He is who I Thought He is.

It’s no secret I have never been a fan of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. From the time he was nominated, I voiced concerns about his lack of leadership experience and the ridiculous weight people were putting on his military background. For those of us that know, his military resume is mediocre at best, and other than wearing a uniform for a while, it gives him zero additional qualification to be SECDEF. What I knew deep down was his time in uniform would limit his ability to think strategically and he would get lost in the weeds.

His latest attempt to “level” the physical requirements for combat jobs in the military is glaring evidence that He is who I thought He is.

Many folks cheered at the concept of making “one standard” for combat jobs. While an admirable goal, Secretary Hegseth really stepped on his crank with this one. I am going to pose a bunch of questions that I am confident the service chiefs are struggling with. For reference, I will mostly focus on the Army because that is where SECDEF and I have commonality and as a former Major he should KNOW better.

Keep in mind, the services have been trying to crack this nut for YEARS.

First, what is a “combat job”? I will assume we are talking about infantry, armor (tanks), field artillery, and probably combat engineers. You could argue that every job in the military is a combat job. That’s how the Marines think. But, what about the guy on the ship that push the button for the Tomahawk to launch. Is that a combat job? Or the gunner on an AC-130 gunship in the Air Force? Definitely a combat job.

SECDEF has made it clear that the physical standard should NOT be different for men and women. OK, that guidance is clear.

What about age? I mean, if the physical standard for combat jobs should be ONE standard, then age shouldn’t matter either, right? The 44-year-old Sergeant Major in an infantry battalion should be able to meet the standard of the 18-year-old infantry private. One standard is one standard because they are both infantry, right? If we aren’t going to discriminate over sex, we certainly shouldn’t discriminate over age, right?

What about component? I mean, a National Guard member should be held to the same high standard as an active duty member, right? On any given day, at any given time. The 50-year-old National Guard Infantry colonel should be held to the same physical standards as the 22-year-old specialist on active duty, right? If we aren’t going to discriminate over sex, we certainly shouldn’t discriminate over component, right? Secretary Hegseth was a National Guard member, and I know he loves to show off his physical fitness, but his life isn’t the same as everyone else’s. I would bet if you went to his old unit RIGHT NOW, they wouldn’t meet whatever lofty “combat” standard he has in his head. But I digress.

And what about while someone is deployed? Clearly, they should be able to maintain these rigorous physical standards needed in combat because they are IN COMBAT, right? So, they should have the ability to maintain their cardio fitness and have plenty of equipment for strength training, right? And they will clearly have good, nutritious food to sustain them, as well as plenty of sleep, right? Have you ever seen the makeshift stuff people put together on a small base in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE trying to stay fit? It’s heroic and tragic at the same time.

What about the “non-combat” jobs like medics and communication specialists that are WITH infantry and armor and all the rest? Do THEY need to maintain the same physical standards? What about a communications specialist in a unit that doesn’t go to combat? Same job, different unit, different standard. There’s your first complaint to the inspector general and probably their Congressman. And, if you want to see people find a way to NOT go to tough jobs, make their fitness a barrier that allows them to stay in the Army but NOT go to a combat unit.

And what about those people in “combat jobs” who aren’t in “combat” units? Like someone on recruiting duty who is working 80 hours a week to fill quotas, but they are field artillery by trade? Do they only have to be in “combat” shape when they are in “combat” units?

And is the physical standard different for infantry than it is for armor, or artillery, or engineers? Because we spent about 20 years fighting a war where ALL those other types of jobs did infantry work, side by side with infantry. Does that mean it’s OK to have a different standard because their job on paper is different than the one they are actually executing IN COMBAT?

And what about different types of units with the same brand name? Like there are plenty of heavy infantry units out there that operate using Bradley fighting vehicles, just like there are infantry units that ride in helicopters or jump out of planes. Do all of those different units who have very different roles and responsibilities have the same physical standard? And what about the 46-year-old armor Colonel who has a bunch of 18-year-old infantry soldiers under his command? Is his standard different than theirs? What about his peer, right next door who is an infantry officer? Do those two have different standards because they have the SAME job but DIFFERENT specialties?

And did SECDEF forget that for 20 years there were NO LINES that determined who was combat and who wasn’t? Literally, had convoys of infantry driving on the exact same roads as convoys of logistics, getting blown up by the same IEDs and getting shot at by the same insurgents. It didn’t matter what your job was, combat conditions were the same for everyone, but he thinks the physical standards should be different based on your insignia.

So, what happens to a Soldier who doesn’t meet these “high” physical standards for combat jobs BUT still meet the standards for non-combat jobs? Do they get thrown out of the service? Or just forced into a job change? Maybe even a duty station change? What about their families?

What happens to new servicemembers who sign up for a specific combat job and then cannot meet those physical standards during initial training? Are they thrown into a pool to fill the needs of the Army? Recruiters and Drill Sergeants will be pulling their hair out. These are REAL manpower and manpower management issues that could be disastrous.

With ALL of that being said, these questions are just the TIP of the iceberg. We haven’t even gotten into the “how” of determining the standards for “combat” jobs or how to test and evaluate the individuals against those standards. Is it a bunch of senior leaders that decide? Is it determined by science? We also haven’t touched things like helicopter pilots from different services who fly the SAME aircraft. Do they all need to meet the same physical standard and which service determines that? There is so much to this it is unbelievable.

And the BIGGEST tragedy in this …. he gave the service chiefs sixty days to figure it all out. That’s not an honest effort looking for an honest outcome. That’s bullshit.

I agree with the many that Secretary Hegseth is looking for a way to eliminate women from combat roles and this is how he is going to do it. He is forcing the service chiefs to establish arbitrary standards that women won’t be able to meet, and he will declare they need to be removed because it costs too much to find and keep the few out there that can meet the new “standard”. Yes, this will be listed as a cost cutting measure wrapped in “combat effectiveness”.

And prepare yourselves, because there will be PLENTY of men who cannot meet these standards either, but that will likely get brushed under the rug.

So, in the end, Secretary Hegseth and his VERY limited view of the military, shaped while serving as a Company Grade officer, is showing. The military is NOT the infantry in whatever configuration he believes it is. This is shit leadership, period.

I said at the beginning that I didn’t support his nomination. I said last week that I believe he will be the first person fired within this current administration. I stand by my initial assessment and my latest projection because He is who I Thought He is.