Hegseth rages after learning not all Navy sailors are following his demand to be clean-shaven: report

Hegseth rages after learning not all Navy sailors are following his demand to be clean-shaven: report The Trump official has made a point of focusing on service members’ physical appearance as part of his campaign to invigorate the military’s ‘warrior ethos’ - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was reportedly annoyed when a June visit to a Navy ship revealed sailors with beards who appeared to be ignoring his directives insisting that service members be clean-shaven. “Want to bring to your attention that the SecWar is paying close attention to the progress,” a Pentagon official told colleagues after the incident, CNN reports. “In fact, the push is to move faster … there is a need to revamp some of our timelines,” the email continued. The Independent has contacted the Navy for comment. “Secretary Hegseth maintains the highest expectations for our service members to uphold the professional standards of appearance, fitness, and discipline that define our warfighting force, and he continues to emphasize consistent enforcement of hair, weight, and grooming standards across all rank,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Independent in a statement. It is unclear where Hegseth’s alleged encounter with the bearded sailors took place. He visited the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego in June, CNN report. Last year, Hegseth tightened the rules around getting exemptions to the military’s shaving policy. He also slammed “beardos” in the military during a high-profile speech before top leaders in September. Under Hegseth’s new policy, revealed in an August memo, the military will seek to push out troops that need exemptions longer than a year to the beard rules. “The Department must remain vigilant in maintaining the grooming standards which underpin the warrior ethos,” Hegseth wrote in the memo. Critics argued the new policy had the impact of singling out Black troops. Many shaving waivers are for troops with pseudofolliculitis barbae, a painful condition in which hair curls back into the skin, an ailment disproportionately affecting Black men. Under the new policy, commander can kick out personnel who require aq shaving waiver after more of a year of treatment for the condition, CNN reports. The shaving policy has reportedly been a regular topic of interest for Hegseth. He reportedly reported refused to meet with bearded troops during an October visit to South Korea. The secretary, a veteran and former Fox News host, has made troops’ physical appearance a key priority. He has made a point of regularly doing workouts — and being photographed doing so — with active troops. During his September speech, Hegseth also railed against “fat generals” in the military and ordered service members of all ranks to meet certain fitness requirements. Hegseth has also sought to put his stamp on the military in other ways, seeking to change the name of the Defense Department to the Department of War, while publicly hosting Christian prayer alongside military leadership and severing the military’s ties with “woke” universities. Under the Trump administration, the nation’s military service academies have been ordered to stop teaching material if it is “promoting, advancing or otherwise inculcating” ideas deemed “un-American” including “gender ideology” and the idea that “America’s founding documents are racist or sexist.” The armed forces have also restored the names of military bases originally named after Confederate figures, who rebelled against the United States in the 19th century to uphold slavery. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments