Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new memorandum on Sunday establishing equal combat standards for both men and women in the US military. The full memo, issued by the Pentagon the following day,
“For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip,” Hegseth said in an X post. “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!”
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
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Hegseth emphasized the need to maintain high standards without differentiating based on sex, aiming to ensure the best leadership and efficacy in combat roles. This move follows his previous review of military standards to eliminate “woke” policies and restore the warrior ethos.
“It’s Sunday, but of course, we’re still working,” he said in an accompanying video. “I want to show you one thing. It’s a new memorandum that’s coming out today on combat arms standards. You see, for far too long, we allowed standards to slip and different standards for men and women in combat arms MOSs and jobs. That’s not acceptable.”
“We need 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 if you’re a man or a woman,” he added.
Hegseth, who had initially expressed reservations about women in combat roles, adjusted his stance during his Senate confirmation, advocating for uniform standards that enhance military effectiveness. “Women will have access to ground combat roles given the standards remain high,” Hegseth said at the time. “We’ll have a review to make sure standards have not been eroded in any of these cases.”
The policy change comes after studies showed discrepancies in performance between gender-integrated and all-male units, and varying success rates in fitness tests. According to a study conducted by the RAND Corporation in 2021, 65% of women were failing the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), falling far short of their male counterparts. As a result, standards were lowered for female servicemembers in 2022.
This initiative aligns with Hegseth’s broader strategy to bolster U.S. military capabilities, especially in light of geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
As Hegseth wrote in the memo:
I am directing the Secretaries of the Military Departments to develop comprehensive plans to distinguish combat arms occupations from non-combat arms occupations. 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.
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.
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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