Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, mandated that physical fitness requirements for combat jobs be “sex-neutral,” a move that is likely to significantly reduce the number of women who qualify.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to make fitness standards for all combat jobs gender neutral, formalizing a process that largely exists for many of those jobs already.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered gender-neutral physical fitness standards for combat roles, asserting the same high standard for men and w