Hegseth says he's signing memo on combat arms standards for men and women
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo ordering the military to adopt the same standards for both men and women serving in combat roles on Sunday.
Hegseth highlighted the memo in a video filmed as he returned from a trip to Japan on Sunday, saying that the U.S. military's standards had flagged under the previous administration.
"For far too long, we allowed standards to slip, and different standards for men and women in combat arms MOS's and jobs. That's not acceptable," Hegseth said.
"We need to have the same standards – male or female – in our combat roles to ensure our men and women who are under our leaders and in those formations have the best possible leaders and the highest possible standards that are not based at all on your sex," he continued.
HEGSETH SAYS US TO BOOST TIES WITH PHILIPPINES AS DETERRENCE AGAINST CHINA: 'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH'
The new memo comes after Hegseth ordered a review of military fitness and grooming standards earlier this month. Hegseth has vowed to bring back tougher standards while reversing "woke" policies that don't align with restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence.
"Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear," he said in a Jan. 25 memo to service members. "The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose."
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While in Japan, Hegseth announced a plan to upgrade the U.S. military command in the country, which he described as indispensable in combating Chinese aggression.
HEGSETH SAYS US TO BOOST TIES WITH PHILIPPINES AS DETERRENCE AGAINST CHINA: 'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH'
"We share a warrior ethos that defines our forces," Hegseth told Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo, adding that Japan is "our indispensable partner" in "deterring communist Chinese military aggression," including across the Taiwan Strait.
Hegseth said Japan is a "cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific" and that the Trump administration would continue to work closely with the Asian country.
Last year, then-President Joe Biden's administration announced a major restructuring of the U.S. military command in Japan to deepen coordination with the country's forces, as the two allied countries called China their "greatest strategic challenge."
The change will place a combined operational commander in Japan, who would be a counterpart to the head of a joint operations command established last week by Japan's Self-Defense Forces.
Fox News' Louis Casiano and Landon Mion contributed to this report.