The Pentagon has sent home some Texas National Guard members who failed to meet military weight standards.
The action comes after troops arriving in Illinois were photographed by the Associated Press’ Erin Hooley.
The images went viral on social media, showing some of them appearing overweight.
A spokesperson for the Texas Military Department confirmed that “a small group” of the 200 Guard members mobilized to Illinois had been replaced.
Highlights
- The Pentagon sent home a small group of Texas National Guard members who failed to meet military weight standards during a federal mission.
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth criticized overweight troops and generals, emphasizing strict enforcement of physical fitness standards.
- Hegseth introduced a 10-point plan requiring all military personnel to take biannual fitness tests, with the highest standards for combat roles.
The Pentagon has sent home some soldiers for appearing overweight
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The troops were part of a 60-day federal mission under U.S. Northern Command.
“In less than 24 hours, Texas National Guardsmen mobilized for the Federal Protection Mission,” a department spokesperson told military news website Task & Purpose.
“The speed of the response necessitated a concurrent validation process, during which we identified a small group of service members who were not in compliance and have been replaced.”
“Standards are back at the Department of Defense,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who has said that “fat troops” and “fat generals” are unbecoming of the U.S. military, wrote on X.
The National Guard Bureau explained that all soldiers must meet height, weight, and physical fitness requirements at all times.
“When mobilizing for active duty, members go through a validation process to ensure they meet those requirements,” the bureau said in a statement.
“On the rare occasions when members are found not in compliance, they will not go on mission. They will be returned to their home station, and replacements who do meet standards will take their places.”
Hegseth has emphasized physical fitness as part of a broader effort to reshape the military.
In September, he spoke to hundreds of generals, admirals, and other top military officials at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia.
Hegseth announced that all soldiers must meet height, weight, and physical fitness requirements
He laid out a 10-point plan aimed at enforcing stricter standards for the U.S. armed forces.
The plan requires all military personnel to undergo physical fitness tests twice a year, regardless of rank.
“It's tiring to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegseth said to the attendees.
He also said combat roles will now require meeting the highest male fitness standards, meaning equal standards for men and women in combat positions.
These include grooming standards that ban beards and long hair.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Hegseth admitted that this approach could lead to fewer women qualifying for some combat jobs.
“If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it … that is not the intent, but it could be the result,” he said.
Hegseth also called for ending diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the military. He said future promotions should be based on merit and warned against political correctness and “woke” culture.
“We are done with that s**t. The era of politically correct, overly sensitive don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now at every level,” Hegseth said.
“No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship,” he added.
The new guidelines could lead to fewer women qualifying for service
Image credits: Brian Cassella/Getty Images
The Texas National Guard troops sent to Illinois were stationed mainly at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, southwest of Chicago. Some were also assigned to an ICE facility in Broadview.
The Trump administration has justified sending the National Guard to cities like Chicago for immigration enforcement and to fight crime.
Their deployment has been temporarily blocked by federal Judge April Perry, who ruled last week to block deployment for at least two weeks.
The judge found no substantial evidence that a “danger of rebellion” is brewing in Illinois during Trump's immigration crackdown.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
On Saturday, the appeals court granted a pause until it could hear further arguments.
He joked that U.S. President Donald Trump, who authorized the National Guard deployment, would not meet the new fitness standards himself.
After Hegseth’s speech, Newsom shared a video of the Quantico speech on his personal account on X, along with a photo of Trump in a McDonald’s. “I guess the Commander in Chief needs to go!” he wrote.
Later, his official press office account tweeted an AI-generated photo of Trump stuffing his face with McDonald’s burgers as drones dropped off more food.
“IT’S COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE TO SEE A FAT COMMANDER IN CHIEF IN THE HALLS OF THE WHITE HOUSE!” the post read, parodying Trump’s style of all-caps tweeting.