Hegseth puts the future of women in US combat units to the test

Pentagon chief relies on radical reform

Hegseth tests US combat troops without women

The US military wants to test the performance of women in US combat units. It’s probably just an interim step toward Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s big goal.

Now the politician from US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party seems to be getting serious. According to a report by US public broadcaster NPR, Hegseth is planning a six-month test on the future of women in US combat troops. The aim is to ensure the military “effectiveness” of several thousand soldiers in the infantry, armored forces and artillery, according to a memo that the broadcaster claims to have received.

Pentagon spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson confirmed to NPR that the study was intended to ensure that the United States continues to have the most powerful military force. “Our standards for combat operations will be gender neutral, because the weight of a backpack makes no difference between men and women.” There will be “no compromises to meet quotas or ideological goals – that’s common sense,” said Kingsley.

The US Army abandoned all restrictions on female military members in 2015 under President Barack Obama. “We are opening our Army for the future,” said then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Hegseth wants to revoke this decision. “I say very clearly that women should not be used in combat missions. It has neither made us more effective nor more lethal. It has only made the fight more complicated,” the Pentagon chief said in 2024, shortly before taking office.

The Pentagon chief made it clear back then how he intended to deal with criticism: “If my words make you feel uncomfortable, you should do the honorable thing and resign,” he told his senior military officials.