There had been an exemption granted that allowed the wearing of a turban and beard while in uniform, but in July 1999 new regulations were passed which retroactively denied this religious right to everyone who joined the military after 1986. Colonels Sekhon and Singh were not affected by this regulation, but others, such as Dr. Trilok Singh Puniani, have been denied participation in the armed forces because of their refusal to forsake their religious beliefs.

The current Army regulations pertinent to Khalsa Sikhs can be found here and here. Regulations for other branches are very similar. The relevant portions read (italics our own):

(2) Soldiers may wear religious headgear while in uniform if the headgear meets the following criteria.

(a) It must be subdued in color (black, brown, green, dark or navy blue, or a combination of these colors).
(b) It must be of a style and size that can be completely covered by standard military headgear, and it cannot interfere with the proper wear or functioning of protective clothing or equipment.
(c) The headgear cannot bear any writing, symbols, or pictures.
(d) Personnel will not wear religious headgear in place of military headgear when military headgear is required (outdoors, or indoors when required for duties or ceremonies).

(3) Personal grooming. Hair and grooming practices are governed by paragraph 1-8 of this regulation, and exceptions or accommodations based on religious practices will not be granted. As an exception, policy exceptions based on 2 AR 670-1 - 3 February 2005 religious practice given to soldiers in accordance with AR 600-20 on or prior to 1 January 1986 remain in effect as long as the soldier remains otherwise qualified for retention.

and...

(g) The Army does not accommodate exceptions to personal grooming standards for religious reasons except as noted below:

1. Grooming practices based in religious reasons will not be singled out for special accommodation, restriction, or prohibition. The grooming standards contained in AR 670-1 will apply equally to religious and non-religious grooming practices.
2. As an exception to this policy, religious-based exceptions to policy previously given Soldiers under the provisions of this regulation prior to 1 January 1986 continue in effect as long as the affected Soldiers remain otherwise qualified for retention. However, Soldiers previously granted authority to wear unshorn hair, unshorn beard, or permanent religious jewelry will not be assigned permanent change of station or temporary duty out of CONUS due to health and safety considerations.

There are some recent rumors of successful attempts by Khalsa Sikhs to obtain commissions. These successes are most common in the medical and dental corps, which are reputedly far more lax about allowing the turban and beard. There are no reported successful attempts by Khalsa Sikhs to join as enlisted personnel.

Despite this, and the above listed regulations, we strongly urge all interested Sikhs to speak with a recruiter about joining the military, whether as enlisted or officer. The more interest Sikhs express in joining and the more they are willing to challenge the religious discrimination of the military, the more likely they are to force the military to change its regulations.