Hegseth Orders Stricter Fitness and Grooming; Trump Backs

On Sept. 30, 2025 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth convened hundreds of senior officers to announce a sweeping “rebranding” of military culture that denounced “fat generals” and “beardos” and called for an end to “woke” policies. He announced stricter grooming rules, including reverting to pre‑2020 shaving‑exemption policies, and directed targets on DEI offices and identity months and the halting of certain medical procedures for service members. Policy memos published after the speech require twice‑yearly fitness tests, body‑fat measurements, an annual “combat field test,” more frequent height‑and‑weight checks, and mandate that troops in combat‑focused jobs meet the highest male‑based, gender‑neutral, age‑normed physical standards. Hegseth said he would overhaul inspector‑general and equal‑opportunity complaint processes to curb anonymous complaints and criticized promotions he said were based on race, gender quotas or “historic firsts.” President Donald Trump attended, publicly backed the agenda, warned of an “enemy within,” and suggested using dangerous U.S. cities as training grounds. The speech and implementation memos drew swift criticism from politicians, reporters and some military members, who raised concerns about coercion, partisanship, operational impact, recruitment, readiness and legality.