New Grooming Standards Announced by Pentagon

This week, the Pentagon revealed updates to its grooming standards, emphasizing the need for service members to maintain a “clean shave.” War Secretary Pete Hegses has indicated that troops who require medical exemptions will be allowed to have facial hair for up to a year, provided they adhere to a treatment plan for their condition. After this period, they must choose either to shave or to undergo a facial separation process.

In a memo from August 20, Hegses stressed the importance of grooming standards as a vital aspect of maintaining the “warrior spirit.” There’s also an ongoing need for leadership to assess how these standards have evolved over the past decade.

In his remarks, Hegses noted that the US military’s grooming expectations aim for a polished military appearance. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, added that commanders should apply these standards consistently while considering safety and uniformity when evaluating individual exceptions.

Interestingly, the memo didn’t clarify whether mustaches would also fall under the “clean shave” requirement. Over the years, many soldiers have been granted shaving exemptions, commonly for conditions like pseudo-folliculitis barbae (PFB), where shaving leads to irritation.

Hegses’s directives didn’t address the topic of religious accommodations, although the Army had started offering beard exemptions in 2017, partly in response to Sikh soldiers advocating for their rights. Some individuals have even tested the boundaries of policy; for instance, in 2018, a soldier successfully sought approval to maintain a beard on the grounds of practicing Nordic paganism.

Another notable instance was that of Army SPC. John Hoskins, who attempted to secure a religious exemption by claiming affiliation with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Pastafarianism) in 2019, though his request was denied.

The recent updates to the grooming standards also included specifications for approved hairstyles and ponytail lengths for female soldiers, while clearly stating that clear nail polish is the only type permitted.