Recently, Pete Hegseth summoned all the Generals and Admirals for a meeting, and made his disdain for overweight troops crystal clear.
Quantico, V.A. — During an assembly of all the US military’s most senior officers, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth chastised what he felt to be a lapse of good order and discipline in the ranks.
“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” Hegseth said. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon, and leading commands around the country and the world.”
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Hegseth continued by saying that the highest-ranking military members are not exempt from the rules. Reiterating that generals and admirals are required to do two physical fitness tests, per year, and remain within height and weight standards, every year of service.
Hegseth, who is known for frequently attending physical training (PT) with various units, mandated troops to do PT on “every duty day.” Calling it “common sense.”
“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops are out of shape, or in a combat unit with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men…” – Pete Hegseth
Hegseth also echoed his call for gender neutral standards and said “hot yoga” was not sufficient for PT. He also said that he believes many top leaders already set the standard, but that in must be universal across every rank and job in the US military.
Editor’s note: I agree with SecWar Hegseth that every troop needs to train hard and meet the standard. However, I would offer that height and weight standards are outdated. A thicc machine gunner that is proficient and deadlifts twice his body weight should not immediately be considered less fit to serve than a pencil thin admin clerk.
Furthermore, unit leaders are historically bad at planning unit PT. This is not their fault; they are not certified physical trainers. This has led to countless lifelong injuries, VA healthcare backlogs, and the deprival of motivated and skilled troops from our ranks. I humbly call for common sense, and not blind adherence to antiquated ideas.
