US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has requested a full overhaul of military grooming, body composition, and fitness standards across all US military branches, which was announced on 12th March. This follows recent rule changes by the Biden administration that relaxed numerous grooming and haircut regulations for troops, such as inductee body fat percentage limits.
In a Department of Defence memo, Hegseth emphasized the importance of high standards, writing, “High standards are what made the United States military the greatest fighting force on the planet.” He mentioned that the power of the military stems from its unity and shared purpose, that discipline is reinforced by clear and unambiguous standards.
The Pentagon, according to Hegseth’s instruction, will examine existing standards promulgated by the Military Departments of physical fitness, body composition, and grooming standards, which actually encompass regulations regarding facial hair. The review would also examine changes that have been implemented in standards during the past decade and provide the reasoning behind these changes as well as their effects.
Hegseth stated, “We need to be careful about keeping standards high to allow the men and women of our military to defend the American people and our country as the world’s most effective and deadliest fighting force.” He emphasized that enemies are not weakening, and the demands placed on the military are more complex.
Each of the US armed forces has distinct physical fitness and body composition requirements, as well as regulations on permissible haircut and facial hairstyles. Personnel in most instances are not permitted to wear beards except if they qualify for medical or religious reasons.
Grooming standards have also been liberalized during the Biden administration to allow diversity and inclusion. Female members are now allowed to wear earrings as well as dye their hair, and men are allowed to apply nail paint. The Air Force has also raised the levels of body fat that can be carried by new recruits, to 26% from 20% for men and to 36% from 28% for women.
Previously, Hegseth indicated that the department would re-double on “basic stuff” like fitness and grooming, akin to requirements under the Trump administration. He was adamant that violations of grooming standards cannot be criminalized, but went on to reiterate that small issue neglect can lead to a culture of accountability failures in more egregious instances.
