Pentagon reportedly sets weight, grooming rules for Hegseth’s address

The Pentagon is requiring troops to meet waist-to-height requirements and display “impeccable” grooming standards to attend Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “State of the Force” address later this month, according to a report. The Wall Street Journal, citing emails from the Pentagon to Army commanders, published the report Tuesday.

The emails said troops must have “impeccable grooming and uniform standards (no exception)” to attend the address, according to the Journal.

Selected attendees must be “consistently rated as top performers within their formations,” have a “clear record of integrity, discipline and selfless service,” “demonstrate strong presence, clear communication and sound judgment under pressure” and “serve as role models for their peers and subordinates,” the emails said.

The standards were sent to commanders throughout the military outlining who can be selected as audience members, and candidates can include lower-ranking officials and enlisted service members.

Those chosen to attend will also have the opportunity to work out with the defense secretary based on “demonstrated leadership quality and professional character,” according to the Journal.

The Pentagon’s email comes almost a year after new grooming standards were unveiled, requiring service members “to be clean shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.”

“The grooming standard set by the U.S. military is to be clean-shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance,” Hegseth said when the standards were announced.

Service members were able to obtain shaving waivers through military medical officials, with the commander serving as the final approving authority, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said at the time.

Hegseth has also enforced screening policies for male active-duty and reserve service members older than 30, checking testosterone levels with blood tests and offering testosterone replacement therapy as a treatment. Female service members are asked whether they have disrupted menstrual cycles that could be linked with hormonal dysregulation, according to the guidelines.

“This initiative, it’s not about artificial enhancement; it’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain and fight,” Hegseth said in a video announcement in July.