Army medical officers should present a written suggestion for a waiver to the clean-shaven customary for these looking for an exemption.
The Pentagon on Sept. 15 unveiled grooming requirements for facial hair, ordering army personnel to be clean-shaven and requiring that these granted a medical exemption be on a remedy plan.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated in a press release that Secretary of Struggle Pete Hegseth “recently directed the Services to implement … grooming standards for facial hair” following the fast force-wide overview of army requirements.
The assertion linked to an Aug. 20 memorandum, made public on Sept. 15, by which Hegseth stated personnel ought to be “clean shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.”
The memorandum states that army medical officers should challenge a written suggestion for a waiver to the clean-shaven rule, whereas ultimate approval rests with the service member’s commander.
These with an accredited waiver should be placed on a medical remedy plan.
Hegseth wrote: “Unit commanders will initiate separation of Service members who require a shaving waiver after more than 1 year of medical treatment. I have full confidence in our leaders at all levels to provide an accurate assessment of whether retention is appropriate.”
He stated that the energy of the army is its shared objective and unity, and that the Division of Struggle “must remain vigilant in maintaining the grooming standards which underpin the warrior ethos.”
The directive was put into motion efficient instantly.
The U.S. Military final week introduced updates to requirements for grooming and uniform put on, together with “precise” definitions for hairstyles, with requirements on jewellery, cosmetics, and fingernails additionally being clarified.
The updates replicate “discipline, professionalism, and a shared commitment to the Army’s values,” the service stated.
In January, the Air Power additionally launched new insurance policies on grooming and uniform put on. This included restrictions on girls’s nail polish to solely three choices—clear, or American or French manicure—in addition to directives on facial hair for male Airmen.
The Air Power stated within the Jan. 29 memorandum, “Pride in an Airman’s personal appearance and uniform wear greatly enhances the discipline essential to an effective military force.”
It added that Airmen should keep a excessive customary of private look and gown to convey self-discipline and dedication to the Air Power, which, in flip, instills confidence within the American public and elected representatives.
Army Requirements Fast Evaluate
In March, Hegseth ordered the Fast Power-Vast Evaluate of Army Requirements, which included a overview of bodily health, physique composition, and grooming requirements.
Hegseth stated within the March 12 memorandum that the overview would reveal how the then-Division of Protection had maintained its requirements and what adjustments could be wanted going ahead.
“We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force,” he stated.
In April, Washington-based suppose tank American Safety Challenge (ASP) launched a report that discovered that just about 68 p.c of U.S. army reserve personnel have been obese.
“The number of young adults interested in military service remains sufficient to maintain current force strength. However, as overweight and obesity disqualify thousands of applicants each year, services are incentivized to violate body composition enlistment standards to meet recruitment goals,” the ASP report stated.
Hegseth referred to as the findings “completely unacceptable.”
He wrote on X on April 25: “That is what occurs when requirements are ignored—and that is what we’re altering. Actual health & weight requirements are right here.
“We will be FIT, not FAT.”
Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.
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