Pentagon Issues New Guidance on Physical Fitness, Grooming Standards Following Quantico Speech

The Pentagon issued several memos on Tuesday that outlined a broad range of personnel changes, instituting stricter grooming standards and gender-neutral standards for combat jobs.

The memos follow a Tuesday address by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of senior military leadership at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., previewing the new policy changes for the military.

“From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this war fighting,” Defense Secretary Hegseth said. “Preparing for war and preparing to win, unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit. Not because we want war — no one here wants war — but it’s because we love peace.”