The U.S. Department of Defence has introduced a major policy change, enforcing uniform physical fitness standards for all combat roles, regardless of gender.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the directive on Sunday, stressing the need to restore high military standards.
In a video posted on X upon his return from Japan, Hegseth stated that fitness benchmarks had declined in recent years, attributing this to past policies.
In the video, Hegseth said, "For far too long, we allowed standards to slip, and different standards for men and women in combat arms MOS's and jobs. That's not acceptable."
"We need to have the same standards – male or female – in our combat roles to ensure our men and women who are under our leaders and in those formations have the best possible leaders and the highest possible standards that are not based at all on your sex," he added.
The Pentagon insists no standards will be lowered, ensuring combat readiness and operational effectiveness. All service members must now meet the same high benchmarks, with no adjustments based on sex.
In another post on X, Hegseth reaffirmed that gender-based fitness standards had persisted in the U.S. military, even after combat roles were opened to women under Obama. Now, the Pentagon is ensuring that all service members, regardless of gender, meet the same high standard.
He said, "Different physical standards for men and women in the U.S. military have existed for a long time. BUT, there were also combat roles that were male-only. Then, under Obama, all combat roles were opened to men AND women. BUT, different physical fitness standards for men and women remained.
"Today at @DeptofDefense — we fix this. All combat roles are open to men and women BUT they must all meet the same, high standard. No standards will be lowered AND all combat roles will only have sex-neutral standards. Common sense."
An AFP report stated that a memo released on Monday directed military departments to differentiate combat arms roles from non-combat roles. "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 memo, dated March 30.
The memo emphasised that "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." It also reaffirmed that no existing standards would be lowered.
Adjusting physical fitness requirements could impact both the recruitment of new personnel and the retention of current service members in the armed forces.
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