While Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth isn’t being hounded by the mainstream media, who desperately want to get rid of him, he’s busy changing standards in the military after former President Joe Biden focused more on making our forces woke than making them lethal.
According to a recent report from the Military Times, approximately 68 percent of our National Guard and reserves are overweight—and Hegseth is not happy about that:
Completely unacceptable.
This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here.
We will be FIT, not FAT. pic.twitter.com/KWMlFbS1c8
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 25, 2025
The study showed that the excess bloat hurts our forces’ readiness:
More than two-thirds of Guard and Reserve troops are overweight, potentially limiting their readiness and ability to deploy in support of national security, according to a new study released by the American Security Project this week.
“With the diminished size of the [active-duty] force and increasing demands on the National Guard and reserves, service members separated due to obesity and its comorbidities are vital personnel the Armed Forces cannot afford to lose,” researchers wrote in the report.
Related: On Firing Woke Commanders
Why Has the Left Targeted Pete Hegseth for Destruction Over the ‘Signal’ Kerfuffle?
Not only are over half the troops in the study a little chunky, but a significant number are classified as flat-out obese:
The study, which calls for new policies to ensure those troops’ health, comes one day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared during a speech at the Army War College that all military personnel “need to be fit, not fat,” echoing his past demands for more rigorous personnel standards…
Past studies have shown the highest rates of weight problems are among Army National Guard members, with about 21% of personnel meeting the definition for obesity.
SEC. HEGSETH: ‘Troops need to be fit, not fat.’pic.twitter.com/OLxDzziaH7
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 23, 2025
Hegseth isn’t just talking about the problem; he’s doing something about it.
Hegseth launched a review of grooming and physical fitness standards last month after voicing concerns that fitness standards have eroded and questioning whether mismatched standards for men and women are affecting readiness.
It directed the undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to look at “existing standards set by the Military Departments pertaining to physical fitness, body composition, and grooming, which includes but is not limited to beards.”
More: STRAC Is Back: SecDef Pete Hegseth Orders Review of Military Appearance, Fitness Standards
Pentagon Orders Discharge of Transgenders
RedState’s Ward Clark remembers a time when soldiers took more pride in their appearance and their fitness:
When I wore Uncle Sam’s colors back in the closing years of the Cold War, we took a lot of pride in being STRAC – “Strategic, Tough, Ready Around the Clock.” Not only physical fitness but appearance factored into that; we took pride in looking sharp, in looking soldierly. We eschewed standard-issue boots for Corcoran jump boots that took a better shine. We pressed our uniforms, we blocked our caps, and we shined our brass; we were honed like razors, and we took great pride in it.
Hegseth would appreciate Ward’s memories, and he’s hellbent on bringing that ethos back. Start jogging, soldiers!
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America’s military.
Help us report on Trump and Hegesth’s successes as they make our military great again. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
