Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a sweeping directive tightening the U.S. military’s long-standing grooming rules, ordering that troops who require shaving exemptions for longer than a year will be booted from service.

In an August 20 memo made public Monday, Hegseth reaffirmed the Pentagon’s requirement that service members remain clean-shaven, writing that “the Department must remain vigilant in maintaining the grooming standards which underpin the warrior ethos.”

The new policy requires commanders to pair shaving waivers with medical treatment plans. If a service member still needs an exemption after a year, the memo says, they will face removal from the military. While the order appears aimed at troops suffering from pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) — a painful skin condition that disproportionately affects Black men — the directive raises new questions for religious service members, including Jewish troops who maintain beards as part of their faith.

For decades, the U.S. military has wrestled with balancing its strict grooming standards with the religious practices of its diverse ranks. Jewish servicemen who follow halachic rulings prohibiting shaving have occasionally been granted religious accommodations to keep their beards. The Pentagon memo, however, does not clarify whether religious exemptions will continue under the new system, or whether those soldiers could now face separation after a year.

The document is also silent on what treatments the military would provide for affected troops and whether it would cover the cost of those treatments. Nor does it address other exceptions historically granted, such as broad allowances for special forces in operational settings or soldiers stationed in extreme Arctic climates, where shaving can pose health risks.

The change comes amid a series of reversals to earlier efforts at loosening grooming rules. Earlier this year, the Air Force rolled back its policy on nail polish colors, and last week, the Army unveiled new grooming standards for soldiers, particularly women, that restricted certain hairstyles and accessories.

For Jewish servicemen — and others whose faith traditions include beards — the question remains: will this new policy force them to choose between their religious practice and their military service?

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)