Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently ruffled feathers by calling an all-hands-on-deck, in-person meeting of high-level military leadership at Quantico in Virginia. Within hours of the announcement, leaks claiming that the move sowed "confusion" and caused "alarm" began to appear. 

For context, here's how The Washington Post reported the decision, citing anonymous sources. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of the U.S. military’s generals and admirals to gather on short notice — and without a stated reason — at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week, sowing confusion and alarm after the Trump administration’s firing of numerous senior leaders this year.

Hegseth did not disappoint when he finally took the podium to deliver his remarks. Far from coddling the general class, he laid into a lack of discipline and an unhealthy obsession with diversity initiatives that have left the military less capable and less prepared to fight a major war. In one instance, he specifically called out "fat generals," no doubt a reference to those like Mark Milley, the now-retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. 

COVERAGE: Hegseth Sets Priorities and a New Direction for the Department of War 

HEGSETH: If the Secretary of War can do regular, hard PT, so can every member of our joint force. Frankly, it's time to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It's a bad look. It is bad, and it's not who we are. 

So whether you're an Airborne Ranger or a chairborn ranger, a brand new private or a four-star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass the PT test, and as the chairman said, yes, there is no PT test. But today, at my direction, every member of the joint force at every rank is required to take a PT test twice a year, as well as meet height and weight requirements twice a year, every year of service. 

To most people, including the lion's share of the rank-and-file within the military, this won't be controversial. Physical fitness has always been a crucial component in maintaining the readiness of the armed forces. That is, until the Biden administration, where DEI initiatives and forcing diversity became more important than basic standards. 

Of course, "most people" doesn't include the national press and Democratic Party politicians, who are already wailing at the mere suggestion that America's generals and admirals should not look like they have a rewards card at the Golden Corral. 

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here, which I guess is par for the course anytime a clip from "The View" is involved, but to be sure, this isn't just a Joy Behar and Sonny Hostin narrative. Google Hegseth's speech, and you'll see a variety of similar criticisms. But shouldn't we want a "retro vision for our armed forces?" Because it's that retro version of the military that won multiple world wars under some of the toughest conditions imaginable. And while I'm not a doomer about the modern military, and I still believe it's the finest fighting force in the world, it is certainly not healthy to abandon what got us to that point in the name of useless left-wing mantras. 

Physical fitness is not discriminatory. Everyone of every race who managed to be healthy enough to enter the military is capable of working out and keeping their weight under control while in the military, and as Hegseth said, this isn't just about the ability to pick up a rifle. Appearances matter as well. You do not want your enemies making decisions based on the perception that the United States armed forces are staffed by anything other than the best, brightest, and strongest possible. 

Not everyone is going to be able to pass Seal training. That's not what Hegseth is promoting, but everyone can pass a basic PT test twice a year. To the extent the secretary is obsessed with fitness, it's a healthy obsession. This isn't the local Social Security office. It's a fighting force that is tasked with protecting the most powerful country on Earth. It's long past time that duty is taken seriously again, especially by those at the upper echelons of leadership who have often been at the center of reducing standards and pushing left-wing ideology. 

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