Hegseth Ends Sex-Based Fitness Standards In Push For Military Readiness

Returning from a trip focused on America’s presence in the Indo-Pacific, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a policy shift that reverses years of gender-based standards in the military. He made the announcement aboard his flight back to Washington.

The change mandates that all troops in combat arms positions will now face a single, equal set of standards — regardless of whether they are male or female. Hegseth signed a memorandum ordering the policy shift and requiring each military branch to review and revise its current standards.

“For far too long,” Hegseth said, “we’ve allowed standards to slip.” He noted that separate benchmarks for men and women in combat jobs had weakened readiness and would no longer be allowed.

The new directive comes at a time when the U.S. is working to reinforce deterrence in key global regions, including Asia. Hegseth’s meetings in Japan centered around strengthening alliances and addressing regional threats, which he said demanded a more capable and disciplined force.

He stated that holding everyone to the same high standard was the only way to ensure strong leadership and effectiveness in combat. The policy is expected to affect physical testing, qualification measures and leadership selection.

The Defense Department will now require the branches to submit plans to enforce this policy and eliminate all differences in expectations based on sex. The shift is seen as a clear break from previous Pentagon policies that allowed gender-normed standards.

Hegseth signed the memorandum while returning from his overseas tour and stated that the services will be held accountable for enforcing the updated requirements.

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