Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is ordering an evaluation of the fitness and grooming standards of the U.S. military.
The department-wide review will analyze all U.S. military branches “U.S. military branches pertaining to physical fitness, body composition, and grooming, which includes but is not limited to beards.” The decision to review the military standards was announced in a release issued by the Department of Defense on Wednesday evening.
“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,” said Hegseth.
“Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging,” Hegseth noted. “This review will illuminate how the Department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past and the trajectory of any change in those standards.”
Hegseth’s review will evaluate all changes implemented by the military since Jan. 1, 2015, according to a memo.
The secretary of defense’s decision to review military standards comes after two reports on appearances, grooming, and fitness standards in two military branches were released in January and February.
In January, the U.S. Air Force announced it was updating its grooming requirements for men and women in the military branch. The new policy required male members to be “clean-shaven at all times, unless given a medical or religious waiver” and for their hair to be styled and cut so it does not “go past their ears.” It also required women, while in uniform, to only have nail polish that is a “clear color or an American or French manicure.”
ARMY DISREGARDED PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARDS TO HIT RECRUITMENT GOALS
In February, a Department of Defense inspector general’s report found the U.S. Army permitted recruits who did not meet fitness requirements to join the military branch. Leadership at the Army Training Center and Fort Jackson allowed recruits who exceeded the maximum required body fat percentages to join. The “Management Advisory: Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course Places Trainees At Increased Risk of Adverse Health Effects” discovered that 14% of recruits in the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course program between February and May 2024 didn’t meet minimum body fat levels.
“Our troops will be fit — not fat,” Hegseth posted on X on Wednesday. “Our troops will look sharp — not sloppy. We seek only quality — not quotas. BOTTOM LINE: our @DeptofDefense will make standards HIGH & GREAT again — across the entire force.”
