Pentagon's New Grooming Policy: How Hegseth's Beard Ban Impacts Religious Service Members

Oct 04, 2025 05:01 pm CST

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's new military grooming standards prohibiting beards and long hair have sparked significant backlash from religious advocacy groups. The Sikh Coalition and other organizations argue these regulations force religious service members to choose between their faith and military service, as the Pentagon's memo reverting to pre-2010 standards effectively eliminates religious accommodations for facial hair within a 90-day implementation period.