Navy To Begin Enforcing Sec. Of War Hegseth’s “No Beards” Policy
on Jul 10, 2026 • Updated Jul 10, 2026
“No more beardos,” declared Sec. of War Pete Hegseth during a speech to the Armed Forces in 2025, adding, “The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.”
Now, a new directive to military personnel is honing in further on facial hair protocols.
As of Tuesday, July 7, members of the United States Navy who have a permanent skin condition that is not treated within one year of receiving a shaving waiver will be discharged from duty.
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See The Navy’s New Facial Hair Policy
This shaving policy has been almost a year in the making, with Sec. of War Pete Hegseth voicing his opposition to facial hair in a speech to the Armed Forces in September of 2025.
Hegseth told service members, “No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression. We’re going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards.”
Saying this applies to “on duty, in the field and in the rear” personnel, including commanding officers and other leaders.
“If you want a beard, you can join Special Forces,” he said. “If not, then shave. We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans.”
He went on to say, “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.”
Now, the terms of the policy are fully drawn out, and it goes beyond just aesthetics and “superficial individual expression.”
Prefacing the new policy, it states:
“The U.S. Navy demands the readiness of all Sailors. Mission accomplishment hinges on stringent compliance with standards and ensuring implementing policies are clear, unambiguous, and compliant with law and regulation. Grooming standards add to Sailor and mission safety and ensure the safe and proper utilization of protective equipment in all naval environments and operational conditions.”
Effective immediately, the new standards are implemented to “ensure facial hair does not impede personnel safety, mission readiness, or compromise the proper use and effectiveness of protective breathing equipment,” the policy notice reads.
When wearing a uniform or performing official military duties in civilian clothing, all personnel “will be clean shaven,” the policy reads. This also applies to reentry candidates as well as applicants to the military branch.
For military personnel who have skin conditions that make shaving difficult, such as pseudofolliculitis barbae (which is known for causing razor bumps after and soreness after shaving), they are able to receive a shaving waiver from their commanding officer.
These waivers are not to exceed a period of 12 months, as observed in no more than four 90-day periods of shaving waivers, with commanding officers following up “on medical treatment, education, monitoring, and assistance for Sailors medically diagnosed with conditions impeding their ability to comply with daily grooming standards and warranting facial hair growth accommodations.”
Online, some critics of the new policy have noted that pseudofolliculitis barbae disproportionately affects Black people, with a 2025 report in the NIH National Library of Medicine stating that the condition is observed in “45% to 83% of men of African ancestry.”
The policy goes on to define how and when the military will discharge service members, reading:
“Permanent conditions will result in evaluation for administrative separation. Commands shall process personnel determined to have an unmanageable Permanent Condition for administrative separation due to failure to comply with grooming standards after 12 consecutive months of medical treatment.”
Notably, mustaches are permitted.
Further, the policy does not apply to approved religious exceptions.
While times have changed, many American military heroes, like President Ulysses S. Grant, have sported beards.
In a July 10 statement to CBS News, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “Sec. Hegseth … continues to emphasize consistent enforcement of hair, weight, and grooming standards across all ranks.”
Parnell went on to say, “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.”
Concluding, Parnell stated, “Our Armed Forces are stronger when every service member meets and exceeds these expectations.”
View the full Navy policy on facial hair, here.
Watch the moment from Sec. of War Pete Hegseth’s 2025 speech at Quantico concerning beards and shaving, here:
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