Episode 65: New Army Policy Leaves Many Surprised!

The military grooming standards debate has reached a critical turning point. A bombshell Military.com article reveals the Army's upcoming policy that could separate soldiers diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB)—a condition affecting up to 94% of Black men—if they require shaving exemptions for more than 12 months in a two-year period.

What makes this policy particularly contentious is the clear demographic impact. PFB occurs when tightly coiled hair curls back into the skin after shaving, causing painful bumps and potential scarring. While the Army plans to implement treatment plans, including possible laser removal (which can cause pigmentation changes), critics—including an anonymous senior NCO—claim the policy is "racially motivated" with "no tactical reason" behind it.

The timing raises eyebrows against recruitment statistics showing Black Americans representing 25% of Army recruits while white recruitment has plummeted 43% over five years. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a review of grooming standards across services, claiming standards have "fallen" in recent years despite a 2021 military study finding no conclusive evidence that well-groomed beards compromise gas mask function.

This isn't just about shaving—it's about the intersection of military standards, medical realities, and racial equity. As a leader with almost 18 years of service, I've seen standards evolve, but professional implementation remains crucial regardless of personal opinions. What's your take on this controversial policy? Does maintaining traditional grooming standards justify potentially losing qualified soldiers over a treatable skin condition? The conversation continues as we await the official guidance and its impact on the force.

Resources:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/06/27/new-army-shaving-policy-will-allow-soldiers-skin-condition-affects-mostly-black-men-be-kicked-out.html

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/03/14/marines-can-now-be-kicked-out-skin-condition-affects-mostly-black-men.html

https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/pseudofolliculitis-barbae-prevention-and-treatment

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hirsutism/symptoms-causes/syc-20354935

Chapters

• 0:00 New Army Shaving Policy Bombshell
• 0:36 Understanding Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB)
• 3:04 Breaking Down the Military.com Article
• 8:14 Marine Corps Similar Policy Comparison
• 17:47 Military Recruiting and Demographic Shifts
• 21:33 Historical Context and Gas Mask Argument
• 27:20 Leadership Standards and Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Militarycom just dropped a bombshell article titled New Army Shaving Policy Will Allow Soldiers With Skin Conditions that Affect Mostly Black Men To Be Kicked Out. Stay tuned, because we're going to talk about it. Welcome to the Roger Sarne Podcast, where we talk all things Army and I'm your host, sarnt Cruz, and today I'm breaking down the article about beards in the Army, and without further ado, let's get started. I want to preface this by explaining what is pseudofoleculitis barbae. Explaining what is pseudofolliculitis barbae and pseudofolliculitis barbae, or, as we're going to refer to this as PFB. It's also known as razor bumps.

Speaker 1: 0:56

This is a common and a chronic inflammatory skin condition which is typically caused by shaving. It's also predominantly in black men. So what does PFB look like? So they're kind of like if you have a picture in your head they're like small yet painful papules and pustules. So they grow in the area of the chin and they can progress to scarring and they can turn into keloids in certain individuals. Right? Who does this typically affect, is the question, and according to the uspharmacistcom, pfb can occur in any ethnic group. However, individuals with tightly coiled hair are more than likely predisposed to this skin condition, so, according to them, it's estimated that 45 to 94% of all African American men will experience PFB at some time during their life. Hispanic, asian and Middle Eastern men are also affected by this, or they can be. Some women also develop PFB, especially those with a hirsutim or hirsutism, or those who routinely shave their bikini area. For those who don't know what hirsutism is, it's just, it just means women who grow hair where men typically grow, and that's like the lips, the chin and the forehead area, which is what causes the, the the razor bumps, because they sometimes shave it.

Speaker 1: 2:58

So now that we got out that, we got that out the way, let's go ahead and get to the article. Ok, so, as you can see here my apologies, so if you're listening on the podcast, you can go over to youtube and you can watch the article as well. And um, yeah, so, as you see here, it's titled militarycom titles it new army shaving policy will allow soldiers with skin conditions that affect mostly black men to be kicked out, and this article was written on June 27th 2025 by Stephen Bannon. So if you see the picture here, what it has is it has four troops in a chair. It looks like a clinical area because there's some chucks there and they are laid back with their head facing upward, and they have what I can only imagine is a hot towel over their bearded area, and this was done. These are soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Sustainment Brigade. They use yep, they use hot towels to warm their faces during a shaving clinic which was given May 22nd 2017 at the brigade's organizational classroom. So 2017, quick maths would tell me about eight years ago. They've been doing this so 2017.

Speaker 1: 4:28

So, that being said, this has been in the works for a while, which is my point. So the army is preparing to roll out a new policy that could lead to soldiers diagnosed with chronic skin condition that caused painful razor bumps and scarring to be kicked out of service, an issue that disproportionately affects black men, and this is mainly what we're talking about. Right, the potential that it hasn't rolled out yet, but the guidance is coming out and they're giving us a heads up. Guidance is coming out and they're giving us a heads up, and the big issue is that part is the how it affects one particular race. Ok, so the next thing it says is the new guidance expected to take effect in the coming weeks would bar shape permanent shaving waivers and require medical personnel to craft a formal treatment plan for affected troops, according to multiple service officials and internal documents reviewed by the by military dot com. So they're going to ban it, but they're also going to come up with a treatment plan. I guess those who do pass the treatment plan have nothing to worry about.

Speaker 1: 5:53

The only thing that I would think that people can potentially hang their hats up on is it being still targeted, right, I don't know this is it's a thin line to say it's targeted and be in the military at the same time. What I would say is me personally, I do not care if you have a beard, if you don't. I do like it when it's normal, like if you have a. If your beard is three, four inches and you don't have a religious exemption, I sometimes I'm like come on, bro, what, what are we doing here? But if you just keep it just normal, as the profile says because if your profile says three inches, then three inches it is, I don't know. But what I'm saying is we we've seen it like. This is nothing like. What I'm saying is nothing new. We've seen troops that just have a long beard and this is. I think those are the targeted audience, which ultimately fall under the majority of predominantly black men. So let's continue.

Speaker 1: 7:08

So, soldiers in need of profile of oh yeah, soldiers in need of prolonged waivers may be directed to get laser treatment. Those who need shaving exemption for more than 12 months over a two-year period could be kicked out the army. So if you have, um, a shaving profile for more than 12 months over a two-year period, then that's when they're going to start and it says, uh, could be. It's not that they will, but because it hasn't come out, so you have 24 months. If you total up to 12 months, then here you go. Units across the force will also be mandated to rebrief personnel on grooming standards within the 90 days, within 90 days of the policy rollout. Obviously, right, we're going to do a whole bunch of of of briefs and, uh, the theaters are going to be full and we're going to it's so crazy. Um, but yeah, that's going to be put out. And then, obviously, they're going to come out with their policy and then units are going to OD on it and probably go extra hard on it even even more, because that's the focal point. So I would just say, for all of you who are on a profile just relax, wait till the policy comes out and we'll take it from there.

Speaker 1: 8:34

Next thing it says is, most shaving waivers are for soldiers diagnosed with PFB, a condition in which hairs curl into the skin after shaving, which causes irritation. The Pentagon may cover laser treatments, but that can cost thousands of dollars per soldier depending on the number of sessions required. It's unclear how many soldiers will require require this, this um procedure. So I guess the argument here could also be is would the army rather pay for these laser treatments and them to potentially not work, and then still have to escort the troop out the army? And then you know the. Here's the um, the, the taxpayer argument, which is oh, my tax dollars are going here this than a third. So it's again.

Speaker 1: 9:29

Let's continue, though. The american osteopathic college of dermatology estimates that up to 60 percent of black men are affected by this condition. Laser laser treatments can cause a skin scarring and changes in skin pigmentation. So so the the, so they're saying six out of 10 men, black men, will have this. And then on top of that is that the treatment could also cause the scarring or just change their, the color of their skin. Right Can make it darker, can make it lighter. So now this is your face and this this is your first presentation in the army in a picture that you take in dating with your family, with your kids, it doesn't matter Like your face, is your profile right and to potentially change that. It's scary, I'm not going to lie. Another thing about that is it says that the treatment can cause it. If we think of immunizations, if we think of what are these called Immunizations procedures that you may have, like ACL tears, back surgeries Many things have side effects. It doesn't mean that it will happen, but there is a potential, which is why when you go and you get a procedure done, you're going to sign the some paperwork before acknowledging the fact that these side effects can occur. That's a that's a real thing in life. Okay, let's continue. So in quotes it says of course, this is racially motivated.

Speaker 1: 11:14

One senior non-commissioned officer familiar with the plan told militarycom, on the condition of anonymity, to avoid retaliation Smart move, smart move. And then another quote there's no tactical reason. You can look professional with and hold on. There's no tactical reason. And then it has a semicolon you can look professional with facial hair. End quote sentence. Right there, there's no tactical reason.

Speaker 1: 11:51

That's a true statement, because we're gonna be, we're, we're hanging the hat on this gas mask. I can't. I've never used a gas mask in the army, probably four times total, and that's basic training and a couple gas chambers. I've never, we've never had to use it and we're avoiding nuclear attacks. So I mean, that to me, is out out the window. When you, when someone mentions gas masks, that just lets me know that they just don't like beards. That's it, because we're talking about a 0.0001 percent. That can happen, right, driving a car you would get into an accident driving a car before you put your gas mask in, probably a 20-year span of service in a real situation. That's just so. I think that, right, there is the thing.

Speaker 1: 12:35

Oh, and the second part is you can look professional with facial hair, and this is what I'm saying. Those individuals who keep their hair down to what it's supposed to be, yeah, more power to them. It's the, I think, where the bearing is. I don't know, I don't know what, what, uh, sec, def and POTUS, what their issue is, if it's the facial hair or if it's the outrageous facial hair, cause me personally don't care about facial hair, I care more about the ones that have it like really bushy for no reason, and then nowadays you can't ask for a profile unless the commander asks for it, and it's just a big deal, right? So I think there's a lot of hiding behind the hippa, which doesn't allow leaders to be leaders and in turn creates an issue, and then those who have their biases already, now they're really, it's amplified because it's like, see, I told you so, yes, you can look professional with facial hair. I believe that.

Speaker 1: 13:36

So the next thing is it says in March, the Marine Corps rolled out a similar program which allows troops to be separated if genetic skin condition persists, also raising concerns of racial discrimination persist, also raising concerns of racial discrimination. Now, if we go to that um article, it says marines with skin conditions affected mostly black, affecting mostly black men, could now be booted under the new policy, and this was written march 14, 2025. And if we go down to, I would say here, we go right here. Fourth paragraph, it says, and I quote in cases where a medical condition prevents a Marine from meeting required standards for an extended period exceeding one year, administrative separation may be considered if it affects long term service capability. So the verb if ours, mirrors that, there's verbiage there. If it interferes long-term capability, interpret that. That is a command discretion at that point. If that's, if that's what the policy says, that verbiage right there does not say immediately you're going to be. Just because you have facial hair and you can't fix it, then you're done. Okay, so and that's the end quote. Major jacob getty, a spokesperson for the core manpower and reserve affairs, said in an email statement friday, when asked why marines are no longer exempt from the separate, exempt from separation due to pfb okay, so we go back. So that's the thing about that. We're gonna. If we mirror that there's, there's some leeway in there. It's not mandated.

Speaker 1: 15:27

But I do have a question, those of you with shaving profiles has your provider ever tried to teach you how to shave? Because, yes, we have the temporary profile and then the easy button is just oh, here's a permanent profile and then that's it. You don't have to come see the provider anymore, the provider no longer has to see you. But the question is, have they tried? Have they tried to teach you how to shave? Because I remember I was in Alaska and between 2014 and 2017, and her name was Lieutenant Colonel Brodin she was a physician's assistant. No, she was a nurse practitioner and she would give you a profile. But you would come back and she would teach you, like that was her mission to teach every soldier how to shave their face, not just to shave, to shave their face. And I thought that that was good, because that's the purpose of a profile, right, the profile is to give you time to rehabilitate. It's an exemption to the rule. Now, a permanent profile it just means that you have an exemption to the rule and there are certain things you will never be able to do, and shaving is one of them. But when you get a, a permanent profile, typically for your knee, your ankle, your back, for anything else, it's because you've been through extensive well, this is how it's supposed to be. You've been through extensive rehabilitation tries or the trauma is so hard that there's no way that that joint will ever function the same way. So that's why I asked this question have these doctors tried to rehabilitate your face, for lack of better terms, all right, so, um, yeah, I uh, let's, let's keep going.

Speaker 1: 17:44

So the army has been in a prolonged recruit slump since the high water mark of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Something it started to turn around last year, right, something it's started to turn. I don't know why. I said something. So, while black Americans make up 14% of the US population, they have accounted for roughly one quarter of the Army's new recruits in recent years, and that number is steadily rising. However, their services have made deliberate efforts to reduce recruiting efforts linked to minority groups amid defense secretary pete hex's purge of diversity initiatives during the trump administration, and we saw that through when they stopped recruiting at some I can't some STEM university that was really big and it was I think it was a form of HBC, and they just stopped that pipeline. So I do. I do remember that happening. So in 2018, more than 44,000 new recruits identified as white. According to the Army data, by 2023, that number had fallen just over 25, a staggering 43% drop in five years. The steep annual decline came most recently, with a 6% dip from 2022 to 2023 alone. No other demographic group has seen such a precipitous fall. Most of the recent recruiting slumps was attributed to men being less qualified or willing to don the uniform, while women have been joining the ranks at a steady rate.

Speaker 1: 19:27

That's what I'm talking about. Get it, bring them in. That's what I'm talking. You. What is this? You go girl. Yeah, that's. You know what I mean. So what we're doing so.

Speaker 1: 19:36

They're either not qualified because they're we've, we. They're either not qualified because they're we've, we've, come in with the future soldiers program and all that which is they, uh they if they're, if they're too big, or or they can't, if they can't meet height and weight, or they can't pass a pt to acft, aft now. Then they have a 90-day program and then for those who can't pass the asvAB, they have the same thing. So that's been a supplemental pipeline. But just Joe coming off the street, it's they're not qualified because it's a different time. I guess I don't.

Speaker 1: 20:09

I don't know what the issue is, either medical or they just can't cut it. And some of them just say I ain't about that life, it is what it is, I ain't trying to go do all this extra stuff, right? So, moving on, medical complications tied to mandatory shaving emerged as a flashpoint during the military bumpy road towards racial integration In the early 1970s. Then Chief of Naval Operation Admiral L Zumwalt launched an aggressive campaign to root out racism and sexism across the ranks. As a part of the broader push, zumwalt issued a now-famous directive permitting soldiers to grow beards and mustaches, a move that clashed with the Navy's traditional rigid grooming codes but aim to ease chronic skin issues that disproportionately affected black service members. I can see that. I can see that Right. So you allow them to have their mustaches and beards. I guess, yeah, mustache and beards. And now it's an equal playing field because again, we're going back to the hair coiling is predominantly African-American men. That's it.

Speaker 1: 21:28

The primary argument allowing beards in the ranks has lost, centered on concerns that they would compromise the seal of the gas mask. I can't, I can't with that. Oh, it makes me aggressive to hear that. But in 2021, studies from military medicine, a peer reviewed medical journal, found there's no conclusive evidence that a well-groomed, modest beard interferes with mass function. A well-groomed, modest beard, okay. Modest beard, okay. And I mean there's I don't know whatever man. I can't, I can't with that gas mask argument. To me, it's just a easy way, it's an easy button, right, like when you were younger and your mom or your dad you ask them, hey, could I go get this or could I go out? And they'd be like, no, and be like, but why? Because I said so. So that's it right there. That's what it feels like to me all the time when someone says the gas mask. So the publication also noted that a small fraction of service members operate in environments where chemical attacks are a realistic threat.

Speaker 1: 22:34

In Alaska, units are granted wide latitude when it comes to grooming standards, with commanders often waiving shaving requirements. During the frigid winter months, troops are frequently instructed to skip their morning shave or forego it entirely while operating in the field, not out of convenience but out of safety precautions. To stream cold can make shaving a medical hazard, with exposed skin at risk of frostbite and other cold weather injuries. And this is a hundred percent true. I was stationed in Alaska from 14 to 17. And that's where I met Lieutenant Colonel Brodin at the time. And man, you can't shave outside. There's no way. I mean even even here, like when you, when you go to the field, you see everyone growing their mustaches and they let the hair out, whatever it is, because it's just an unwritten rule. It's more relaxed, it is what it is. You're out there, you're shaving. It's not a big deal In Garrison, that's a. We say in Spanish eso son otro 20 pesos, that's another $20, right, but yes, 100%. They forego it. We don't have to worry about it. I can attest to that.

Speaker 1: 23:49

Moving on the Army move to clamp down on shaving waivers follows Hegseth, who has protested, shaving waivers, ordering a sweep of review of grooming standards across the service, and he did, and I remember this, I did a TikTok about it and I did a video about this as well. He has claimed that standards have fallen in recent years and damaged the military. I agree and I don't. You know, I'm not against what they're doing. I'm not against it because that's the rule, right, there's exceptions to the rule. I'm just against the fact, or not against the fact? I disagree with the fact that it because it affects a certain demographic.

Speaker 1: 24:37

If that were not the case, I think this would go over, just like anything else. Oh man, we got to shade, blah, blah, blah. But the fact that it it's majority, this, that's that's where the hiccup is. But, yes, standards have gone down. I'm telling you, standards have gone down and and it's our fault as our fault as leaders, that the standards have gone down at the same time, or strategic level are tying our hands. They keep coming up with these regulations, these rules that don't allow us to do our job. I think that's the issue. That's what I think the issue is the new directives that have been coming out throughout the years. I'm not talking about this administration I been coming out throughout the years. I'm not talking about this administration I'm talking about throughout the years have pigeonholed, true, or leaders from doing their job.

Speaker 1: 25:29

I'm not saying you got a skull drag, joe, but there used to be a time that joe would think twice before they say something crazy, because you knew you'd probably be doing low crawls around a baseball field. And I say that because in my first duty station, one of my buddies he was late to formation. It was like his third time by now and it was like all right, cool, I remember it was. He was staff sergeant at the time. He got promoted to Sergeant First Class when we deployed, but Staff Sergeant Buchanan, he's a Sergeant Major now. He made PFC Buchanan, go get a gas mask, go get a water jug and he had to push the water jug. And then he had to low crawl, push the water jug to low crawl, push the water jug, low crawl. And I remember this vividly because it was my first time playing ultimate frisbee. I had never heard of this until I got into the army and I was like what the heck is ultimate frisbee? And then he shows up and then I'm like what the heck is he doing so, yeah, I mean those times, those the of doing that.

Speaker 1: 26:39

I'm not saying we have to do that, whatever it is, and some, some units still do it, but what I'm saying is we, the fear, or the fear has has, kind of like um, has been gone, right. So if the soldier doesn't just upright respect you, it's a wrap, you're done Right, because before you had fear and respect, now you just have to have respect, no fear, and I think this is my personal opinion. I think there has to be some type of fear in there, because if not, there are regulations on their side. This is my thought process. What do you think? All right?

Speaker 1: 27:13

Last thing, we kicked out good soldiers for having naked women tattoos on their arms, and that's true. Oh man, I remember this vividly. He passed away now, but one of my good buddies, johnson, he had a on his thigh no, not his thigh on his calf. He had a woman on like one of those pinups and she didn't have. She had her breast out and he had to go get it covered, like put a bikini on her, because that was a thing. It was that or get out. So that statement right there. That's true. And this was 2000, between 2008 and 2011. My first first duty station, 2011,. My first duty station, hexess said in a March statement, criticizing what he characterized as bad policy decisions by past administrations, and I got to agree with him.

Speaker 1: 28:11

And today we are relaxing the standards on shaving dreadlocks, man buns and straight up obesity, piece by piece. The standard has to go because of equity and that's a end quote from him I it's, it's, it's, it's wild, it's wild. And and that's I mean straight up obesity I don't know about. I don't think I've seen a man bun. What I've seen is like the long hair, that kind of like that. It's just right there at the eyebrow. I've seen that. I saw one soldier that he posted himself on um on tiktok with dreadlocks. Shaving has always been a thing in the army. I've almost 18 years and shaving has been a thing. So I don't know that doesn't it doesn't bother me unless it's bushy, like out of their specific parameters for shaving, right.

Speaker 1: 29:13

But yeah, I think we as leaders need to make sure that we don't overreact to this. Keep our calm. So when, joe, when we deliver the information to Joe or when Joe is talking about it, we can make sure that we ease them into understanding what's going on, even if we don't agree with it. As leaders, we have to keep it professional. That's it. And in order to keep it professional, we have to take and be a little bit emotionally intelligent, and when we deliver the message or we're clearing up a message or a notion that Joe has, we have to say it fair and impartial, just like we do punishment and rewards. We also have to obey these policies, memos and regulations the same way, and that's how we deliver information. It's very difficult, I know it, trust me, especially when you are the one feeling targeted Same time. We're leaders and we have to be professionals.

Speaker 1: 30:20

Now I want to hear your thoughts on this. Keep it clean, though. Don't don't don't be wild and don't be ODing in the comments. Do you think the upcoming memo is a good or a bad thing? Drop your thoughts in the comments and if you found this discussion insightful, check out my other videos, which I'll post them somewhere around here, and remember you don't have to embrace the suck if you got the right tools in your rug. I'm Sarn Cruz and I'll see you in the next one. Peace.