Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, mandated that physical fitness requirements for combat jobs be “sex-neutral,” a move that is likely to significantly reduce the number of women who qualify.

Women already must pass gender-neutral physical fitness requirements for combat posts, but Hegseth contends the standards for women are lower.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to make fitness standards for all combat jobs gender neutral, formalizing a process that largely exists for many of those jobs already