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FIRST ON FOX—Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appeared on “The Katie Miller Podcast” in a new interview where the war chief spoke about the increased physical standards he’s put in place for the military and it’s “too bad” if members can’t meet them, even if they’re women.
In late September, Hegseth announced that all combat personnel would be required to meet the highest male standard in order to maintain their positions, adding that the department must “restore a ruthless, dispassionate and commonsense application of standards.”
When asked by Katie Miller, wife of senior Trump White House aide Stephen Miller, whether “readiness includes the fact that only men should be serving in combat roles,” the secretary of war expanded on his views regarding the military’s combat readiness.
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“My stance has been that standards need to be universally high — and I mean at the male standard high. And if that excludes females, then so be it,” he responded. “That’s not the intent, but it could be the effect. And that’s OK.”
Hegseth clarified that the department is not “seeking to push anyone out,” but rather adhering to the “Department of War golden rule” that he set forth during a speech to senior military figures at Quantico in September. The secretary of war later mandated that all U.S. troops watch the speech.
“I talked about the Department of War golden rule. And I’ve asked commanders to remember it in every decision that they make. Do onto your formation, that which you would do onto your sons’,” he recalled. “So if your son or your daughter was in that platoon, and they were about to deploy, what would you want? Would you want diversity for diversity’s sake? Would you want gender equality for gender equality — no!”
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“You want the absolute best and most capable no matter what — to the highest possible standard,” Hegseth added.
Following up her husband’s thoughts, Jennifer Hegseth noted that female troops have approached the secretary of war thanking him for heightening the military’s physical standards.
“What people don’t get to see are all the women serving who come up to him when he’s visiting troops all over the country that say, ‘Thank you, thank you for doing that.’ Because if you meet that standard it should mean something, and it dilutes the whole thing,” she told Miller. “And so they are grateful.”
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Miller then asked the secretary of war what these heightened physical standards mean for male troops who are “woefully out of shape” and still serving.
“Then they should fail, and they should fall out,” he replied, before noting that the department is “giving everyone time” to get back into shape.
“All of these standards will apply on a three-to-six month horizon in each service, so going to have a chance to play the kind of catch-up they might need to meet the standard,” Hegseth continued. “And then after that, the standard’s the standard. And if you can’t meet it, you know, too bad.”
The full interview on “The Katie Miller Podcast” will be released in full Tuesday night at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Rumble and X.
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