Hegseth Has Said No Beards, Will Limit Religious And Medical Waivers

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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In his hour-long address on Tuesday to United States military leaders, including general officers, admirals and senior enlisted personnel, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made clear that he expected to see nearly everyone serving in uniform clean-shaven.

“Today, at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearance is over,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday in his speech at Quantico, Virginia. “No more beardos. The age of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.”

Hegseth has been critical of the religious waivers and doubled down on that sentiment, telling the hundreds of senior officials, “We don’t have a military full of Nordic Pagans. But unfortunately, we have leaders who either refused to call B.S. and enforce standards, or leaders who felt that they were not allowed to enforce standards. Both are unacceptable.”

The DoD has since posted multiple memos that announced the new guidelines for facial hair, stating that it will revert to pre-2010 standards, when facial hair waivers were “not generally authorized.”

The History Of Beards In The Military

The wearing of beards, some that would be impressive by modern hipster standards, was commonplace in the latter half of the 19th century. Beards were associated with power, authority, and masculinity, and were often seen as a mark of a “true man.”

Moreover, throughout Europe and later in the United States, military recruits would often be clean-shaven, in part because they tended to be on the young side. However, they’d return home from major conflicts with full, thick beards, which were then seen as a mark of heroism. Beards became a common feature among explorers, big-game hunters, and outdoorsmen.

Those points may have been lost on Secretary Hegseth, who has called for the United States military to return a “warrior ethos.” In other words, what could be more symbolic of a modern warrior than a full beard?

The End Of Beards

It was only in the First World War, with its horrific trench warfare that spread lice and disease, that military leaders began to see the benefits of short hair and a clean-shaven face. Until that point, it was actually understood that beards were seen as protection from the weather, but could also serve as a respiratory system to keep out bad air and dust.

With the introduction of poison gas, soldiers needed to don gas masks that fit close to the skin, and it was found that being clean-shaven helped create a tighter seal. That is even truer today, as gas mask technology has undergone significant improvements. A beard can impair the effectiveness of chemical and biological protection systems.

Following the conflict, the troops returned home clean-shaven, while only the senior officers, who had spent the conflict safely behind the lines, kept their beards. That diminished the idea that a beard was a symbol of heroism.

That resulted in changing fashion trends, and in the UK, King George V was the last monarch to have a full beard. By the time of the Second World War, beards were entirely out of fashion, even among the highest-ranking officials.

Medical Waivers Now Limited To A Year

Although beards are far less common in the U.S. military, there have been exceptions to the rule. Now those rules may be tightening. Even before Hegseth’s address on September 30, the Pentagon had issued new guidance that called for significantly reducing the number of medical waivers.

“Unit commanders will initiate separation of service members who require a shaving waiver after more than 1 year of medical treatment,” Hegseth wrote in an August 20, 2025, memo to senior military leadership. “The grooming standard set by the U.S. military is to be clean-shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.”

This policy isn’t a significant change, as beards had been banned for decades, with leaders arguing that they looked unprofessional and interfered with gas masks and oxygen masks. However, a waiver has been granted for those who suffer from pseudofolliculitis barbae, also known as PFB or razor bumps. The skin condition, which is caused by ingrown hairs and can make shaving painful, is more common among Black men.

Instead of permanent waivers, evaluations will be conducted annually and may not be extended beyond that period. The message was to cut the beard or be cut from the service.

Religious Waivers Also Got Shaved!

Hegseth’s comment about “Nordic Pagans” may have sounded like a throwaway joke, but it may have been carefully directed. It was during President Donald Trump’s first term that Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Hopper, then a member of the Nevada Army National Guard’s 3665th Ordnance Company, was granted a beard waiver, as he claimed to practice “Norse paganism,” which encourages the growth of a beard, or “skegg.”

There aren’t many Nordic Pagans, but Hegseth may be looking to counter other religious waivers, which have increasingly been granted to Sikhs, Muslims, and Jews, all of whom may wear beards for religious reasons.

Hegseth’s recent memos have indicated that the U.S. military will still allow those religious exceptions, but troops will need to provide documentation that shows “the sincerity of their religious or sincerely held belief.” Moreover, it stated, “Approvals will be limited to non-deployable roles with low risk of chemical attack or firefighting requirements.”

One Big Beard Exception

There may be some irony that approvals for beards would be limited to “non-deployable roles,” as Hegseth also stated, “If you want a beard, you can join Special Forces. If not, then shave.”

That begs the question of why the elite forces don’t need a waiver, and instead are simply allowed to grow beards.

The standard argument is that United States Special Forces grow beards to facilitate camouflage, but the facial hair also serves as a means of “cultural integration.” Beards enable personnel to blend in with local populations, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq, where beards are common and often signal trust.

It has been further suggested that beards can filter dust and provide warmth, beliefs not all that dissimilar from those of the 19th century.

Yet, if those reasons are acceptable, it would seem odd that medical waivers are being scrutinized, not to mention the religious exemptions.

Finally, as the United States military pivots to great power competition and sees a potential war with China in the future, the argument for allowing Special Forces to wear beards but not other warfighters seems questionable. Beards are far from commonplace in China and other parts of East Asia. It could make those personnel stand out rather than blend in.