Facial hair emerged as a contentious symbol of military culture, prompting leadership to restrict Hegseth's access and igniting debates over religious accommodations.
Pete Hegseth refuses to meet with bearded soldiers in South Korea
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth barred service members with facial-hair waivers from attending his Camp Humphreys event and limited waivers to specific medical conditions.
Pete Hegseth promoted enforcing a strict male grooming standard that would remove religious and medical waivers for Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, and some Black Americans.
