U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to review military standards on combat and physical fitness. The decision sheds light on differing rules among the various branches of service. It also raises the question of whether service differences, evolving social norms, and recruiting strategies should play a role in policy decisions.
Hegseth has openly opposed having women in combat jobs. A staunch proponent of making all standards the same, regardless of gender, he warns of reviews to address those issues.
In a March 12 memo, Hegseth said officials must gather data on military standards “pertaining to physical fitness, body composition, and grooming, which includes but is not limited to beards.”
“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,” he wrote.
Critics see the effort as an attack against women’s service on the front lines. Hegseth’s memo calls for a review of how standards have changed and the effects of those shifts since January 1, 2015. That’s when the Defense Department opened all combat jobs to women.
Some analysts say ending the current policy of scoring based on age and gender could hurt retention and recruitment.
Today’s fitness tests are a hodgepodge. Each branch of service has basic tests that service members must pass once or twice per year. Tests vary for each branch, and scoring is adjusted for gender and age. For example: A 20-year-old man must complete a run in a faster time than a woman or a 30-year-old man in order to receive the maximum score.
The Army overhauled its fitness test several years ago. Now it contains six events, including a dead lift, run, planks, push-ups, standing power throw, and a sprint/drag/carry combination. The events are meant to mimic real-world military settings. Officials scrapped an early plan to make the test gender and age neutral.
The Marine Corps has two tests per year. First, Marines take a physical fitness test that includes a three-mile run, pull-ups, and planks. In the second half of the year, they take a combat fitness test that includes an 880-meter run in combat boots, an ammunition can lift, and an exercise that mimics troops’ maneuvers under fire. That portion includes an obstacle course with a low crawl, high crawl, and sprint, as well as dragging a person and using the firefighter’s carry.
Specific military jobs are already gender and age neutral and feature higher-level physical tests, requirements, and courses. These often include mental and psychological tests. For example, an Army soldier who wants to be a Green Beret or a sailor who wants to be a SEAL must pass grueling, months-long qualifying courses.
Hegseth is focusing on physical fitness, but other military standards have changed too. Relaxed guidelines for hairstyles, tattoos, and even drug use are meant to help recruit more soldiers.
In 2022, the Navy began enlisting more recruits with very low test scores. The branch also took recruits who didn’t graduate from high school. The Navy argues that it needed those lower-scoring recruits to fill manual labor jobs.
Soon after, the U.S. Army launched a program to help recruits who failed physical and academic test standards bring up their scores. With that assistance, the Army met its recruiting goal of 55,000 in 2024.
