Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ended Biden-era practice of having lower physical fitness standards for women who are in combat units. The standards for combat have been returned to one standard, which all applicants must meet.
Pete Hegseth’s order says that standards must be “sex neutral.” Military leadership must implement these new standards by October, he said.
“The United States military’s strength is rooted in its unwavering commitment to high standards that foster discipline, unity, and purpose. It is these principles that have made our fighting force the most formidable in the world. 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,” Hegeth wrote in his order.
“Sex-Neutral Standards. 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,” his directive says. He added as a handwritten footnote that no existing standard would be lowered in the process.
During the past few years of the Biden Administration., women were failing the Army annual fitness tests, so the Army lowered the grading standard for them and for older service members. The Marines also had lowered their standards for women, and some argued that this puts all combat troops at risk, especially for those who are assigned to the same unit as women who cannot meet the physical demands of the job.
How this new order will be implemented throughout the services remains to be seen. Last week, the Army announced that sit-ups were no longer part of its testing regime.
Instead, the new Ranger requirements are as follows:
Wearing combat uniforms and boots, soldiers must complete the following in 14 minutes:
- An 800-meter run.
- 30 dead-stop push-ups.
- A 100-meter sprint.
- 16 lifts of 40-pound sandbags placed on a 68-inch-high platform.
- 50-meter “farmers’ carry” of two 40-pound water cans.
- A 25-meter high crawl
- A 25-meter three-to-five second rush.
- Another 800-meter run.
After that, the soldiers seeking to be Rangers must change into their running gear and run four miles in 32 minutes — 8-minute miles — followed by performing six chin-ups. An 8-minute mile for a woman puts her in an elite category. Fewer than 30% of female runners can keep that pace for four miles.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski offered no comment on the new military policy, although last week was quick to criticize Hegseth, whose confirmation she had quite vocally opposed.
The Hegseth order:
