A sailor shaves during an exercise in 2012 at Camp Shelby, Miss. Sailors who have spent at least a year on medical shaving waivers could be considered for separation from the Navy as early as next month under a new facial hair policy. (Ernesto Hernandez Fonte/U.S. Navy)
Sailors who have spent at least a year on medical shaving waivers could be considered for separation from the Navy as early as next month under a new facial hair policy, the service confirmed to Stars and Stripes.
The policy is part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s military-wide effort to tighten grooming standards, end permanent medical shaving waivers and re-evaluate religious beard exemptions.
Many of the waivers issued are for pseudofolliculitis barbae, commonly known as razor bumps, a painful skin condition that disproportionately affects Black men.
Starting Sept. 30, sailors who have held a medical shaving waiver for 12 consecutive months could be considered for administrative separation, according to Lt. j.g. Samantha Mendiguren, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel.
The statement clarifies late July Navy guidance saying that some “qualifying members” could begin separation consideration without specifying who exactly qualified.
Earlier in July, the Navy said sailors who could not shave after 12 months of treatment would be evaluated for continued service. Sept. 30 falls less than three months after that guidance was issued.
The Navy’s clarification means the 12-month period can include time a sailor spent on a medical shaving waiver before the new guidance took effect.
A Navy official said the service does not yet know how many sailors currently hold medical shaving waivers, since updated reporting requirements for the waivers took effect only last month.
However, the Navy’s Medical Readiness Reporting System shows 4,767 sailors currently have medical conditions that would necessitate a shaving waiver, the official said.
According to the latest guidance, Navy commands that issue shaving waivers are now required to produce monthly facial hair accountability reports. The guidance also requires those with shaving waivers to carry a copy of the exemption while in uniform.
Last month, CNN and CBS reported that Hegseth had expressed frustration that military grooming standards were not being enforced quickly enough and that he continued to see service members sporting beards.
Hegseth has argued that relaxed grooming and physical fitness standards reflect poor military discipline and could impact combat readiness.
Up to 60% of Black men experience razor bumps, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, a professional association for dermatologists.
Reaching the 12-month mark does not mean that a sailor will automatically be discharged. Instead, it triggers a process that includes a medical review and additional levels of approval before a sailor can be separated.
The Navy said the purpose of the policy is to help sailors overcome shaving-related conditions rather than remove them from the service.
“The goal of the facial hair grooming standard policy is to provide appropriate and focused medical treatment and command support … not to administratively separate Sailors with shaving-related conditions,” a Navy official said.
The official added that the policy “has not had an impact on Navy end-strength and it would be premature to speculate on future impacts.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
STARS AND STRIPES VIDEOS
AROUND THE WEB
STRIPES TOP NEWS
