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Female service members who were enlisted in the armed forces are responding against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's statement that requirements for combat roles will "revert to the highest men's benchmark," stating the criteria have historically been the same for men and women.

"Not a single one of us have ever requested preferential treatment," a former US Navy service member, who was enlisted for five years, explained reporters.

Addressing hundreds of military leaders on this week, Hegseth reiterated his views that the armed forces had lowered standards to include female personnel and placed troops at danger. His recent orders would restore them to a more rigorous standard, he stated.

"If it means no women qualify for combat jobs, then that's acceptable," he remarked.

He maintained that women would not be barred from the armed forces completely.

Several women who served were angered.

"I am sick and tired of Pete Hegseth misleading about women in the military and requirements," ex-military aviator Amy McGarth declared in a social media post.

"It has consistently been a single benchmark for such positions," she added. "At no point was there a male requirement or a woman's standard for operating an aircraft."

The Navy veteran, too, said that sex and years were not part of evaluations given for military positions.

Combat standards are set differently based on the unit a individual is serving in, whether they are in elite units, ground forces, armour or rescue teams, she stated. Nonetheless, all members in these positions have to pass the same test.

"These requirements have always been unbiased, and they have historically been established at a high standard," she said. "Naturally, not all women are going to meet them, but not all men do either."

This is not the identical for the annual physical tests administered to all personnel, which include routine exercises like push-ups. In those cases, the requirements and results differ based on years and sex, and the tests vary by unit.

The veteran commented it is still uncertain if Hegseth will actually implement sweeping changes to how military personnel are evaluated.

In his address, Hegseth stated: "Wherever where tried-and-true physical standards were altered, particularly since 2015, when combat arms benchmarks were adjusted to allow females could meet criteria, must be restored to their original standard."

He appeared to refer to a order in 2015 by the former Pentagon chief Ash Carter that all military jobs be open to female personnel and that every individual, regardless of gender, who meets the standards should be able to enlist.

"Regarding any job that requires strength to execute in battle, those physical standards must be high and unbiased," Hegseth remarked. "If women can succeed, excellent. If not, that's the reality."

Broadly, Hegseth said he was changing standards throughout the armed forces to "fix decades of decay" and that the armed forces have "advanced too many uniformed leaders for the wrong reasons," like race, gender and "historic so-called firsts."

Senator Tammy Duckworth, an former service member who was severely injured while serving as a combat pilot in the Middle East, commented to reporters after the speech: "For a guy who's unfit for his own job, it's quite discriminatory to discuss women who are qualified to perform their duties."

She noted that his comments could harm recruitment.

Women in the armed forces were initially permitted to pilot military planes in the air and sea branches in 1993, although they were barred from ground combat. This shifted in recent years when the Combat Exclusion Policy was removed and by that period combat roles were open to all.

Because of how recently women were included in every level, many are currently in the middle of their careers, the veteran explained.

"It takes time to see those women achieve high ranks, and we haven't had a chance to see that," she remarked.

Now serving and former female soldiers are worried that Hegseth is creating a armed forces environment where women will be marginalized and prevented from progressing, she commented.

"Command establishes the atmosphere," she noted.

Some female soldiers disagreed with Hegseth's statements.

GOP lawmaker Sheri Biggs, who served as a senior officer in the Air National Guard, said in a statement that she supported the defence secretary's efforts to end "progressive" directives from the military.

"Reverting to requirements that emphasize excellence and responsibility puts America's security and our servicemembers where they should be — foremost," Biggs said.

Another South Carolina Republican, Representative Nancy Mace, who completed studies at The Citadel academy, posted on social media in support of Hegseth.

"Adversaries don't fear inclusion metrics. They dread US military strength," she wrote.