By Guy D. McCardle | SOFREP
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has officially ordered a full-spectrum review of the U.S. military’s medical standards for enlistment.
In a memo circulated in late April, Hegseth called for a detailed assessment of how physical fitness, body composition, and grooming requirements have shifted since 2015—and whether those changes have made the force stronger or simply more politically correct.
For those of us who have worn the uniform, it’s clear: readiness and lethality—not political agendas—must be the military’s north star. This review has been years overdue. and is necessary to strengthen the fighting force.
Hegseth’s directive tasks the services with examining how and why the standards evolved over the last decade.
He demands an honest accounting: Did lowering the bar actually improve readiness, or did it simply open the door to people who wouldn’t have made it past the front gate before?
The Secretary made his position clear: “The Department must maintain high, uncompromising, and clear standards to build a more lethal force,” he wrote in the memo obtained by SOFREP at Defense.gov.
Physical fitness, mental resilience, and strict grooming requirements aren’t artifacts of a bygone era—they’re essential traits of any military worth its salt.
Hegseth is demanding that commanders ask the hard question: Are we still recruiting warriors, or are we chasing woke checkboxes?
Course-Correcting After a Decade of Decline
Since 2015, a steady stream of politically-driven changes flooded into the military. Standards were loosened to allow for everything from more “inclusive” grooming policies to so-called gender-neutral physical fitness tests that quietly, and predictably, lowered physical expectations for many units.
This wasn’t about building a tougher force. It was about making the ranks look good on paper to the prevailing political class. Under the previous leadership, policies were crafted with the media cycle in mind—not battlefield victory.
One striking example is the Army’s combat fitness test debacle, where scoring adjustments were made after female pass rates lagged behind.
Instead of holding the line on what it takes to survive and win in combat, leadership caved to activists who’ve never had to haul a buddy to a CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) bird under fire.
Critics Cry “Discrimination”—But the Mission Comes First
Predictably, the usual suspects are already howling. Civil rights groups are claiming this review is a covert effort to roll back diversity initiatives. Major outlets like The Guardian and CBS News are wringing their hands, warning of a mass exodus of “marginalized” recruits.
But here’s the bottom line: the military’s purpose is to fight and win the nation’s wars, not to serve as a petri dish for social experimentation.
The battlefield is an ugly, brutal place that doesn’t care about your pronouns or personal identity. It cares how long you can carry a ruck, if you can fix a jammed weapon under fire, or fight through exhaustion.
The military isn’t supposed to mirror society. It’s supposed to be better than society—tougher, sharper, more lethal.
Recruitment Challenges: Quality Over Quantity
The services had been struggling to meet recruiting goals. For the first time in years, that is starting to turn around. The solution wasn’t to lower standards and hope for the best. It was to make military service a mark of distinction again. And Pete Hegseth is going just that.
Raising the bar—not lowering it—is how you inspire America’s best young men and women to step up and reach their full potential. It’s how you rebuild a warrior culture that prizes excellence over equity checklists. Hegseth understands this in his bones, and he’s willing to take the heat to get it done.
We don’t need bodies in uniform for the sake of numbers. We need warfighters.
Final Thoughts: A Step Toward Strength
Secretary Hegseth’s review is a long-overdue move to reorient the military toward what it’s supposed to be: a lethal, professional force ready to defend the nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
It’s not about turning back the clock. It’s about rediscovering the hard truths that have kept American warriors victorious (most of the time) for over two centuries: Discipline matters. Strength matters. Standards matter.
And if that makes the politically correct crowd squirm? Good. Let them.
America’s enemies certainly won’t care how inclusive our platoons are when the shooting starts.
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Guy D. McCardle is a sixteen-year veteran of the United States Army and most recently served as a Medical Operations Officer during OIF I and OIF II. He holds a degree in Biology from Washington & Jefferson College and is a graduate of the US Army Academy of Health Sciences.
Defense Secretary Orders Review of Medical Standards for Military Enlistment (DOD News)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum, April 24, 2025, directing a comprehensive review of medical conditions that disqualify individuals from joining the military.
The memo, addressed to senior Pentagon leadership, ensures recruits meet the high physical and mental standards required for service. This initiative responds to concerns about current medical waiver policies and their impact on military readiness, prompting a 30-day evaluation to refine enlistment criteria.
Titled “Review of Medical Conditions Disqualifying for Accession into the Military,” the memo targets Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03, Volume 1, which outlines medical standards for enlistment, appointment or induction. It notes that waivers are currently permitted for conditions such as schizophrenia, paraphilic disorders, congestive heart failure and chronic oxygen use.
Hegseth emphasized that while the desire to serve is admirable, individuals with such conditions are often unable to complete initial training or their first term of service, potentially compromising mission success and the safety of service members.
“Applicants for military service … must be physically and mentally able to perform their duties under the harshest of conditions without risk to themselves or others,” he said in a video posted on Defense Department social media accounts.
Update on Military Accession Waivers. pic.twitter.com/vQVjsD3ypX
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) April 24, 2025
The memo tasks the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness with identifying conditions that should be ineligible for waivers and those requiring approval from a military department secretary. Proposed updates to the instruction will be submitted for the secretary’s approval within 30 days.
In his recorded statement, Hegseth spoke about the memo’s intent. He highlighted the need for “clear, high, and uncompromising medical and mental standards” to ensure readiness.
“Service members need to be medically ready to fight,” he said, underscoring the goal to align standards with operational demands.
The reason for the review is rooted in recent trends and research. Data shows a rise in medical waivers, with approximately 17% of 2022 recruits receiving them, which is up from 12% in 2013, according to a DOD inspector general review.
The Navy alone issued 15,900 medical waivers in 2022, a significant increase from prior years. The surge, partly due to the health record system flagging more issues, has raised concerns about readiness.
Studies indicate conditions like schizophrenia can worsen under military stress. Heart conditions like hypertension and congestive heart failure limit physical performance, especially in deployment settings. Chronic oxygen use — often linked to severe respiratory issues — undermines service in high altitude or physically demanding roles.
The review also aligns with broader efforts to balance recruitment needs with operational effectiveness. By tightening waiver criteria, the department aims to ensure new service members can withstand the rigors of service, enhancing safety and mission success.
Hegseth’s memorandum is nested in the department’s focus on maintaining high standards, readiness and lethality. The forthcoming review provides a clearer framework for accession, ensuring only fully capable applicants join the military services.
“High standards equal lethality,” Hegseth explained. “[Under President Donald J. Trump] we’ve … seen a huge surge of Americans who want to join … a military with high, clear standards.”
REVIEW-OF-MEDICAL-CONDITIONS-DISQUALIFYING-FOR-ACCESSION-INTO-THE-MILITARY (pdf)
High, uncompromising, and clear standards are a hallmark of the U.S. military and are essential to helping us remain the most lethal and effective fighting force in the world.
To uphold these standards, and ensure that our warfighters are capable and ready, no matter the domain, adversary, or conditions, the Secretary of Defense has directed my office to conduct a review of existing medical standards for enlistment or appointment into military service. More information can be found here.
Over the next 30 days, my office will identify any medical conditions that should be ineligible for a medical accession waiver and identify any medical conditions for which a medical accession waiver may only be granted by the Secretary of a Military Department.
These lists will be used to make any necessary updates to DoD guidance that the Services use to assess the medical readiness of individuals seeking to join the military.
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