Earlier today, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addressed military brass at Quantico. In his speech, Hegseth made it very clear he was taking the military in a different direction after years of Democratic Party policies turned our once-great fighting force into a woke joke.
This administration has done a great deal from day one to remove the social justice, politically correct, and toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department, to rip out the politics,” Hegseth said during his speech.
He continued, “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction, or gender delusions, no more debris, said before, and we'll say again, we are done with that sh*t."
One of the things Hegseth emphasized was standards, applauding a return to "gender neutral" standards of the highest order.
"Each service will ensure that every requirement for every combat MOS, for every combat arms position, returns to the highest male standard only," Hegseth said during his remarks.
Pete Hegseth demands troops meet ‘male-level’ physical standards, rails against ‘woke garbage’ and ‘fat troops’ in military https://t.co/CBSezFNO1i pic.twitter.com/4Br8a4OmWv
— New York Post (@nypost) September 30, 2025
Hegseth's reasoning behind such standards is sound. He argues that we cannot have a military that's prepared for war if we don't have high standards. He reminded military officials that "upholding and demanding high standards is not toxic" before blasting "toxic leadership" that endangers "subordinates with low standards" and forces the promotion of "people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of based on merit."
The cohesion of any military unit is only as strong as its weakest link. Are there women who will be able to meet those male standards? Absolutely. But the reality is many will not.
And here's where Democrats have a big problem. For years, Democrats have told us it's no big deal to let men and boys compete against women and girls in sporting competitions. They argue, with straight faces, that there are no biological differences between men and women and the very real physiological differences known to humankind for millennia are really just bigoted "social constructs."
What will they do now that Hegseth is holding our troops to the highest standard, and one that will apply neutrally to all genders? Complain. That's what.
Pete Hegseth has made clear that, if he had his way, the US military would have no blacks in leadership positions and no women at all.
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) September 30, 2025
Hegseth said no such thing, of course. He said women who meet the standards are welcome members of the military. Where Harwood -- a perpetual, shameless liar -- got the park about Blacks in leadership positions is beyond comprehension.
Hegseth may not like that he's meant to lead female soldiers, but he is, and they're listening to him denigrate them in front of their peers, leaders, and the nation. This is disgraceful. https://t.co/mv8ZWmnJ3V
— Jennifer Erin Valent 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@JenniferEValent) September 30, 2025
Hegseth is meant to lead all troops, and that means keeping all of them safe and prepared for war. Women who cannot meet basic physical standards -- making them a liability to their unit -- undermine his ability to lead. By weeding out the women (and men) who are unqualified, Hegseth is being exactly the kind of leader the military needs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — decrying “fat generals and admirals” — outlined new rules for the “highest male standard” for fitness in combat roles.
— POLITICO (@politico) September 30, 2025
“If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” he told hundreds of military leaders.https://t.co/8BX0ti8GVW
The sudden concern for biological reality is as breathtaking as it is cynical. Democrats have spent years fighting for the "right" of men and boys to compete against females in sports. Pointing out these biological differences was enough to get one labeled "bigoted" and "transphobic."
But Democrats are left with no other choice than to feign concern for women's physiological differences in this moment.
Two weeks ago, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) asked FBI Director Kash Patel about physical standards he'd implemented at his agency. "One question I had is that you are now requiring applicants to be able to do a certain kind of pull-ups, which a lot of women cannot because of physiological differences. Are you requiring these kinds of pull-ups?"
Patel's answer was, essentially, yes. He said being an FBI agent is a physically demanding job that requires such physical fitness standards.
Hirono seemed indignant that such requirements could thwart women seeking to join the FBI. But Hirono was not indignant back in 2022 when she blocked legislation that would block "trans" athletes from competing against women. Hirono said Republicans were "hurl[ing] insulting lies about transgender girls dominating sports" and called any ban on "trans" athletes "deeply harmful." Of course, that was before the UN -- hardly a bastion of Right-wingers -- admitted that, yeah, men stole almost 1,000 medals from women in sporting competitions as of last October.
Meanwhile, Hegseth's approach to military standards is what Democrats themselves wanted at one time: standards that were gender neutral because women and men are exactly the same.
Unless Democrats want to admit now that they were wrong.