QUANTICO, Va. – In a landmark address that heralds a profound transformation of U.S. military policy, President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth unveiled a sweeping set of directives aimed at restoring what they termed a “lethal fighting force.” Speaking to hundreds of top military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2025, the announcement signified a sharp departure from recent decades of military protocol.
The cornerstone of the new policy is the implementation of gender-neutral physical standards across all branches. These standards will be based on the physical benchmarks required of male soldiers in the 1990s, a move officials argue will ensure a uniformly high level of combat readiness.
Further reforms include mandating rigorous physical fitness tests twice a year for all personnel, regardless of rank, and a revival of traditional grooming and appearance standards. The administration also emphasized that promotions will be based solely on merit, explicitly rejecting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as criteria for advancement.
In a significant shift in handling misconduct, the policy will no longer permit anonymous complaints of sexual assault, demanding instead what Secretary Hegseth called “confidence and transparency” in the reporting process.
Hegseth delivered a stark message to military leadership, stating the reforms were designed to weed out weakness and urging any commander uncomfortable with the new “warrior culture” to resign. “We are restoring a lethal fighting force,” Hegseth declared, framing the overhaul as essential to national security.
President Trump echoed this sentiment, praising the directives as a return to core principles. He also warned of an “invasion from within” and suggested, as a method to prepare for domestic threats, that the military could use urban areas like Chicago for training exercises.
The announcements mark the most comprehensive effort to date by the current administration to reshape the U.S. military’s culture, personnel standards, and operational priorities.
