OPINION:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ticked off a lot of people in recent days because he called out fat generals and suggested — by way of stressing the importance of a singular set of physical fitness standards for all military members, regardless of sex — that some females may not be fit for duty.
Hoo-rah.
For far too long, America’s military might has been degraded by woke White House commanders-in-chief. President Barack Obama used the military as his special Diversity, Equity and Inclusion pet organization, the one by which soldiers were more often tasked to fight climate change as the most threatening enemy than radical Islamic terrorists — than ISIS. President Joe Biden was about as feckless as they come; a puppet in a suit; an unfit-for-duty in mind and body, both. He struggled to get his arms in his jacket and to stay atop his bicycle. Need more be said? More can indeed be said.
“Biden overturns Trump transgender military ban,” BBC reported on January 25, 2021.
Note the date. It was one of his first moves following inauguration.
Another was to check his watch while the dead heroes of America’s military were brought home in caskets after the botched, Biden-led withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. One for the history books, for sure.
Now comes a new commander-in-chief — President Donald Trump — with a new name for the Department of Defense — the Department of War — and a new lead guy at War: Hegseth. After assembling the top generals for a gathering at Quantico Marine Corps Base — remember how Obama used to pronounce corps as corpse? — Hegseth told them: “From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: war fighting.”
He told them this: “Preparing for war and preparing to win. Unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit.”
And then he told them this: “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon leading commands around the country, in the world. It’s a bad look.”
And he also said this: “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusion. No more debris. I’ve said before and will say again, we are done with that sh—.”
And one more — he also said this: “We must restore a ruthless, dispassionate and common sense application of standards. I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape or in a combat unit with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men or troops who are not fully proficients … Standards must be uniform, gender neutral and high. If not, they’re not standards. They’re just suggestions.”
And in the military, as Hegseth noted — in a war, to be more precise — “suggestions” can lead to unnecessary deaths and injuries.
As predicted, Hegseth’s tough talk has been met with fiery outrage.
“Veterans react to Hegseth’s ‘insulting’ address to generals and admirals,” The Guardian reported.
“Female vets fire back at Hegseth over claims of lowered military standards,” Axios wrote.
“[Sen. Tammy] Duckworth says Hegseth’s views on women in combat show he’s unfit as Defense Secretary,” CBS News reported.
“‘None of us have ever asked for special treatment’ — US female veterans respond to Hegseth speech,” BBC wrote.
Well, maybe not asked — but certainly received.
And here’s a personal tale; a first-person perspective: Back in 1991, drill sergeants at Fort Dix, New Jersey, were not allowed to drop female recruits to the ground to perform pushups as a means of discipline — unless the female recruits were wearing gloves. The bare ground might bruise or cut their hands. Female recruits were also exempt from running the obstacle course, except as a matter of fun. Why? Too many failed at the upper body strength portions of the course, so the military simply removed the course as a requirement for females.
The standards were lowered in order to accommodate female recruits.
The twice-annually-tested physical fitness standards — pushups, sit-ups, two-mile run — were also lower for females than males; and not just during Basic Training, but at active duty stations, as well.
This is how it was then.
And since, the standards for fitness have been softened even more, and separated even more by sex.
Enter Hegseth. Enter Commander-in-Chief Trump. Enter a new administration.
“If [the new gender-neutral standards] means no women qualify for some combat jobs,” Hegseth said, “so be it.”
The military is not a playground for politicians to bring their paper tiger policies to light. The military is America’s line of defense against enemies, and its sole mission should be to win.
If that insults some overweight brass and unfit females — as Hegseth said: So be it.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
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