Congress has decided to pass on ordering the Department of the Air Force to establish a pilot program examining whether airmen and Guardians should grow beards, one of the most highly requested policy changes within the ranks.
Lawmakers decided against including that measure in the annual must-pass defense authorization bill that was just unveiled, but they did agree to request a briefing by the Air Force secretary no later than April "on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a pilot program." The briefing to House and Senate committees was included in a report accompanying this year's National Defense Authorization Act.
The House had originally backed the beard pilot program, which was first floated earlier this year in the House Armed Services Committee's version of the bill. But ultimately, the Senate didn't get on board with the pilot program, and it was left out of the final version of the NDAA bill.
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The bill report itself does not carry the weight of law, but the Pentagon traditionally follows the requests within it. Congress' decision on the beard pilot program comes as active-duty airmen and Guardians are sporting beards now more than ever.
Military.com reported earlier this year that, between 2021 and 2023, the number of active-duty airmen with shaving waivers for pseudofolliculitis barbae, a painful medical condition that causes razor bumps and burn that disproportionately affects Black men, skyrocketed to nearly double -- rising from 10,965 to 18,991 waivers.
The Space Force's small number of shaving waivers also nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023 -- jumping from 151 to 288 waivers in a year.
Congress asked the Air Force secretary to brief them on "the compatibility of beards with military equipment that requires an airtight seal," as well as study "the effect of beard growth on discipline, morale and unity within the ranks," the bill report states.
The bill report also asks the secretary for "a determination whether allowing members to grow beards improves inclusivity, including for members with conditions like pseudofolliculitis barbae or who wish to grow beards for religious purposes."
It also asks for a briefing on "any negative perception or bias toward members with beards; and strategies to mitigate such negative perceptions or bias."
Military.com first reported on the internal discussions within the Air Force to allow beards back in 2022, when it was a discussion within the service's Black/African American Employment Strategy Team.
By the end of 2022, Military.com reported that the Air Force had made a major policy change allowing members of its honor guard -- the public-facing example of the service's dress standards -- to be a part of the demonstrations if they had beards allowed under a shaving waiver.
News of Congress passing on the beards received mixed reviews from service members and veterans on social media, with some expressing disappointment in the lack of progress on allowing beards.
"I have no hope for beards anymore," one commenter on the Air Force sub-Reddit wrote. "It will take at least another generation of leadership to retire before there's even a chance."
Related: Airmen, Space Force Guardians Could Grow Beards Under Pilot Program Proposed by House
