A new order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to majorly reduce the number of US women in combat positions, per the New York Times. In an order dated Sunday, Hegseth mandated that the physical fitness requirements for all combat positions be "sex-neutral" by the end of October in a move "likely to hinder the recruitment and retention of women in particularly dangerous military jobs," the outlet reports. The order essentially wipes out the lower physical fitness standards for women approved by the Army in 2022. However, the AP reports many combat jobs already have gender-neutral fitness standards, making the order something of a formality.
The military generally has different fitness requirements based on age and gender. But those with roles in special operations, infantry, armor, and pararescue must meet the same gender-neutral standards, per the AP. In a statement, Hegseth said gender-specific standards will remain for some military jobs. But he said women should not be allowed in combat units if they don't meet the same fitness standards as men. "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," Hegseth said, per Fox News.
Hegseth—who has expressed opposition to women in combat, at one point claiming "women cannot physically meet the same standards as men"—said the new standards would ensure "the best possible leaders and the highest possible standards that are not based at all on your sex." While some argue physiological differences between men and women demand different standards to ensure fairness, Maj. Kristen Griest, the first woman Army infantry officer, has argued lower female fitness standards "not only jeopardized mission readiness in combat units but also reinforced the false notion that women are categorically incapable of performing the same job as men." (More Pete Hegseth stories.)
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