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Female service members who were enlisted in the armed forces are pushing back against Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth's announcement that requirements for military positions will "return to the highest male standard," saying the criteria have historically been the same for men and women.

"Not a single one of us have at any point requested special treatment," a former US Navy service member, who served for half a decade, explained reporters.

Addressing numerous military leaders on Tuesday, Hegseth reiterated his beliefs that the military had lowered requirements to include women and placed service members at danger. His recent orders would bring them back to a higher level, he said.

"If it means no women meet the criteria for frontline roles, then that's acceptable," he commented.

He maintained that female personnel would not be barred from the military completely.

Some women who served were angered.

"I am sick and tired of Pete Hegseth lying about female service members and requirements," former US Marine fighter pilot Amy McGarth declared in a video.

"It has consistently been a single benchmark for those jobs," she continued. "There was never a male requirement or a woman's standard for flying a jet."

The Navy veteran, too, said that sex and years were not part of assessments given for combat roles.

Combat standards are set differently based on the division a person is serving in, whether they are in elite units, infantry, armored divisions or rescue teams, she noted. Nonetheless, all personnel in those roles have to pass the identical assessment.

"These standards have consistently been unbiased, and they have always been set at a rigorous level," she remarked. "Of course, some females are going to meet them, but some males fail as well."

This is not the identical for the yearly fitness assessments administered to all personnel, which comprise standard drills like push-ups. There, the standards and scores differ according to years and sex, and the tests differ by unit.

Ms Cardnell said it is still uncertain if Hegseth will actually bring major reforms to how military personnel are assessed.

In his speech, Hegseth said: "Any place that tried-and-true physical standards were altered, particularly since recent years, when combat arms standards were changed to allow females could meet criteria, must be returned to their initial level."

He appeared to refer to a directive in that year by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter that all military jobs be available for women and that every individual, irrespective of gender, who meets the standards should be able to enlist.

"When it comes to any job that requires strength to perform in combat, those fitness requirements must be rigorous and unbiased," Hegseth said. "Should females can succeed, excellent. If not, that's the reality."

Broadly, Hegseth said he was changing requirements across the military to "fix decades of decline" and that the military have "advanced too many uniformed leaders for the incorrect motives," like race, sex and "historic so-called firsts."

Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Army veteran who was critically wounded while serving as a combat pilot in Iraq, commented to media outlets after the speech: "From someone who's unfit for his own job, it's quite biased to discuss women who are qualified to perform their duties."

She noted that his remarks could harm recruitment.

Women in the US military were initially permitted to fly combat aircraft in the air and sea branches in 1993, though they were excluded from ground combat. This shifted in recent years when the restriction on female combat roles was lifted and by 2016 military positions were open to everyone.

Because of how not long ago females were included in every level, numerous are now still in the midst of their professional paths, the veteran said.

"Progress is gradual to see those women break that brass ceiling, and we haven't had a chance to see that," she stated.

Currently active and veteran female soldiers are concerned that Hegseth is creating a armed forces environment where female personnel will be undermined and prevented from progressing, she said.

"Leadership sets the tone," she added.

Some women in uniform opposed Hegseth's statements.

GOP lawmaker Sheri Biggs, who served as a lieutenant colonel in the reserve unit, stated in a statement that she backed the defence secretary's initiatives to eliminate "woke" directives from the military.

"Reverting to standards that emphasize high quality and accountability places national defense and our servicemembers where they belong — first," Biggs said.

Another South Carolina Republican, Representative Nancy Mace, who graduated from The Citadel academy, shared on online platforms in favor of Hegseth.

"Adversaries don't fear inclusion metrics. They fear American firepower," she wrote.