OAN Staff James Meyers
2:08 PM – Monday, March 31, 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo on Monday ordering men and women to meet the same physical fitness requirements if they want to work in combat positions, while saying the Pentagon had “allowed standards to slip.”
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“Different standards for men and women in combat arms, MOS and jobs, that’s not acceptable,” Hegseth said in a video posted to X, using the abbreviation for “military occupational specialty,” or job type.
“We have to have the same standard — male or female — in our combat roles to ensure our men and women who are under our leaders, or in those formations, have the best possible leaders and the highest possible standards that are not based at all on your sex.”
The memo, released by the Pentagon on Monday, stated “As the nature of warfare evolves and the demands on our Service members grow more complex, it is imperative that we assess and refine the physical fitness standards that enable our readiness and lethality.”
“I am directing the Secretaries of the Military Departments to develop comprehensive plans to distinguish combat arms occupations from non-combat arms occupations,” Hegseth wrote in the document. “This effort will ensure that our standards are clear, mission-focused, and reflective of the unique physical demands placed on our Service members in various roles.”
“Additionally, for certain combat arms roles, it is essential to identify which positions require heightened entry-level and sustained physical fitness. These roles, which are critical to our military’s mission success, demand exceptional physical capabilities, and the standards for them must reflect that rigor,” the memo continues.
“All entry-level and sustained physical fitness requirements within combat arms positions must be sex-neutral, based solely on the operational demands of the occupation and the readiness needed to confront any adversary. In establishing those standards, the Secretaries of the Military Departments may not establish standards that would result in any existing Service member being held to a lower standard,” it also said.
The newest memo comes after Hegseth ordered a review of military fitness and grooming standards earlier this month. The Secretary of Defense has vowed to bring back tougher standards while rescinding ”woke” policies that don’t align with warrior ethos, rebuilding a stronger military and reestablishing deterrence.
“Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear,” he said in a January 25th memo to service members. “The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.”
During his trip to Japan, Hegseth announced a plan to upgrade the U.S. military command in the country, which he described as necessary to combat China aggression.
“We share a warrior ethos that defines our forces,” Hegseth told Japanese Defense Minister General Nakatani in Tokyo, adding that Japan is “our indispensable partner” in “deterring communist Chinese military aggression,” including across the Taiwan Strait.
Hegseth said Japan is a “cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific” and that the Trump administration would continue to work closely with the Asian nation.
The latest change also includes placing a combined operational commander in Japan, who would be a counterpart to the head of a joint operations command that was established last week by Japan’s Self-defense forces.
The latest change also includes placing a combined operational commander in Japan, who would be a counterpart to the head of a joint operations command that was established last week by Japan’s Self-Defense forces.
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