Service members must prove sincere religious beliefs for facial hair waivers

U.S. service members will now be granted religious exemptions from grooming standards only on “sincerely held religious beliefs,” according to a recent Pentagon memorandum.

Current service members and those applying for military service who request an exception for religious reasons must provide “a sworn written attestation affirming the requester’s belief is sincerely held and religious in nature,” according to the March 11 Department of Defense memorandum.

In their requests, service members must provide statements describing the specific religious beliefs that are held and explanations of how the current clean-shaven grooming standard conflicts with their exercise of religion, per the memo.

Troops must also provide evidence that their religious beliefs are “sincerely held,” such as personal testimonies or corroborating statements from religious leaders or community members.

False statements can be subject to disciplinary action under Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice or denial of ascension, the statement says.

The memo, signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, first circulated on the unofficial U.S. Army Subreddit r/Army page Tuesday. Task & Purpose was the first to report on the memo. A Pentagon official confirmed the memo’s authenticity to Military Times on Thursday.

Previously, the military granted shaving waivers for facial hair for a variety of faiths, including Norse Pagan, Sikh and others, but following a September 2025 speech by Hegseth to military leaders, a slew of memos and a review on grooming and appearance standards surfaced.

This new guidance follows Hegseth’s newfound commitment to physical fitness and grooming standards for troops, calling for “no beardos” and leaving some religious groups worried about the department’s adherence to religious rights of service members.

“No more beards, long hair, superficial, individual expression. We’re going to cut our hair, shave our beards and adhere to standards,” Hegseth said in the September 2025 speech to military leaders.

This March memo states that unit commanders must provide a written assessment of the requester’s sincerity of religious belief and specific information regarding the requester’s current and anticipated work, like use of protective equipment or scheduled deployments, when forwarding requests to the “decision authority.”

The memo did not elaborate on who or what department is considered the authority on this matter.

“Decision authorities must review requests for accommodation on an individual basis, applying the ‘compelling government interest’ and ‘least restrictive means’ criteria,” the memo says.

The memo states that military departments are required to provide training on “applicable laws and procedures” to unit commanders and personnel involved in reviewing religious-based requests for exception from grooming standards for facial hair.

Religious accommodations related to grooming standards that have already been approved must be reevaluated within 90 days of these new guidelines, the memo reads.

“To prevent abuse and maintain military combat readiness, determining the sincerity of a religious belief in whether a military policy, practice or duty substantially burdens a service member’s exercise of religion is a critical component of the review process,” the memo states.

The memo says that decision authorities must consider any evidence that the request is based upon personal preference. They must get input from a first-line supervisor on the individual’s character, as well as from a military chaplain on the nature of the religious belief and from other sources at the unit commander’s discretion.

An attachment of the memo states that a legal advisor must give counsel to the deciding official to ensure compliance with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and other applicable policies. Service members whose applications are denied may voluntarily separate, according to the memo.

Implementation plans must be submitted to the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness within 30 days of the memo’s release date.