Pentagon Bans Beards in Military, Religious Minorities Fear Dismissal

Washington (The Uttam Hindu): The U.S. Department of Defense’s new grooming policy has sparked deep concern among religious minorities such as Sikhs, Muslims, and Jews. A recent memo issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has virtually eliminated the exemption that allowed military personnel to keep beards on religious grounds — putting the service of such soldiers at risk.

Under the new policy, the military is reverting to pre-2010 standards, where beards were “generally not permitted.” On September 30, while addressing over 800 senior officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hegseth described beards as a “superficial personal expression,” adding, “We are not running a Nordic pagan army.” Hours later, the Pentagon issued a directive ordering all branches to phase out most beard exemptions — including religious ones — within 60 days. Only special forces will receive temporary exceptions to help them blend into local populations during missions.

In 2017, the U.S. Army had formally recognized permanent exemptions for Sikh soldiers to wear beards and turbans. Muslims, Orthodox Jews, and Norse pagans also had religious-based accommodations. Even the July 2025 update had preserved these rights. But the new directive reverses these progressive steps, drawing inspiration from the 1981 Supreme Court ruling Goldman v. Weinberger, which upheld strict uniformity standards.

The Sikh Coalition expressed “anger and deep concern,” calling the move a betrayal of years of progress toward inclusion. “Our uncut hair is our identity,” one Sikh soldier wrote on social media platform X, “This policy feels like a betrayal after years of fighting for inclusion.”

Sikhs have a long history of service in the U.S. military dating back to World War I. Bhagat Singh Thind became the first turbaned Sikh to serve in 1917. In later years, legal cases like those of Rabbi Menachem Stern (2011), Captain Simratpal Singh (2016), and Singh v. Berger (2022) reaffirmed religious rights in the armed forces. The Sikh Coalition argues that beards do not hinder military performance — Sikh soldiers have already passed gas mask fit tests successfully.