US forces face close shave as Pete Hegseth steps up his war on beards

Things are getting hairy in the US military.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was stunned to find during a recent visit to a US Navy ship that American forces had been flouting a new Pentagon grooming policy, CNN reported Friday.

Hegseth issued a memo this past September restricting most service members from having beards — but several sailors who greeted the secretary weren’t bare-faced, as expected.

That prompted meetings at the Pentagon to discuss the implementation of Hegseth’s war on what he had called “rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles.”

“Want to bring to your attention that the SecWar is paying close attention to the progress of the EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity] reforms,” one defense official dealing with civilian personnel policy wrote in a June email.

“In fact, the push is to move faster … there is a need to revamp some of our timelines,” the email stated.

It’s unclear which ship prompted the redoubling of shaving efforts, though Hegseth was aboard the USS Boxer in Singapore in May and the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego in June.

“Secretary Hegseth maintains the highest expectations for our service members to uphold the professional standards of appearance, fitness, and discipline that define our warfighting force, and he continues to emphasize consistent enforcement of hair, weight, and grooming standards across all ranks,” said chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement.

“Commanders at every level are expected to lead by example by meeting these standards, implementing these requirements, and they will be held accountable for delivering results as the Department works to restore a culture of excellence and readiness. Our Armed Forces are stronger when every service member meets and exceeds these expectations.”

Hegseth ordered a review of military grooming expectations in March 2025, prompting service branches to later restrict medical waivers for unshaven troops.

“No more beardos,” the secretary declared in a Sept. 30, 2025, speech to general and flag officers at Quantico, Va. “The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.”

“Simply put, if you do not meet the male level physical standards for combat positions, cannot pass a PT test or don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession,” Hegseth warned.

The same day, a signed memo from Hegseth listed “administrative separation” or being “flagged as non-deployable in the appropriate Military Service personnel system” as the resulting penalties.

“All personnel must maintain a clean-shaven face,” the memo stated, mandating that sideburns can’t extend past the opening of the ear; beards or other facial hair are banned unless receiving some kind of exemption; and mustaches need to be “neatly trimmed” without extending “past the mouth corners.”

The rules were more lax in some instances for Special Operations Forces, who still have to be fully shorn if deployed in locations marked by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Those with medical conditions, like pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps), can still request waivers so long as there is an “individualized review for operational impact” during every 12-month period.

Some religious accommodations will also be afforded to service members in “non-deployable roles with low risk of chemical attack or firefighting requirements,” provided they present proper documentation about “The sincerity of the religious or sincerely held belief.”

“We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans,” Hegseth said in his September address. “But unfortunately, we have had leaders who either refuse to call BS and enforce standards, or leaders who felt like they were not allowed to enforce standards. Both are unacceptable.”

The war secretary had likened his approach to “the’ broken windows’ theory in policing.”

“It’s like you let the small stuff go, the big stuff eventually goes, so you have to address the small stuff. This is on duty, in the field and in the rear,” he added. “If you want a beard, you can join Special Forces. If not, then shave.”