Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth raised eyebrows this week when he said in a speech to military generals that fitness standards for combat must “return to the highest male standard.”

“Those standards for combat roles have never been lowered,” said Elisa Cardnell, a Navy veteran who grew up in Lacey and is now the president of the Service Women’s Action Network. “They’ve always been gender neutral, and they are set to match the job.

“For example, an infantry personnel is going to have to march a certain distance, carrying certain equipment, and that doesn’t matter if they’re a 19-year-old guy or a 35-year-old woman,” she continued.

She said gender and age are taken into account in general fitness requirements.

“Those are gender normed and aged normed, so for example, a 19-year-o

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