Former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said he is “concerned” about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “attack on women” in the military on Sunday.
“I’m concerned about what I considered an attack on women, and the fact that there are people who say that women have been let into different combat fields and cannot meet the standards,” Chiarelli said on ABC’s This Week. “I just don’t believe that’s true.”
Chiarelli’s remarks come days after Hegseth, during a speech to over 800 generals and admirals, said that every combat role “returns to the highest male standard” of their respective branches.
“If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” Hegseth said Tuesday in Quantico, Va. “It will also mean that weak men won’t qualify — because we’re not playing games. This is combat. This is life or death.”
Each military branch has its own physical fitness test, with current iterations featuring different criteria based on gender.
For example, the Army fitness test — a five-event assessment that requires 350 points to pass — says men from ages 17-21 must deadlift 150 pounds to receive 60 points, 220 pounds to receive 75 points and 340 pounds to receive 100 points. For women ages 17-21, they must lift 120 pounds for 60 points, 140 pounds for 75 points and 220 pounds for 100 points.
But combat roles, including infantry, armor and pararescue, are subject to gender-neutral fitness standards. Starting in January 2016, all military roles were open to women.
“I know when the Army opened up the Ranger program, the standards did not change at all. Not at all,” Chiarelli added. “And the fact of the matter is on today’s battlefield, everybody’s in combat.”
Prior to his Senate confirmation, Hegseth told senators he supported women serving in all positions in the military. According to the Pentagon’s 2023 Demographics Report, there are over 225,000 active-duty women in the armed forces, accounting for nearly 18 percent of active service members.
Hegseth had previously expressed disapproval of women serving in combat roles. Last month, the Pentagon eliminated a decades-old advisory committee on women in the armed forces.
