Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a sweeping, military-wide review of physical fitness and grooming standards with the apparent aim of making the military a stricter and less accommodating environment for troops.

The review will include standards for physical fitness, body composition and grooming, including beards, which are currently not allowed in the military, apart from some religious exemptions, according to a memo from Hegseth dated Wednesday. It will probe "why those standards changed and the impact of those changes," according to the memo.