{"id":31335,"date":"2024-05-22T19:31:09","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T19:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/05\/22\/airmen-guardians-could-skip-shaving-under-congressional-plan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:26:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:26:33","slug":"airmen-guardians-could-skip-shaving-under-congressional-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2024\/05\/22\/airmen-guardians-could-skip-shaving-under-congressional-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Airmen, guardians could skip shaving under congressional plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Congress wants to know if airmen and guardians will still be able to defend the skies with facial hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An amendment included in the House Armed Services Committee\u2019s draft of the annual defense authorization bill<\/a> would mandate the creation of a new pilot program allowing some Air Force and Space Force members to grow beards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea has been discussed by service officials in the past<\/a>, but not acted upon in recent years. Navy officials recently completed a study <\/a>on whether beards would interfere with service members\u2019 gas mask seals, but has yet to publicly release those results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language unanimously adopted for the authorization bill on Wednesday would require the Air Force to conduct the pilot to test similar job-related complications of facial hair, and also to gauge \u201cthe effect of beard growth on discipline, morale and unity within the ranks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot program \u2014 proposed by Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas \u2014 would also look at \u201cwhether allowing members to grow beards improves inclusivity, including for members with conditions like pseudofolliculitis barbae or those who wish to grow beards for religious purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t