exemptions.

Hegseth argues that beards compromise the use of protective equipment during chemical or biological threats and seeks to eliminate what he termed rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles. Under the policy, most personnel must remain clean-shaven; those who fail to comply face penalties including being flagged as non-deployable or administrative separation. While exemptions exist for Special Operations Forces and specific religious or medical conditions, Hegseth warned that commanders will be held accountable for enforcement.

Pentagon officials held meetings in June to expedite these standards, with political appointees pressuring subordinates to move faster. This effort coincides with other workforce changes, including Equal Employment Opportunity reforms that presume the innocence of complaint subjects. The Black Veterans Project criticized the policy, arguing it disproportionately harms Black service members with pseudofolliculitis barbae, as commanders may discharge personnel who require shaving waivers after one year of treatment.