Military women fear losing 'every bit of ground' as Hegseth looks backward to the 1990s

""The 1990s test is simple," he said. "What were the military standards in 1990? And if they have changed, tell me why." "Was it necessary change based on the evolving landscape of combat? Or was the change due to a softening, weakening, or gender-based pursuit of other priorities? 1990s seems to be as good a place to start as any," Hegseth said."

"The official Pentagon communications accounts accused the program of promoting a "divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness, while Secretary Hegseth has focused on advancing uniform, sex-neutral standards across the Department." Military women told Business Insider that such a characterization of the program is misleading and called the shuttering a grave mistake for the welfare of women who serve."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he wants to review Defense Department standards that have changed since the 1990s, asking what the military standards were in 1990 and why any changes occurred. He questioned whether changes responded to evolving combat needs or reflected softening or gender-based priorities. Hegseth recently halted the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) and ordered reviews of definitions of toxic leadership and harassment. Pentagon communications accused the committee of promoting a divisive feminist agenda while promoting sex-neutral standards. Military women called the characterization misleading and warned that shuttering the committee harms women's welfare and could erode protections unrelated to merit.

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