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Secretary of War pete hegseth Has continued his campaign against facial hair in the armed forces by refusing to meet bearded soldiers during his visit south korea This week, according to a report.
Hegseth joins the President donald trump on him Far East Tour and meeting his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday before visiting Camp Humphreys. south koreaThe largest US military base in the world.
However, while he is there, the Secretary has given clear instructions that he will not spend time with “shave exempt” soldiers, who are given a medical exemption from orders to remain clean shaven.
explained in detail by military magazine functions and objectivesAttendance expectations were outlined, citing an email sent by the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in South Korea ahead of Hegseth’s visit.
“As you know, it is common for senior leaders to meet with troops when they visit installations around the world,” an Air Force official said. functions and objectives, Confirming the authenticity of the email but refusing to address the anti-beard stipulation.
Independent The Pentagon has been contacted for comment.
As he sees it, Hegseth’s association with lax standards of personal appearance became a feature of his tenure leading the War Department, formerly the Department of Defense.
He raised the issue in a March memo to senior military leaders in which he called for a review of all fitness, body composition and grooming standards, “including but not limited to beards.”
The Secretary went further in August in another memorandum in which he called for a “clean army” and expressed his sentiments more fully. The address he gave to top officialsAssembled at Quantico, Virginia, September 30, after great expense and inconvenience.
But in his speech “Warrior Ethos,” Hegseth told his well-dressed audience: “Today, at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearances is over. No more beards. The era of massive and ridiculous shaving profiles is over.”
He added, “We don’t have an army full of Nordic pagans.” “No more beards, long hair, superficial personal expression. We’ll cut our hair, trim our beards and follow the standards. If you want a beard, you can join the special forces. If not, shave.”
This is all amazing because, As The Daily Beast has indicatedHegseth himself appeared fox news In August 2018, in his previous guise as a presenter, he sported a “holiday beard”, which was eventually cut off on air at the insistence of his co-hosts.
“I’m hoping to have a mustache,” Hegseth joked in the segment.