Marines, Navy mandate yearly gas mask training to ‘reinforce grooming compliance’

The Marine Corps and Navy will require personnel to undergo annual gas mask fit training beginning at the end of August, a move the services say is intended in part to “reinforce grooming compliance.” The Aug. 21 announcement links the Marine Corps’ “uniform grooming standards” directly to “operational readiness and compatibility with protective equipment.” In practical terms, the policy is intended to ensure Marines and sailors can establish a proper seal between their faces and gas masks, demonstrating that the fit is not compromised by facial hair. The new requirement comes about 18 months after the services tightened restrictions on shaving waivers for personnel with medical conditions following directives from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In March 2025, the Marine Corps, for instance, ordered troops diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae — commonly known as razor bumps — to undergo medical reevaluations. The policy also included language allowing the service to administratively separate Marines who required a medical shaving waiver for more than a year. Critics have argued that the policy disproportionately affects Black service members and other people of color because of the higher rate of pseudofolliculitis barbae among these populations. Kyle Bibby, a Marine veteran and co-CEO of the Black Veterans Project , said during a Congressional roundtable in July that the policy change could affect about two-thirds of Black service members. He explained that while the se…