In a rare meeting of the most senior military leadership in the United States military, Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that they must “prepare for war,” while also calling for a return to a “warrior ethos” that would require combatants to meet the “highest male standard” in physical fitness tests. He acknowledged that it would likely exclude some women from serving.
“Standards must be uniform, gender neutral, and high,” Hegseth told the gathering at the summit on Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico, the sprawling 55,000-acre facility in Virginia.
Hundreds of military leaders, including more than 800 generals and admirals, as well as the highest-ranking enlisted personnel from around the world, were in attendance. It was described as a rare gathering of the military’s senior personnel in a single location in decades, with attendees seated by branch of service.
Fitness, Front and Center
Hegseth had not publicly provided details about why the cadre of military leaders was summoned at short notice, which prompted speculation about what the secretary and President Donald Trump, who were also in attendance, would say. However, the bulk of Hegseth’s hour-long remarks remained focused on the culture within the United States military, including its training and leadership. He vowed to address and fix “decades of decay,” which included countering DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs. He suggested officers had been unnerved by “climate change distractions,” “woke garbage,” and even fears of being labeled “toxic” leaders.”
“Our war fighters are entitled to be led by the best and most capable leaders,” he added. “For too long, we have simply not done that.”
Hegseth introduced a 10-point plan that called for overhauling the culture within the Department of War. Among those points was the need for strict military standards, as the Secretary said it was “completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon leading commands around the country, in the world, it’s a bad look.”
The branches of the U.S. military have already begun to introduce new fitness standards, and Hegseth has vowed to lead by example.
“It all starts with physical fitness and appearance,” Hegseth told those in attendance. “If the Secretary of War can do regular, hard PT [physical training], so can every member of our joint force.”
He added, “Today at my direction, every member of the joint force, at every rank, is required … [to] meet height and weight requirements twice a year every year.”
Combat roles would also require that every service member score about 70% of the “male standard” of the respective branch’s physical fitness test.
