Defense Secretary Tightens Fitness, Grooming Standards for U.S. Troops
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a series of changes aimed at enhancing the physical fitness and grooming standards of U.S. service members. Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Hegseth criticized 'fat troops' and 'woke' policies, pledging to implement stricter, gender-neutral standards.
Hegseth's plans include requiring all members of the joint force to meet height and weight standards and pass a physical training (PT) test twice a year. He has ordered an immediate review of physical standards altered since 2015 to ensure they are high and gender neutral. The first of ten department directives will return combat Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) requirements to the highest male standard.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on the Pentagon to clarify these changes and maintain the religious rights of service members. Hegseth's pledge to improve grooming standards has raised concerns about potential impacts on religious freedoms. The Service Women's Action Network has pushed back against policies implying diversity and inclusion distract from the core mission of lethality.
Hegseth's orders aim to create higher physical fitness and grooming standards with gender-neutral, age-normed criteria matching current male fitness standards. He stated, 'If the Secretary of War can do regular, hard PT, so can every member of our joint force.' However, the implications of these changes on religious freedoms and diversity remain a topic of debate.
