Defense Secretary pushes faster beard ban after ship visit

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is intensifying pressure on the Pentagon to enforce stricter military grooming standards after a recent visit to a U.S. Navy warship revealed multiple sailors with beards, according to defense officials and internal communications. The incident, which occurred in June, has prompted a series of urgent meetings as Hegseth demands accelerated compliance with his policy to curtail facial hair across the armed forces.

The policy, first announced by Hegseth in a September 2025 speech to senior commanders in Quantico, Virginia, explicitly targeted what he termed "beardos" and declared an end to "rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles." The directive tightened restrictions on medical and religious exemptions for facial hair, arguing that beards can interfere with protective equipment and are a matter of military readiness and discipline. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that Hegseth maintains the highest expectations for professional standards of appearance and that commanders at every level are expected to lead by example and will be held accountable for delivering results.

Following the June ship visit, which officials indicated took place amid...