Latest news with #TheWaronWarriors:BehindtheBetrayaloftheMenWhoKeepUsFree
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Military Is Rolling Out New 'Sex-Neutral' Testing Standards. Here Are All The Moves.
This week, the U.S. Army announced its plans for an updated fitness test that requires men and women in combat positions to meet the same physical standards. In the past, men and women in combat roles had to meet gender-based fitness standards. The new Army Fitness Test (AFT) is 'designed to enhance soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force,' according to a press release from the Army. 'The change reflects the Army's continued focus on building a physically ready force capable of meeting operational demands in austere environments,' the release said. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth does not think that women should be in combat roles in the military. 'I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles,' he said on The Shawn Ryan Show in November. 'Hasn't made us more effective. Hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.' In his book, The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, Hegseth also wrote that 'women cannot physically meet the same standards as men.' 'Dads push us to take risks. Moms put the training wheels on our bikes,' he continued, as reported by the Associated Press. 'We need moms. But not in the military, especially in combat units.' The 'sex-neutral' testing, which will begin rolling out on June 1, is expected to reduce the number of women in combat roles. The news is raising a lot of questions about military testing, as well as whether physical differences could prevent men and women from meeting the same standards. Here's what we know. Meet the expert: Caitlyn Mooney, MD, is a sports medicine physician and assistant professor at Vanderbilt Health. The revamped test is similar to the existing one, but focuses on the following five events. A RAND Corporation analysis and Army data from about 1 million test records helped guide the new standards, according to the release: Three-repetition maximum deadlift Hand-release push-up arm extension (starting from a prone position on the ground, you push your body up into a high plank, then lower your body back to the ground and extend your arms out to a T before returning to the start position; you can't pause or rest on the ground) Sprint-drag-carry (which involves sprinting, dragging a sled, taking lateral steps, and carrying two kettlebells, for varying distances) Plank Two-mile run Combat soldiers need to score a minimum of 60 points per event and an overall minimum score of 350 under the new standards. However 'combat-enabling' troops need to get an overall minimum score of 300. Troops who are in active duty have until January 2026 to meet the requirements, and National Guard and Army Reserve members have until June 2026. Service members who don't meet the standards twice in a row could be removed from the Army. The existing Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), which will be replaced by the new AFT test, has a couple different exercise move requirements, and different scoring standards, for men and women. (The new test no longer includes the ball yeet, where you throw a medicine ball over your head backwards, reportedly due to injury risk and its inefficiency in measuring power.) But the biggest change is that the new AFT test will involve women getting graded on the same scale as men in order to qualify for combat roles. So, for instance, women will need to deadlift heavier and run faster than they did with the ACFT testing scale to meet the measures being used to score the men. Data suggest this may not encourage gaining more women in the military—or, at least, in combat roles. A 2017 study found that 'gaps in cardiorespiratory and muscular performances between men and women' should be addressed with targeted training programs to help minimize differences between the sexes. A 2022 study from Rand Corporation also found that women and older members of the military failed the previous fitness test at much higher rates than men and younger service members. Want to conquer the pull-up? Get the WH+ Ultimate Pull-Up Plan here. It's important to point out that this won't keep women from joining the military. But it will likely limit how many qualify for combat roles or for positions that support combat roles. 'There is also the potential for this to eventually apply to combat support roles such as physicians, lawyers, etc., which could mean a shortage in these military professions, even though meeting these standards would minimally affect their job performance,' says Caitlyn Mooney, MD, sports medicine physician and assistant professor at Vanderbilt Health. 'Fitness and readiness are critical for the armed forces, but there is likely an unclear correlation between these fitness tests, performance, and lethality,' Dr. Mooney says. 'Peer-reviewed research has not found a correlation between fitness requirements and combat readiness.' The reality is, physiological sex differences exist between men and women that often put women at a strength disadvantage compared to men. For example, 'deadlifts are a strength event where women would likely perform, on average, 70 to 80 percent less than men when corrected for body weight,' Dr. Mooney says. 'Additionally, women, on average, weigh less than men, further potentially handicapping their performance.' Hand-release push-ups, sprint, drag, and carry tasks, and planks are other events where women would, on average, have a harder time meeting standards compared to men, Dr. Mooney says. 'The two-mile run would be a more cardiovascular event, typically having women perform at 80 to 90 percent of their male peers.' Dr. Mooney says that the limits on a woman's performance are 'multifactorial' due to factor like body size, muscle mass, less muscle distribution in the upper body, and lower levels of hormones like testosterone. 'It is important to reiterate that these specific tasks do not necessarily correlate with the ability to perform in combat,' Dr. Mooney says. 'Additionally, these readiness tasks do not test muscular or cardiovascular endurance, which are likely more critical in prolonged combat settings, and primarily test power and forceful maneuvers.' Dr. Mooney points out that the gap between women and men 'shrinks' with longer-distance endurance events. 'Women would be more likely to perform better with flexibility and endurance, which are not tested, and thus, this test likely would be biased against women,' she says. 'Given that women, on average, perform the selected tasks at a lower capacity than men, fewer women in the armed forces will likely meet these qualifications than men.' But these changes may also make military recruitment, as a whole, even tougher, Dr. Mooney says. 'There have been ongoing issues with the military's recruitment as fewer people meet the health and fitness standards required,' she says, due to rising rates of obesity, sedentary behavior, and metabolic disorders. With these ongoing recruitment issues, I would worry that changing the AFT to be gender-neutral would further restrict the military's ability to recruit young, fit individuals to combat roles where they likely would be otherwise qualified to function.' You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - The Navy can't fight for freedom while banning books
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I took on the issue of professional military education. It may not have garnered many headlines, but education was viewed as critical from the top echelons of the Pentagon to the remote operating bases I visited in Iraq and Afghanistan. We sharpen our warriors' effectiveness when we develop their skills in critical thinking, languages, cultures and history. But we are now going dangerously backwards. The New York Times reported that the U.S. Naval Academy is identifying books in the school's Nimitz Library that may be pulled from circulation because they relate to so-called diversity, equity and inclusion. Among the 900 potential offenders: a biography of Jackie Robinson, 'The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.' and 'Einstein on Race and Racism.' The Chinese military is expanding. Russia is threatening Europe. But you can sleep better tonight knowing that the Navy is keeping its men and women safe from Jackie Robinson. The move is part of the Trump administration's campaign to purge its way through federal museums, concert halls and now the military. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — who might want to focus on threats closer to home, like how he communicates war plans — ordered the review. I'm guessing his own book, 'The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,' won't make the cut list. It's an interesting title, because the act of banning history books in a naval library is a betrayal of the men and women who keep us free. The irony in this move is rich. In the name of freedom, we mustn't let our future leaders do things like, oh, read what they want to read. We must treat them like snowflakes, so brittle and sensitive that they must be protected from the offensive views of Robinson, King, Einstein and whoever else is on the blacklist of the Navy Blue and Gold. Our warriors need body armor, not censorship. The best of them want to build their intellectual resilience. When I visited them in Iraq, Afghanistan and our military academies at home, many consistently told me that they fought better when they had time not only to drill, but to learn. To read. During a visit to Iraq, I remember asking Gen. Ray Odierno what he needed when he commanded the Third Infantry Battalion in Iraq. Whenever I asked that question, military leaders usually answered with a list of hardware and weapons of war. Odierno's answer surprised me: more people who speak foreign languages, understand other cultures and had the skills to deal with various factions trapped in conflict zones. It was a Marine who later explained to me why military education was so important: 'If you know how to think, you realize you don't have to kick in the door and start shooting; sometimes, you can find a safer way — for yourself.' I also spoke to a soldier stationed on a remote operating base near a village called Musa Qala. His unit was preparing to assault a Taliban stronghold the next day. Amidst the maps and heavy weapons surrounding him, he said, 'Anyone who's ever studied how war is fought in Afghanistan knows one thing: We'll take the village tomorrow, and the Taliban will retake it when we leave.' That is exactly what happened across Afghanistan. Instead of supporting our warriors with libraries that will give them an unvarnished telling of history, the Pentagon has decided to whitewash it. Instead of encouraging critical thinking skills, the Navy has decided to dull them. In a world of volatile, complex military threats; of cyberwarfare and an artificial intelligence arms race; of existential enemies like Iran nearing imminent development of a nuclear warhead; the Hegseth doctrine suggests that there is nothing to fear but ink on pages, bound on the shelves in the Navy library. In the war on so-called 'cancel culture,' the U.S. military is canceling history. The brave men and women of our armed forces should receive all the training, resources, technology and weaponry they need to protect our country — books included. Our military leaders should be focused on keeping us safe from Vladimir Putin, not Jackie Robinson. Hegseth should reflect further on the title of his book. In the story of 'the betrayal of the men who keep us free,' he is the one doing the betraying. Steve Israel represented New York in the House of Representatives for eight terms and was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The National
22-02-2025
- Politics
- The National
Trump fires top US general in unprecedented Pentagon shakeup
President Donald Trump on Friday fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen CQ Brown, and pushed out five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of US military leadership. Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he would nominate retired Lt Gen Dan 'Razin' Caine to succeed Gen Brown. A former F-16 fighter pilot, Lt Gen Caine was the associate director of military affairs at the CIA until late last year. Mr Trump will also replace the head of the US Navy, a position held by Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead a military service, as well as the air force vice chief of staff and judge advocates general for the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Pentagon said. Mr Trump's decision sets off a period of upheaval at the Pentagon, which was already bracing for mass firings of civilian staff, a dramatic overhaul of its budget and a shift in military deployments under Mr Trump's new America First foreign policy. While the Pentagon's civilian leadership changes from one administration to the next, the uniformed members of US armed forces are meant to be apolitical, carrying out the policies of Democratic and Republican administrations. Gen Brown is the second black officer to become the president's top uniformed military adviser. Colin Powell was the first. He had been expected to complete his entire four-year term in September 2027. A US official said Gen Brown was relieved with immediate effect, even before the Senate confirms his successor. Reuters in November was first to report that the incoming Trump administration planned a sweeping shake-up of the top brass, with firings including Gen Brown. 'Woke' generals During last year's presidential campaign, President Trump spoke of firing 'woke' generals and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan. On Friday, the President did not explain his decision to replace Brown. 'I want to thank General Charles 'CQ' Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,' Mr Trump wrote. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had been sceptical of Gen Brown before taking the helm of the Pentagon with a broad agenda that includes eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military. In his most recent book, Mr Hegseth asked whether Brown would have got the job if he were not black. 'Was it because of his skin colour? Or his skill? We'll never know, but always doubt – which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn't really much matter,' he wrote in his 2024 book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free. Gen Brown, a former fighter pilot with command experience in the Middle East and Asia, recounted his experiences of discrimination in the military in an emotional video posted online after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, which sparked nationwide protests for racial justice.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration fires top US general and Navy chief in unprecedented purge of military leadership
In an unprecedented purge of the military's senior leadership Friday night, President Donald Trump fired the top US general just moments before his defense secretary fired the chief of the US Navy and others. In announcing the dismissal, Trump called Joint Chiefs Chairman Charles Q. Brown a 'fine gentleman' and an 'outstanding leader.' Brown is only the second Black man to serve as chairman and was the first Black service chief in US military history when he was confirmed as chief of the Air Force in 2020. The president hinted at the firings to come in the announcement on his Truth Social platform. 'Finally, I have also directed [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon,' he wrote. Minutes later, Hegseth released a statement in which he fired Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of the Navy and the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In his 2024 book titled 'The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,' Hegseth called Franchetti a 'DEI hire.' 'If naval operations suffer, at least we can hold our heads high. Because at least we have another first! The first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — hooray,' he wrote. Hegseth also said that Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force, had been fired, and that he was 'requesting nominations' for the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy and Air Force, indicating they will be replaced. 'Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars,' Hegseth said Friday night. Hegseth has previously railed against the military's Judge Advocates General (JAG), calling them 'jagoffs' in his book. When pressed during his recent confirmation hearing to explain himself, Hegseth said, 'It would be a JAG Officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the warfighters – their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front line.' The JAGs are the military's top lawyers who administer the military code of justice, including defending and prosecuting US service members in military court. The firings had been anticipated for weeks, with rumors about the impending dismissal circulating around the Pentagon. But speculation about the termination of Brown and others became more serious when a formal list was recently shared with some Republican lawmakers. Trump has railed against what he called 'woke' generals and officers, and Brown was a frequent target of right-wing criticism. Many officials in the Pentagon openly wondered whether Brown would be fired quickly after Trump's inauguration. But Trump and Brown were pictured next to each other at the Army-Navy football game in December, signaling a potential warming of relations between the two men. In his first term, Trump appointed Brown to the Chief of the Air Force, a position he held until former President Joe Biden nominated him to be the Joint Chiefs Chair in October 2023. Brown's term was scheduled to end in 2027. Hegseth had also called for Brown's termination. In November, just days before Trump picked Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, Hegseth said, 'First of all, you've got to fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.' But the two routinely met and worked together since Hegseth's confirmation. Trump announced the firing of the top US general on the day Brown visited the southwest border, one of the Pentagon's top priorities under the new administration. Brown met with the Joint Task Force North, which leads the military's border mission. 'Border Security has always been critical to the defense of our homeland,' Brown posted on social media in the hours before he was fired. On social media, Trump said he would nominate Air Force Lt. Gen. John Dan 'Razin' Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an extraordinary move since Caine is retired, according to an Air Force official, and is not a 4-star general. Trump said Caine was a 'warfighter' who was 'instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate.' Federal law requires the president to pick the top military officers from the combatant commands or the chiefs of the military services, all of which are 4-star positions. But the law also allows the President to waive the requirement if 'such action is necessary in the national interest.' Trump has raved about Caine for years, dating back to his first term. At the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said he met Caine during a visit to Iraq. Caine was then serving as the deputy command for US Special Operations in the Middle East and Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS. Trump said Caine came from 'central casting' and said he could have the campaign to eliminate ISIS 'totally finished in one week.' Trump says Caine told him, 'They won't know what the hell hit them, sir.' This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN
22-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration fires top US general and Navy chief in unprecedented purge of military leadership
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown Jr. listens to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth answer reporters' questions before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Pentagon during an honor cordon on February 5, in Arlington, Virginia. CNN — In an unprecedented purge of the military's senior leadership Friday night, President Donald Trump fired the top US general just moments before his defense secretary fired the chief of the US Navy and others. In announcing the dismissal, Trump called Joint Chiefs Chairman Charles Q. Brown a 'fine gentleman' and an 'outstanding leader.' Brown is only the second Black man to serve as chairman and was the first Black service chief in US military history when he was confirmed as chief of the Air Force in 2020. The president hinted at the firings to come in the announcement on his Truth Social platform. 'Finally, I have also directed [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon,' he wrote. Minutes later, Hegseth released a statement in which he fired Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of the Navy and the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In his 2024 book titled 'The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,' Hegseth called Franchetti a 'DEI hire.' 'If naval operations suffer, at least we can hold our heads high. Because at least we have another first! The first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — hooray,' he wrote. Hegseth also said that Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force, had been fired, and that he was 'requesting nominations' for the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy and Air Force, indicating they will be replaced. 'Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars,' Hegseth said Friday night. Hegseth has previously railed against the military's Judge Advocates General (JAG), calling them 'jagoffs' in his book. When pressed during his recent confirmation hearing to explain himself, Hegseth said, 'It would be a JAG Officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the warfighters – their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front line.' The JAGs are the military's top lawyers who administer the military code of justice, including defending and prosecuting US service members in military court. The firings had been anticipated for weeks, with rumors about the impending dismissal circulating around the Pentagon. But speculation about the termination of Brown and others became more serious when a formal list was recently shared with some Republican lawmakers. Trump has railed against what he called 'woke' generals and officers, and Brown was a frequent target of right-wing criticism. Many officials in the Pentagon openly wondered whether Brown would be fired quickly after Trump's inauguration. But Trump and Brown were pictured next to each other at the Army-Navy football game in December, signaling a potential warming of relations between the two men. In his first term, Trump appointed Brown to the Chief of the Air Force, a position he held until former President Joe Biden nominated him to be the Joint Chiefs Chair in October 2023. Brown's term was scheduled to end in 2027. Hegseth had also called for Brown's termination. In November, just days before Trump picked Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, Hegseth said, 'First of all, you've got to fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.' But the two routinely met and worked together since Hegseth's confirmation. Trump announced the firing of the top US general on the day Brown visited the southwest border, one of the Pentagon's top priorities under the new administration. Brown met with the Joint Task Force North, which leads the military's border mission. 'Border Security has always been critical to the defense of our homeland,' Brown posted on social media in the hours before he was fired. On social media, Trump said he would nominate Air Force Lt. Gen. John Dan 'Razin' Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an extraordinary move since Caine is retired, according to an Air Force official, and is not a 4-star general. Trump said Caine was a 'warfighter' who was 'instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate.' Federal law requires the president to pick the top military officers from the combatant commands or the chiefs of the military services, all of which are 4-star positions. But the law also allows the President to waive the requirement if 'such action is necessary in the national interest.' Trump has raved about Caine for years, dating back to his first term. At the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said he met Caine during a visit to Iraq. Caine was then serving as the deputy command for US Special Operations in the Middle East and Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS. Trump said Caine came from 'central casting' and said he could have the campaign to eliminate ISIS 'totally finished in one week.' Trump says Caine told him, 'They won't know what the hell hit them, sir.' This story has been updated with additional developments.
