Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledges sweeping reforms to height, weight, and PT standards, promising gender-neutral criteria tied to combat readiness.
QUANTICO, Va. | In a striking departure from traditional Pentagon rhetoric, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered an uncompromising address to senior U.S. military leaders Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico, lambasting what he called “fat troops” and “woke” policies that have weakened readiness.
Hegseth announced a sweeping overhaul of fitness, grooming, and combat standards, pledging to restore requirements to the highest levels. He vowed to issue 10 new department directives, the first mandating that all combat Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) return to male-standard benchmarks — standards he said reflect “life-or-death” conditions in combat.
“It all starts with physical fitness and appearance,” Hegseth declared. “Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations and see fat troops. If the Secretary of War can do hard PT every day, so can every member of the joint force.”
Fitness Standards to be Enforced Twice Yearly
Under the new policy, every service member must meet height and weight standards twice annually, pass a physical fitness test every six months, and conduct daily PT during duty hours. The Pentagon is also implementing a combat field test for combat arms units, designed to replicate real-world operational stress in any environment, with full combat gear.
