Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is making it unmistakably clear: combat readiness comes first, and no one—regardless of gender—gets a free pass.
In a bold and long-anticipated move, Hegseth has ordered a 60-day review of all combat arms standards across the U.S. military, directing the services to eliminate gender-based distinctions in physical requirements for combat roles. His directive comes as a direct challenge to the legacy of previous administrations that prioritized so-called inclusion at the expense of performance.
“For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip,” Hegseth wrote in a memo shared publicly on Monday. “We’ve had different standards for men and women in combat arms MOSs and jobs…. That’s not acceptable, and it changes right now.”
The order leaves little room for ambiguity. Not only are military branches expected to redraw combat-role standards based solely on battlefield demands, but they’re also required to ensure no currently serving individual remains shielded by outdated, lower benchmarks. In other words, this isn’t just for new recruits—it applies across the board.
The memo outlines three primary occupational categories requiring what Hegseth calls “heightened” physical capabilities: ground combat units, special operations forces, and extreme-environment specialists. These roles demand physical excellence: carrying heavy loads under duress, enduring extended exertion in hostile terrain, and operating with peak performance under pressure. In the special operations arena, the standards climb higher: swimming, climbing, parachuting, and maintaining readiness in unforgiving environments are non-negotiable.
For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip. We’ve had different standards for men/women serving in combat arms MOS’s and jobs….
That’s not acceptable, and it changes right now! pic.twitter.com/Zn9OyBew6G
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 31, 2025
Hegseth’s approach departs sharply from the trend set during the Obama era, when combat roles were first opened to women and physical standards were quietly softened in response to failure rates. According to a 2022 RAND Corporation study, 65% of women failed the Army Combat Fitness Test, a figure that led to the Army reintroducing gender-normed scoring. At elite training programs like Ranger School, reports surfaced that female candidates were allowed to retest during the notoriously grueling RAP week—a privilege not extended to male counterparts.
Those practices will now come under scrutiny.
“All entry-level and sustained physical fitness requirements within combat arms positions must be sex-neutral,” Hegseth’s memo declares. “The standard must be the job—not the gender.”
The services now face a tight deadline. They have 60 days to submit their updated standards, with a full implementation mandate set for six months. That timeline signals urgency—and a recognition that the long-standing drift in military culture toward political accommodation has undermined trust, cohesion, and operational integrity.
Critics have long warned that a military built on social experiments is a military at risk. Hegseth’s memo echoes what many inside the ranks have said privately for years: you can’t fight and win wars with watered-down expectations. Combat is unforgiving. It doesn’t care about equity initiatives or gender identity. It demands excellence, grit, and physical superiority.
If Hegseth follows through—and if the Pentagon resists the inevitable political pressure to cave—this could mark a restoration of seriousness in American military doctrine. The military’s job is to defend the nation, not reflect the ideological trends of the moment. Hegseth, it appears, intends to make sure it remembers that.
