Prof. Jill Hasday Quoted by ABC News on Secretary of Defense’s Comments About Women in the Military

Professor Jill Hasday, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Centennial Professor of Law, was interviewed by ABC News about Pete Hegseth’s speech to military leadership last week, in which he announced the implementation of new fitness standards for the military. ABC News reports: “In addition to the newly proposed annual fitness exam, Hegseth’s speech emphasized “gender-neutral’ testing with men and women required to meet the same minimum physical performance benchmarks. Speaking to hundreds of high-ranking military officials in Quantico, Virginia, Hegseth said it was important that certain combat positions return “to the highest male standard,’ acknowledging that it may lead to fewer women serving in combat roles.” The current training is the same for male and female service members.“To me, Hegseth wants a military that looks a certain way ... which [is] definitely male and muscular,” Hasday told ABC News. “It seems like his expectation is that once they enforce more ‘rigorous standards,’ more women will be pushed out.”