Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out major changes to military standards during an unusual meeting of top military leaders on Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The quickly organized gathering brought together hundreds of generals and admirals from around the world on short notice, making it one of the strangest Pentagon events in recent memory.
President Donald Trump also showed up at the meeting, where both leaders gave highly political speeches that were different from normal Pentagon talks. The event happened just hours before a possible government shutdown and drew criticism for the high travel and hotel costs needed to bring senior military officers and their staff to one location.
According to Politico, Hegseth announced new rules that will use the “highest male standards” for physical fitness across all combat jobs, which he called “gender neutral.” But he admitted what this would mean for women in the military. “If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” Hegseth told the gathered generals. “That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”
New fitness and grooming rules target military culture
The Defense Secretary attacked what he called “fat generals and admirals” walking the halls of the Pentagon and said that all service members, no matter their rank, would need to pass two physical fitness tests every year and meet height and weight rules. He also said grooming standards would be strictly enforced, saying “No more beardos” and that “the era of unacceptable appearance is over.”
Hegseth compared himself to World War II-era Secretary of War Henry Stimson and welcomed people to what he now calls the War Department instead of the Department of Defense. He attacked previous Biden administration diversity programs as actions of the “Woke Department” and said the military’s mission should focus only on fighting and winning wars using overwhelming force. This fits with his earlier choice to shut down a nearly century-old committee meant to expand the role of women in the military, which had been around since 1951.
The Defense Secretary also hinted that more leadership changes were coming, saying “More leadership changes will be made. Of that, I’m certain.” This warning comes after he already fired about two dozen senior officers, including Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
Trump repeated Hegseth’s themes during his own speech, defending his controversial use of military forces for domestic law enforcement. He told the commanders that troops would help “quell civil disturbances” and deal with what he called the “enemy from within” in American cities. The president said he would commit $1 trillion for the military in 2026 and made clear that his administration would fire any officials seen as unfit to serve.