Pentagon demands only fittest and most ‘impeccably’ groomed troops attend Hegseth speech: report

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The Pentagon has reportedly sent out an email seeking troops to appear alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a major speech later this month – but only if they meet strict fitness and grooming standards.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the message was fired out to Army commanders Tuesday asking them to nominate troops who meet the approved “physical standards” with a view to their appearing alongside the secretary at his “State of the Force” address on September 30.

The email states that the soldiers – who will be invited to participate in a workout with Hegseth – would be expected to pass the Army’s preferred waist-to-height ratio and fitness tests and have “impeccable grooming and uniform standards (no exception),” according to the Journal.

They will ultimately be chosen based on “demonstrated leadership quality and professional character,” the email reportedly explained.

It added that preferred candidates will 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.”

A Pentagon official declined to comment but chief spokesman Sean Parnell previously told The Independent: “Secretary Hegseth maintains the highest expectations for our service members to uphold the professional standards of appearance, fitness, and discipline that define our warfighting force, and he continues to emphasize consistent enforcement of hair, weight, and grooming standards across all ranks.”

Discussing the email on The Daily Show, host Josh Johnson joked: “I have never heard anyone say the phrase ‘waste-to-height ratio’ before. This man cannot count the number of missiles you need to fight a war with Iran but when it comes to male physique he’s in A Beautiful Mind?”

Hegseth’s fixation with personal appearance standards has become a feature of his tenure leading the Department of Defense.

He raised the issue in a March 2025 memo to senior military leaders in which he called for a review of all fitness, body composition, and grooming standards, “which includes but is not limited to beards.”

The secretary went further in another memo the following August in which he called for a “clean-shaven military” before giving full vent to his feelings when he summoned the top U.S. generals and admirals to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia a year ago to lecture them on his vision of the “warrior ethos” and denounce “woke” politics in the military.

“Today, at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearance is over,” he told his highly-decorated audience. “No more beardos. The age of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.

“We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans. No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression. We’re going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards. If you want a beard, you can join special forces. If not, then shave.”

He subsequently declined to meet with U.S. soldiers stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea when he visited last October if they had been granted “shaver waivers,” handing them a medical exemption from shaving.

That same month, he had overweight members of the Texas National Guard sent home from Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago after they appeared in a viral photo.

More recently, he reportedly lashed out at the Navy after encountering sailors with beards during a shipboard inspection in June and was accused of “body shaming” a Canadian cadet instructor by posting her picture on X with a derisory comment as trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada came to a head.

Earlier this week, outgoing Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed a resolution to impeach Hegseth, forcing the House of Representatives to hold a vote on the matter within two days.

Massie accused the secretary of violating his oath of office, abusing his powers and high crimes and misdemeanors, citing military operations in Iran, Caribbean boat strikes and disputes over free speech.