Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised that the United States would soon have the highest and equal combat standards for men and women in the military.
“For far too long, we allowed standards to slip and different standards for men and women in combat arms, [military occupational specialties], and jobs,” Hegseth said in a video posted Monday to X while highlighting a new memorandum on combat arms standards.
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“That’s not acceptable,” he continued. “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.”
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….
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 31, 2025
That’s not acceptable, and it changes right now! pic.twitter.com/Zn9OyBew6G
Hegseth made the announcement following a visit to Japan, but the secretary had pushed for equal standards for men and women in combat arms long before he was confirmed.
Prior to his confirmation, critics of Hegseth and many on the Left attacked the then-nominee for his push to see the highest standards in the military and alleged that his calling for equal standards for men and women in combat was “misogynist.”
“Hegseth’s belief is proven in the data, which the military should be focused on,” Washington Examiner Restoring America guest columnist Tom Stewart wrote at the time of the criticism. “He cites a 2015 Marine Corps study on women fighting alongside men. When there is a single standard of capability and women can meet the same standard as men, they should be regarded as equally successful.”
That 2015 study found that when a Marine Corps task force composed of 300 men and 100 women had to compete with an all-male task force of 400 male Marines in 134 battlefield tasks, the all-male force “dramatically outperformed” the gender-integrated unit.
Earlier this month, Hegseth ordered a review of all existing standards set by the branches of the U.S. military relating to fitness, body compositions, and grooming.
“We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force,” Hegseth said in a March 12 release.
“Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging,” he continued. “This review will illuminate how the Department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past and the trajectory of any change in those standards.”
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Hegseth signed the memorandum Sunday, according to the video published on X.
“The services will review,” he said, “and soon, we will have nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.”