Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the military’s senior leaders on Tuesday, revisiting a contentious topic that nearly jeopardized his confirmation earlier this year and contributed to his prominence as a Fox News commentator—the eligibility of women for combat roles.

At an impromptu assembly in Virginia filled with military commanders, Hegseth announced new guidelines aimed at ensuring that combat position requirements adhere strictly to the highest male standards.

He remarked that “if this results in no women qualifying for certain combat positions, then so be it,” but emphasized that the military remains open to female recruits.

“I am not comfortable with the idea of my son serving alongside soldiers who aren’t in peak physical condition, or in combat units with women who fail to meet the rigorous physical standards expected of men,” he asserted. “This isn’t just any job—the stakes are life and death. Standards must be upheld.”

These statements revived earlier criticisms of the defense secretary following President Donald Trump’s decision to nominate him, highlighting ongoing concerns about his stance on women in leadership and frontline roles. His overhaul of top military ranks has notably affected several women, including an admiral and vice admiral in the Navy and the head of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Several notable women veterans who have served in combat refuted Hegseth’s comments, pointing out that women in combat roles already operate under the same rigorous standards as their male counterparts. These standards apply uniformly to jobs in fields such as infantry, armor, pararescue, and special operations, regardless of age or gender.

Female veterans call out Hegseth

Elisa Cardnell, president of the Service Women’s Action Network, said the standards have not been lowered for women serving in combat roles. She said the requirements for serving in the infantry, for example, are the same for men and women, whether it’s carrying a certain amount of equipment or marching a certain distance.

Capt. Lory Manning, who served for more than 25 years in the Navy and at times commanded units of over 400 people, said skepticism about women’s capabilities is nothing new. During her time in the Navy, the military expanded opportunities for women to serve in air, sea and some ground combat.

“Women have had to prove they were capable before positions became officially open,” said Manning, whose responsibilities at one point also included oversight and evaluation of the Navy’s physical fitness standards.

Manning said “there would have been some sort of uproar” if women consistently failed to perform or compromised military standards throughout that time. She said the secretary seemed to conflate physical requirements with requirements for specific military roles.

“He hasn’t changed anything basic with regards to women,” she said of Hegseth. “He’s just got it in his head that women are somehow cheating.”

Amy McGrath, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who was the first woman to fly an F-18 fighter jet in combat and lost a Democratic challenge to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2020, said Hegseth continues to lie about women in the military.

“He claimed the military needs to ‘return to the male standard’ in combat jobs (of 1990!), but here’s the truth: there has never been a separate male and female standard,” she posted on X. “When women entered combat roles, one standard was set, and we’ve been meeting it ever since.”

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor who served as a Navy helicopter pilot, said Tuesday that what she had heard about the speech “comports with everything I’ve seen from the most incompetent secretary of defense we’ve ever had.”

She questioned the decision to call generals and admirals from around the world for what she said amounts to a meeting “just to kind of show his tough guy creds.”

Many Republican women show support

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican and Iraq War combat veteran who grilled Hegseth during his nomination hearing in January before providing a crucial confirmation vote, said his comments Tuesday were “appropriate.”

“I’m not worried about that,” she said. “So there should be the same set of standards for combat arms. I think that’s what he probably was referring to, combat arms.”

Ernst noted, however, that women who go through Ranger School or into the infantry are already subjected to the same standards as men.

Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, said she likes Hegseth’s approach, specifically his promises to get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the military.

“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are right: the U.S. military isn’t a playground for Left-Wing gender bending ideology. Our military is a fighting force that must return to mission-first readiness,” the Republican told AP in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Sheri Biggs of South Carolina, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, said she also supported Hegseth’s efforts to change military culture.

Hegseth focused much of his address on eliminating what he has called “woke” policies from the military, saying too many leaders have been promoted based on race, gender quotas and “historic firsts” rather than qualifications. Any leader who disagrees with his approach should resign, he said.

“Returning to standards that prioritize excellence and accountability puts America’s security and our servicemembers where they belong — first,” Biggs said in a statement.

___ Associated Press writers Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, Meg Kinnard in Houston, and Joey Cappelletti, Stephen Groves and Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.