Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fired another shot in his personal war on facial hair in the armed forces.
The former Fox News host last month implemented a ban on “beardos” in the U.S. military, despite once begging the right-wing cable network to let him keep his “vacation beard” intact.
Hegseth, who has rebranded himself as Donald Trump’s “Secretary of War,” is currently on a tour of Asia with the president. The pair will meet Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday.
Hegseth will also attend an event at the largest U.S. military base in the world, Camp Humphreys, in South Korea this week. However facially-hirsute service members “with shaver waivers are NOT authorized to attend” Hegseth’s function.
The edict was reported by military outlet Task & Purpose, which confirmed an email sent by the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea, that covered appearance standards for Hegseth’s visit.
Shaver waivers are military exemptions that allow members to grow facial hair due to conditions including pseudofolliculitis barbae, or razor bumps, which are inflamed by shaving. The condition predominantly affects Black and African-American individuals.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
An Air Force official told Task & Purpose, “It is typical for senior leaders to visit the troops when they travel to installations around the world.”
Hegseth’s war on facial hair kicked off in March, when a memo sent to senior military leaders called for a review of all fitness, body composition, and grooming standards, “which includes but is not limited to beards.”
In August, Hegseth called for a “clean-shaven military” in another memo.
He threatened members who needed shaver waivers with “separation” if they still required the special condition after “more than 1 year of medical treatment.”
In September, Hegseth then lectured America’s generals about his preferred grooming standards.
“We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans,” Hegseth said.
“No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression,” he added. “We’re going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards.”
“If you want a beard, you can join special forces,” Hegseth said. “If not, then shave.”
As well as South Korea and Japan, Hegseth is expected to visit Vietnam and Malaysia this week to promote the U.S. military’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
In August 2018, when Hegseth was still hosting Fox & Friends, he returned to on-air duty with a “vacation beard.”
Reaction to his facial hair on social media saw his beard shaved off on air, as his co-hosts joked about how his scruffy growth “has got to go.”
Hegseth said at one point, “I’m hoping to keep a mustache.”
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