The Pentagon has ordered the elimination of lower physical fitness standards for women in combat units, a decision that may impact the recruitment and retention of women in high-risk military roles.
The directive, issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, mandates that all physical fitness requirements for combat arms positions be “sex-neutral.” This change is expected to significantly decrease the number of women who can meet the new standards. Military leadership has been instructed to implement these changes by the end of October.
The U.S. military has been engaged in extensive discussions regarding the fairness of physical fitness assessments for women, particularly in relation to their placement in demanding combat roles and advancement in leadership positions.
In 2022, the Army modified its grading standards for women and older service members after years of deliberation over new annual fitness tests. A study by the RAND Corporation revealed that women and older troops were failing the new tests at much higher rates than their male and younger counterparts.
Other military branches have also maintained different fitness standards for men and women. For instance, the Marines require male recruits to complete three pull-ups or 34 push-ups in under two minutes, while female recruits must complete one pull-up or 15 push-ups in the same timeframe.
According to Hegseth, gender-specific standards will continue to apply to certain military jobs. He emphasized that women should not serve in combat units unless they can meet the same fitness standards as men.
Hegseth has previously expressed opposition to women serving in combat roles, asserting that “women cannot physically meet the same standards as men.” However, he later revised his position, stating that if women can meet the established standards, they should be allowed to serve.
The debate over fitness testing emerged after the military opened all combat jobs to women in 2015, removing some of the last gender barriers in the armed forces.
As women sought to advance into elite combat positions, such as the infantry officer corps and special forces, discussions arose regarding the appropriateness of different fitness standards. Elite roles like the Army Rangers and Navy SEALS have consistently required equal standards for both genders.
In a preliminary rollout of the Army’s new fitness test, 65 percent of a small sample of women failed, compared to 10 percent of men. An independent review by RAND showed similar findings, with nearly half of enlisted women failing the test, while less than 10 percent of men did.
Maj. Kristen Griest, the first woman Army infantry officer and one of the first two women to graduate from Army Ranger School, advocated for gender-neutral fitness testing standards in a 2021 opinion article. She argued that lower standards for women perpetuate the notion that they cannot perform the same jobs as men, hindering their ability to gain the trust and confidence of their teammates.