In brief
In a recent directive, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that troops who require facial hair exemptions for more than one year will face discharge from military service. Commanders can still grant waivers, but these must include medical treatment plans. This decision comes at a time when grooming standards across military branches are being updated, particularly affecting soldiers diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), a condition that tends to impact Black men disproportionately.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered that troops who need an exemption from shaving their facial hair for longer than a year should get kicked out of the service.
While commanders are still able to issue service members exemptions from shaving — a policy that has existed for decades — they will now have to come with a medical treatment plan, Hegseth stated in an August 20 memo made public recently. Troops who still need treatment after a year will be separated from service, as specified in the memo.
“The Department must remain vigilant in maintaining the grooming standards which underpin the warrior ethos,” Hegseth wrote.
Most shaving waivers are for troops diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae, or PFB, a condition in which hair curls back into the skin after shaving and causes irritation. It is a condition that disproportionately affects Black men.
The memo is silent on the types of treatments the military would offer for troops affected by the new policy or whether it will cover the costs for those treatments.
Additionally, it remains unclear if policies like broad exemptions from shaving for special forces troops in operational settings or soldiers stationed in extreme cold climates such as Alaska will be affected.
This announcement comes as the Army has revised its grooming standards, significantly updating acceptable appearance for soldiers, especially regarding policies that affect female soldiers, such as nail and hairstyle regulations.
