{"id":2418089,"date":"2025-03-31T16:59:57","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T20:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pete-hegseth-announces-major-change-to-combat-readiness-standards-for-women-and-men\/"},"modified":"2025-03-31T17:02:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T21:02:34","slug":"pete-hegseth-announces-major-change-to-combat-readiness-standards-for-women-and-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pete-hegseth-announces-major-change-to-combat-readiness-standards-for-women-and-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Pete Hegseth Announces Major Change to Combat Readiness Standards for Women and Men"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpete-hegseth-announces-major-change-to-combat-readiness-standards-for-women-and-men%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2418089&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on social media that he will issue a memo to establish equal standards for men and women in combat roles across the military. Hegseth emphasized that current varying standards are unacceptable and stated that all service members in combat should be held to the same high standards,irrespective of sex. This initiative comes after dissatisfaction regarding the performance benchmarks used in the army&#8217;s combat fitness tests and in Army Ranger school, where female candidates reportedly had more chances to pass certain tests. Hegseth&#8217;s declaration follows criticism he faced during his confirmation for previously suggesting potential restrictions for women in combat roles, though he clarified his support for high operational standards. The Pentagon has not commented on the announcement yet.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will issue a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">memo setting equal standards<\/a> for men and women in combat roles across the armed services, he announced Monday on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a> X.<\/p>\n<p>The memo aims to implement the same set of standards for all service members involved in combat, regardless of sex, Hegseth <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecDef\/status\/1906677003400442284\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> on X. Hegseth said the services would review the guidance to ensure the &ldquo;highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;<span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-hegseth-hilarious-trump-impression-reveals-2-things-trump-told-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hegseth<\/a> said in his post. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had different standards for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-orders-return-to-sex-neutral-standards-in-the-military\/\" title=\"Hegseth Orders Return To &#039;Sex-Neutral ...&#039; In The ...\">men\/women serving<\/a> in combat arms MOS&rsquo;s [Military Occupational Specialties] and jobs &hellip; That&rsquo;s not acceptable, and it changes right now!&rdquo;<br \/> <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip. We&rsquo;ve had different standards for men\/women serving in combat arms MOS&rsquo;s and jobs&hellip;.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s not acceptable, and it changes right now! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Zn9OyBew6G\">pic.twitter.com\/Zn9OyBew6G<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecDef\/status\/1906677003400442284?\">March 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  Men and women currently have different standards for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hysterical-dem-senator-embarrasses-screaming-pete-hegseth-sending-moms-combat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">combat<\/a> roles, with the U.S. Army deciding to make different standards for men and women in the Army Combat Fitness Test in 2022 after the RAND Corporation found in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rand.org\/pubs\/research_reports\/RRA1825-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study<\/a> that women failed the test at much higher rates than their male counterparts; 65 percent of women were <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/15\/overwhelming-failure-rate-women-army-rethink-gender-neutral-fitness-standards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">failing<\/a> the ACFT (compared to 10 percent of men) at one point in 2021, which prompted the change in standards.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Additionally, female candidates in Army Ranger school were reportedly given more <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2019\/08\/28\/female-rangers-us-army-ranger-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">chances<\/a> to pass tests during the so-called &ldquo;RAP week,&rdquo; the first five days of ranger school, according to multiple Army Rangers&rsquo; testimonies.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth took flak from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/senate-crones-pecking-at-hegseth-ignore-devastating-study-on-women-in-combat-from-the-marine-corps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Senate Democrats<\/a> during his confirmation hearing for his past comments on potentially barring women from combat roles. However, he walked back the comments during the hearing, instead saying he supported standards that &ldquo;maximize efficacy&rdquo; instead of setting different standards based on sex.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Women will have access to ground <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dem-senator-infuriated-pete-hegseths-take-women-combat-roles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">combat<\/a> roles given the standards remain high,&rdquo; Hegseth said during the hearing. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have a review to make sure standards have not been eroded in any of these cases.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation&rsquo;s request for comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-weighs-in-on-deadly-subway-clash-after-desantis-calls-marine-a-good-samaritan\/\" title=\"Trump Weighs In on Deadly Subway Clash After DeSantis Calls Marine a &#039;Good Samaritan&#039;\">nonpartisan newswire service<\/a>, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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The memo is intended to ensure that all service members engaged in combat are held to the same standards, irrespective of gender. Hegseth emphasized that the armed services would review this guidance to maintain &#8220;the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.&#8221; He criticized the previous differing standards, stating, &#8220;For too long, we have allowed standards to slip&#8230; That\u2019s not acceptable, and it changes right now!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2418090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Military-standards.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[52574,40745,32547,52575,44930],"class_list":["post-2418089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-combat-readiness","tag-defense-policy","tag-gender-equality","tag-military-standards","tag-pete-hegseth"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Military-standards.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418089"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418093,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418089\/revisions\/2418093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}