On September 30, the same day that President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth briefed a group of DoD senior military personnel, Hegseth also released formal written guidance to spur implementation of new DoD policies. The following is a synopsis of these memoranda and the impact they could have on military personnel.
Grooming Standards for Facial Hair Implementation
According to this memorandum, the impetus behind its implementation is so that military personnel can safely and effectively employ protective equipment. This equipment protects members against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats and also protects those performing firefighting, disaster relief, and other missions where respiratory protection may be required.
The new guidance also applies to new accessions to the military. In the past, new recruits would often on their first day of basic training receive the infamous buzz cuts. The memorandum states that new accessions must now meet the grooming standards before entry. If not, they will be deferred from accession until standards are met.
What are the new standards? Here are the verbatim guidelines:
- All personnel must maintain a clean-shaven face.
- Sideburns will be above the ear opening.
- Beards, goatees, and other facial hair are prohibited unless specifically authorized.
- Mustaches are authorized but will be neatly trimmed, not to extend past the mouth corners or into a respirator seal zone.
- Special Operations Forces units may request modified standards via validated mission-essential requirements. However, personnel will be clean-shaven when deployed to environments with a high threat of CBRN attack.
Regarding shaving waivers, the memorandum directs the services to revert to pre-2020 standards. The recently revised Air Force policy on shaving waivers mirrors Hegseth’s memorandum. Only temporary medical profiles will be considered for personnel with medical conditions, such as pseudofolliculitis barbae (PB). These waivers will be limited to 12 months, and permanent conditions will result in evaluation for administrative separation.
With respect to religious accommodations, Hegseth’s memorandum directs the services to revert to pre-2010 standards. That means that religious facial hair waivers will generally not be authorized. If a religious waiver is to be approved, then religious sincerity will be evaluated, and the approvals will only happen for those in non-deployable roles with a low risk of chemical attack or firefighting requirements.
Hegseth gave the services 60 days to present their implementation plans to his Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USW(P&R). The services have 30 days to implement their new guidelines to include any exceptions approved by USW(P&R). This is a fast-moving train by DoD standards.
Implementation of Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) & Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Reform Plan
During his address to DoD senior military leaders, Hegseth announced that the Pentagon will overhaul its process for filing complaints with Inspector Generals and will no longer allow anonymous complaints.
Hegseth also said the Pentagon would change the process for its complaints filed under the equal opportunity program, responsible for issues related to sexual harassment and discrimination based on race, gender, or religion.
“I call it the ‘No More Walking on Eggshells Policy,’” Hegseth told the assembled generals and admirals. “We are liberating you.”
“No more frivolous complaints, no more anonymous complaints, no more repeat complaints, no more [ruined] reputations, no more endless waiting, no more legal limbo, no more sidetracking careers or walking on eggshells,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth spelled out the steps that would be taken by the services in his memorandum. Here are the highlights.
- MEO and EEO Reforms
- Complaints are promptly (within 30 days) addressed and dismissed if they lack actionable, credible evidence.
- Those who knowingly submit false complaints and repeatedly submit frivolous complaints are held accountable, pursuant to applicable laws and regulations.
- MEO Reforms
- To foster a more effective support and resolution-based program, the current anonymous reporting option will be replaced with a confidential complaint reporting option to MEO professionals, and request that the Joint Service Committee on Military Justice consider revising Military Rule of Evidence (MRE) 514 to include communications to MEO professionals.
- It’s important to note that MRE 514 is established to encourage victims to seek advice and support from their designated advocates without fear of the communication being used against them in a court-martial.
- Standardize the MEO intake processes to provide mediation as a first-line alternative to filing a formal MEO complaint.
- To promote prompt closure and accountability, mandate a strict resolution timeline for commanders to address unsubstantiated MEO complaints (within 7 business days) to ensure timely resolutions.
- Direct the USW(P&R) to update the current DoW policy to eliminate the practice of withholding or delaying promotion of an employee or Service member based on an EEO complaint without a substantive finding of misconduct or not based on objective and credible evidence.
- To foster a more effective support and resolution-based program, the current anonymous reporting option will be replaced with a confidential complaint reporting option to MEO professionals, and request that the Joint Service Committee on Military Justice consider revising Military Rule of Evidence (MRE) 514 to include communications to MEO professionals.
Hegseth concluded the memorandum by stating,
“Timely adjudication of complaints will minimize the impact of false claims, swiftly provide resolution for all involved, and increase readiness across the total force. I am fully committed to promoting good order and discipline through accountability for all involved in the complaint process.”
One of the key pieces of the new guidance concerns the definition of “credible evidence.” The memorandum states that this definition will be released in the future.
Military Fitness Standards
Hegseth set the tone for the new DoD fitness guidance by stating,
“My goal is unmistakable: our core fighting formations must not just meet the standard - they must embody it. We need high, uncompromising, sex-neutral standards rooted in combat effectiveness. Every warfighter must be held to the same rigorous expectations. This directive outlines immediate actions to ensure every warfighter meets the physical and professional demands of combat, for which every Service member must be prepared. These requirements are not optional - they are foundational to our lethality and readiness.”
The memorandum makes it clear that only those serving in Combat Arms career fields will be required to meet gender neutral fitness requirements. The services will determine which career fields fall under the Combat Arms category. Fitness requirements for Non-Combat Arms personnel will continue to be sex and age-normed, similar to how the services conduct them today.
SecWar’s new guidance directs active duty personnel to take two fitness tests per year and to perform physical fitness training every duty day. National Guard and Reserve component personnel will complete one fitness test annually and be charged to take personal responsibility for their physical fitness.
The memorandum states that failure to meet established standards may be used to withhold favorable personnel actions, including denied promotion and administrative separation.
The following Fitness Testing Matrix, provided in the memorandum, clarifies which evaluations apply to each category of service member.
In addition to conducting fitness tests, the services are directed to perform body composition tests using height and weight circumference methods twice per year.
High performers on fitness tests may be granted waivers if they don’t meet the established body composition standards. Those who don’t meet the standard will be entered into remedial programs and, if adequate progress is not made, face administrative processing for separation.
Modern Workforce Management
Hegseth also released a memorandum that guides reforms related to DoD civilian employees. As Hegseth put it,
“ We recently surveyed our civilian workforce. We heard loud and clear that personnel policies must better reflect our high-performance culture. This requires reforming how we treat both top and bottom performers. Winning organizations optimize the workforce spectrum.
First, we need to incentivize and reward our top performers. Department employees are not in it for the money, but our best performers need to be appropriately recognized for their performance, including through meaningful monetary awards. Second, managers need more guidance on how to separate underperforming employees. Complex offboarding creates cultural drag that hurts morale across the Department and hinders our mission.”
The memorandum directs USW(P&R) to immediately issue specific guidance to address two complementary but distinct objectives:
- Encourage workforce rewards.
- Demystify the removal process.
The memorandum did not provide further details on how this would be accomplished, nor did it establish a timeline for implementing new procedures.
A Review of Hazing, Bullying, and Harassment Definitions
During his address to senior military leaders, Hegseth announced the Pentagon is starting “a full review” of how words including “bullying,” “hazing,” and “toxic leadership” are used as part of accountability efforts. He said that these terms have been “weaponized” to undercut military leaders.
“Setting, achieving, and maintaining high standards is what you all do, and if that makes me toxic, then so be it,” Hegseth said.
One of the new memoranda directs USW (P&R) to conduct a 30-day review of the DoD’s definitions of hazing, bullying, and harassment. The memorandum states that this review,
“Aims to strike a balance, ensuring leaders have the tools necessary to foster a warrior ethos rooted in mutual respect and accountability, while also maintaining a lethal and ready Force.”
Formal implementation of this new guidance will come from the services, upon approval of possible exceptions granted by USW (P&R). The train has left the station. Guidance has been issued. The services must now react.
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