--- title: "Marine Corps and Navy update gas mask training to meet shaving rules" description: "The Marine Corps and Navy are mandating mask training as part of the Pentagon's effort to enforce new grooming rules across the military." date: "2026-08-25" modified: "2026-08-25" authors: - name: "Patty Nieberg" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/patty-nieberg/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/mask-training-grooming/" categories: - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" --- # Marine Corps and Navy update gas mask training to meet shaving rules ![U.S. Marine Corps Rct. John Romano, a recruit with India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, clears his gas mask of gas agents in the gas chamber during chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense training on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., July 17, 2026. Recruits are exposed to gas agents in order to familiarize themselves with the use of their gas masks and its capabilities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Dylan Smith)]() *Marines and sailors will now have to take annual Chemical, Biological Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) mask fit and seal training. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Dylan Smith.* All sailors and Marines will soon have to take a new yearly gas "mask fit" test after the two services amended their gas mask rules to meet the Pentagon's recent overhaul of grooming standards. The new annual Chemical, Biological Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) mask test requirements were recently published in official [Marine Corps]() and [Navy]() administrative notices, or ADMINs. The Marine Corps policy incorporates new pass-fail training compliance statuses while the Navy rules speed up the timeline for sailors to comply with the mask fit training and certification tests. Both the Navy and Marine Corps orders note that the tests are an annual requirement under the Pentagon’s new shaving rules. In 2025, the Department of Defense released [directives]() mandating that troops maintain a “clean-shaven face,” which included a [crackdown on long-standing religious and medical exemptions for beards](). Since the adoption of Pentagon-wide policies, the Navy and Marine Corps have issued more specific guidelines like [limits on shaving waivers]() and [counseling sessions]() for sailors with those waivers. The Marine Corps specifically ordered troops diagnosed with severe razor bumps — medically known as pseudofolliculitis barbae — to get reevaluated. Those whose conditions preclude shaving can be kicked out of the Marine Corps. Medical experts say pseudofolliculitis barbae disproportionately affects [Black and Asian men](). The Marine Corps and Navy notices emphasize that the new training policies are designed to “reinforce grooming compliance" and to promote “safe” use of protective equipment like gas masks in the event of a potential [chemical attack](). ## Gas masks and beards: longtime frenemies Though troops have long been granted waivers for facial hair for both religious and medical reasons, a number of research studies have found that “[facial hair can seriously degrade the performance of close-fitting masks]()," though those results often vary by factors like [hair length, density, and coarseness](). According to the Marine Corps notice, proper use of a mask “requires an unobstructed seal between the facepiece and skin.” It also requires that personnel be “clean shaven at the respirator seal surface” for the test, regardless of waivers they may have. The notice states that “at a minimum,” Marines must complete a “negative pressure seal check,” which means the mask can “maintain an airtight seal during inhalation.” Training and Education Command officials will also have units track training completion with three new categories. Marines will get “trained” or “failed” status for the test or “untrained” if they haven’t done it yet. Sailors will have to check "mask seals with a negative pressure check," and do equipment maintenance and inspections. Since 2019, Marines have had to do [“don and clear” training]() each year and complete [gas chamber exercises]() every two years, Maj. Hector Infante, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Training and Education Command, told Task & Purpose. Under the new requirements, active duty Marines have until Sept. 30 to complete the test or have a plan to do so, while reserve units have until the end of the year. The Navy order establishes timelines for units to complete the new training requirement, splitting it up into two groups. Operational units, which include deployable squadrons and commissioned vessels, have to complete gas mask training by Aug. 31. Commanders of land-based and shore duty units have to “set an aggressive execution timeline,” and milestones for incorporating new training into their programs by the end of 2026. ## Author Patty is a senior reporter for Task & Purpose. She's reported on the military for six years, embedding with the National Guard during a hurricane and covering Guantanamo Bay legal proceedings for an alleged al Qaeda commander. Her previous bylines can be found at the *Associated Press*, *Bloomberg Government*, *Washington Post*, *The New York Times*, and *ABC*. You can reach Patty by email at [Patty.Nieberg@taskandpurpose.com](). ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()