Donald Trump’s administration has already been bringing various changes to the military that have proven to be difficult for the transgender population and now women are their next target. In a new memo, Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, has ordered that the fitness standards for all combat jobs should be gender neutral, meaning male and female standards of measuring fitness should be the same.
His memo said, “As the nature of warfare evolves and the demands on our service members grow more complex, it is imperative that we assess and refine the physical fitness standards that enable our readiness and lethality.” It further mentioned that the physical fitness that is required for combat arms position should be “based solely on the operational demands of the occupation and the readiness needed to confront any adversary.”
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
Posting on X, Pete broke the news of the new standards, posting, “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!”
This generated a lot of negative responses from women all over social media. One user named Maria Cardona wrote, “Your appointment and confirmation is the lowest the standards have slipped in the history of our republic!” Another user, Heather Thomas said, “Dude, you are the Slipped Standards poster child.” Casey Lohrenz added, “Wait until folks find out there are different standards for age, too. Are we eliminating all age standards?”
However, Pete’s update received some positive responses too. Virginia Kruta, a third-generation army veteran, posted, “I predicted it would lead to unequal (and lowered) standards — which would undermine readiness and lethality. Finally we have a [Defense Secretary] who gets that and will right the ship.”
Pete’s orders are derived from the memo that he had put out on March 12, 2025, which said that information must be gathered on military standards, “pertaining to physical fitness, body composition, and grooming, which includes but is not limited to beards.”
It is important to note here that Pete’s stance on this topic has remained the same since his days as a Fox News commentator. Back then also, he believed that women should not be part of combat jobs and that their inclusion brings the standards lower. His opinions were direct in both his book and various interviews before he filed for nomination on November 12, 2025.
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However, when he was questioned in this regard by the Congress, his stance became even more rigid as he said in a podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan on November 7, 2025, “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.”
As Pete’s order has given service leaders a deadline of 60 days to bring forth the proposed changes and 30 days to provide an interim report, it now remains to be seen how women’s positions are changed in the military.
