Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Pentagon to review the military's standards on body composition, grooming, and physical fitness that were loosened under former President Joe Biden. 

"High standards are what made the United States military the greatest fighting force on the planet," Hegseth wrote Wednesday in a memo to senior Pentagon leaders, field activity directors, and leaders of the combatant commands, reported The New York Post.

"The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose," he added. "We are made stronger and more disciplined with high, uncompromising, and clear standards."

The Biden administration loosened body fat percentage requirements for recruits as well as grooming and hairstyle rules for military service members. 

The review is to be conducted by the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness on the existing standards concerning "physical fitness, body composition, and grooming, which includes but is not limited to beards," as well as how those standards have been changing dating back to 2015, Hegseth said. 

"The review will also provide insight on why those standards changed and the impact of those changes," he said."We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world's most lethal and effective fighting force. Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging." 

Each branch in the military sets standards on physical fitness and body composition, as well as instructions on haircuts and facial hair. 

Beards are typically banned from members of the armed services except in cases of religious accommodations or medical exemptions. 

During the Biden administration, the Army relaxed grooming standards to allow women to wear earrings and have their hair highlighted and dyed while allowing men to wear nail polish. 

The Air Force, meanwhile, under Biden, allowed male recruits to have up to 26% body fat, up from 20%, and women to have 36% body fat, up from the previous maximum of 28%. 

Hegseth, during a town hall last month for Pentagon employees, said that the DOD is renewing its focus on "basic stuff" like grooming and fitness. 

"I'm not saying if you violate grooming standards, you're a criminal," he said. "The analogy is incomplete. But if you violate the small stuff and you allow it to happen, it creates a culture where the big stuff, you're not held accountable for."

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