The Army updated its facial hair grooming policy for soldiers, maintaining the long-standing requirement that soldiers be clean-shaven while in uniform or civilian clothing while on duty.

However, the new policy, signed Monday by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, affects the health exemptions given in recent years.

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Acting Army Deputy Chief of Public Affairs Steve Warren said on Tuesday that around 40,000 soldiers are exempt from the shaving requirements for medical or religious reasons, which is roughly double the total from five years ago.

Warren said the policy change is “about uniformity, discipline, and standards.”

The new policy allows permanent exemptions for religious reasons but only temporary exemptions for those with medical conditions. Soldiers seeking a nonreligious exemption will need a temporary medical profile and an exception-to-policy memo from a lieutenant colonel in the chain of command.

“Soldiers who cannot comply with grooming standards within a reasonable time may be administratively separated,” the Army said in the announcement. However, it did not specify what the service considers a “reasonable” timeframe.

“One of the things that we’ve determined is that we need to train our soldiers better on how to take care of their shaving needs,” Warren added. “For whatever reason, they’re struggling with proper shaving techniques.”

Army soldiers were allowed to seek a waiver to grow a beard if they suffered from pseudofolliculitis barbae, a condition that primarily affects black men and causes irritation when hair curls back into and underneath the skin.

Regarding the condition, the Army “determined … a lot of that just has to do with your shaving technique,” Warren said, adding that the policy change “is not focused on any specific group” and the “standard applies equally to all soldiers.”

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Warren said “a vast majority of minority soldiers, African American soldiers, are within the standards all the time,” and those who had religious exemptions to avoid the shaving requirements will have those exemptions “reviewed” within the next 90 days.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a service-wide review of existing standards for physical fitness, body composition, and grooming.