Bobbie Scholley, a retired Navy captain and advocate for women in military special operations, decided to watch Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s address on Tuesday to hundreds of military leaders to see whether he had anything new to say.
But after about 30 minutes into a livestream of the event, she snapped her laptop closed.
“I listened to it with my gut just clenching, and it just kept getting worse and worse and worse until finally I turned it off,” Captain Scholley said in an interview.
In the hodgepodge of messages, Mr. Hegseth told the crowd at a base in Virginia that physical fitness standards had slipped in recent years to make it possible for women to serve in combat roles. It is an idea he has often repeated, without evidence.
Women, he said, should be held to the “highest male standard.”
“If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” Mr. Hegseth told the crowd.
Mr. Hegseth often talks about fitness standards for women, though it is unclear which ones he is referring to. Three categories of military physical tests have been given to men and women for decades.
The secretary raised the issue suggesting that women were getting into combat not because they met high standards, but because they were given a pass. Men and women must meet different basic fitness standards for admission to the military, but for the most high-risk, high-demand positions, standards are gender-neutral.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post What Women Heard in Hegseth’s Remarks About Physical Standards appeared first on New York Times.
