Peters Leads Colleagues in Raising Concern Over New Defense Department Facial Hair Policy

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) led his colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth raising concern over the Department of Defense’s (DOD) new facial hair grooming standards. In September, Secretary Hegseth issued a memo which reverts Defense Department policy back to a standard where waivers for facial hair were rarely authorized. In the letter, Peters and his colleagues urged Secretary Hegseth to pause the implementation of these new standards to accommodate certain Sikh, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Rastafarians, and other servicemembers that express their religious beliefs through physical appearances such as facial hair. The senators also requested further clarification on how DOD will determine exemptions to accommodate servicemembers’ specific religious traditions.

“By our reading, the memorandum calls on each branch of the Armed Forces to ‘revert back to pre-2010 standards’ where facial hair waivers were ‘generally not authorized.’ Revering to pre-2010 standards ensure servicemembers were only granted religious accommodations under extraordinary circumstances,” Peters and his colleagues wrote. “Given the deep and profound importance of religious accommodation to certain Sikh, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Rastafarians, and other servicemembers currently serving our nation, we urge you to pause the memo’s 60-day implementation timeline to gather more information and issue further clarifications.”

The senators continued, “We wholeheartedly agree that a servicemember’s religious beliefs must be sincerely held to warrant a religious accommodation. However, we cannot afford to disregard the current contributions of Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Rastafarians, and other members of our military. Disregarding their efforts through an overbroad and unclarified policy will deprive us of current and future talent. This will happen either by forcing out servicemembers with accommodations earned through carefully following their branch’s established processes or signaling to members of these religious communities that their contributions are not needed in the world’s greatest fighting force. At a time when readiness and retention remain urgent concerns, such a move would be ill-advised.”

Peters was joined by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The letter is also supported by The Sikh Coalition.

“In militaries throughout history and around the world, Sikhs have shown that they can serve honorably and capably with their articles of faith. Since the U.S. military began granting accommodations to Sikhs who maintain beards and turbans in 2010, more and more individuals from our community have been able to choose a career of military service to their nation. We are deeply appreciative of Senator Peters and his colleagues for raising these important questions about the September memo, and we are hopeful that any further clarification from the Department will reinforce the fact that Sikh servicemembers' religious rights in the U.S. military are fully protected and respected,” said Harman Singh, Executive Director of The Sikh Coalition.

Peters, a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been committed to supporting our nation’s servicemembers and veterans. Peters volunteered for the U.S. Navy Reserve at age 34, where he earned a Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist designation and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After the September 11th terrorist attacks on our country, he volunteered again for drilling status and served overseas as part of his Reserve duty. He later earned a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College.

A copy of the letter is available here.

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