04
Oct
Washington DC: The U.S. military is facing mounting criticism following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement of a new grooming policy that bans most service members from keeping beards, allowing exemptions only for select special forces.Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Hegseth declared, “If you want a beard, join special forces. If not, shave. We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans.” He condemned what he described as “rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles,” referring to medical and religious waivers that previously permitted facial hair for health or faith reasons.The newly introduced policy reverses years of progress on religious and…