{"id":44355,"date":"2025-10-03T12:40:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T19:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=44355"},"modified":"2025-10-03T12:40:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T19:40:10","slug":"if-i-leave-what-is-left-why-officers-battle-hegseth-for-womens-right-to-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/03\/if-i-leave-what-is-left-why-officers-battle-hegseth-for-womens-right-to-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018If I leave \u2026 what is left?\u2019 Why officers battle Hegseth for women\u2019s right to fight."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/10\/1002_NMILWOMEN_GENERALS.jpg?alias=standard_1200x800nc\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0|\u00a0Evan Vucci\/AP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Members of the U.S. military&#8217;s senior leadership listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Sept. 30, 2025. About 800 flag officers attended speeches by the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/About\/People\/Sophie-Hills\">Sophie Hills<\/a>&nbsp;Staff writer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/About\/People\/Anna-Mulrine-Grobe\">Anna Mulrine Grobe<\/a>&nbsp;Staff writer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Oct. 02, 2025, 3:53 p.m. ET|<strong>WASHINGTON<\/strong> (CSMonitor.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even before his tenure as the Pentagon\u2019s top civilian, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s remarks about the service of female soldiers sparked concerns among many of them about their future. His&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0-F0s6AIe-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">speech to America\u2019s top commanders<\/a>&nbsp;on Tuesday fueled them, as he emphasized that all U.S. forces should be held to the \u201chighest male standards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape, or in combat units with females who can\u2019t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men,\u201d he said. Women have been officially serving in military combat jobs for almost a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Military\/2025\/0930\/hegseth-trump-generals-warrior-culture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the speech<\/a>, a general who was in the audience and requested anonymity to speak frankly, said she was struck by the professional stoicism of her roughly 800 fellow flag officers. Many had traveled through the night after being summoned by the defense secretary to attend in person and in dress uniform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WHY WE WROTE THIS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>High-ranking women say they are watching the gains they spent their careers building being erased. Despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s speech on Tuesday, they are determined to keep serving their country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But as she and her staff waited at the airport for their flight back to their home base, she said she worries that Mr. Hegseth is \u201ccreating policies that will help usher women and other minorities out of the military.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/10\/1002_NMILWOMEN_HEGSETH.jpg?alias=standard_1200x800\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrew Harnik\/Reuters<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Sept. 30, 2025. A general who attended the speech is concerned that he is \u201ccreating policies that will help usher women and other minorities out of the military.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a concern shared by many high-ranking military men and women as they watch the gains they spent their careers building being erased, and as they mourn the losses within the ranks of the younger women they had hoped to mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re so smart. They\u2019re so innovative. They\u2019re so bold,\u201d the general says. And many are determined, she adds, to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I leave and other women leave,\u201d the general says, \u201cthen what is left?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recommended<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/The-Culture\/Faith-Religion\/2025\/0930\/gen-z-religion-faith-women-children\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/The-Culture\/Faith-Religion\/2025\/0930\/gen-z-religion-faith-women-children\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/09\/1200196_1_0929-gen_z_standard.png?alias=square_200x200\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/The-Culture\/Faith-Religion\/2025\/0930\/gen-z-religion-faith-women-children\"><strong>Gen Z women say \u2018no thanks\u2019 to motherhood. Reasons range from practical to spiritual.<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cThey performed magnificently\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Prior to becoming defense secretary, Mr. Hegseth made no secret of his skepticism about women\u2019s military service. \u201cI\u2019m straight up just saying we shouldn\u2019t have women in combat roles,\u201d he said last year on a podcast. \u201cOver human history, men in those positions are more capable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Tuesday, he decried leaders who were promoted \u201cbased on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts\u201d that had made the U.S. military \u201cless capable and less lethal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shortly after being confirmed as secretary by a 51-50 vote, Mr. Hegseth fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first female officer to rise to the Navy\u2019s top job as chief of naval operations, as well as Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black officer to lead a branch of the U.S. armed forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Less than 24 hours after his inauguration, President Donald Trump terminated Adm. Linda Fagan, who as commandant of the Coast Guard had become the first woman to lead a branch of the armed forces. \u201cNow, those of us who are left, we don\u2019t have role models to look up to,\u201d says the general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By April, official records of some of the first women and Black troops to serve in the military were removed \u2013 in some cases temporarily \u2013 from Pentagon websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/10\/1002_NMILWOMEN_SHOOT.jpg?alias=standard_1200x800\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark Humphrey\/AP\/File<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Female soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, train on a firing range while testing new body armor in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Sept. 18, 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Hegseth has \u201cdone everything he can to erase the stories of minorities, including women \u2013 to erase their accomplishments, to fire them, to just get rid of them,\u201d says retired Col. Ellen Haring, who was in one of the first classes of women to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy and is now a senior research fellow at Women in International Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recommended<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/0926\/comey-indictment-trump-weaponization\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/0926\/comey-indictment-trump-weaponization\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/09\/0926%20NCOMEY%20LEDE.jpg?alias=square_200x200\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/0926\/comey-indictment-trump-weaponization\"><strong>With Comey indictment, Trump shatters norms of US justice system<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The secretary has chosen 1990 as a benchmark year for physical standards. Have standards changed \u201cdue to a softening, weakening, or gender-based pursuit of other priorities?\u201d he wondered aloud on Tuesday. \u201c1990 seems as good a place to start as any.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The choice of the year was no mistake, critics say. It was in 1991 that Congress first began to repeal the laws banning women from serving in combat aviation. By 2013, lawmakers had repealed laws barring women from combat, and in 2016, following three years of study, all front-line jobs were officially opened to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the meantime, some 300,000 female troops have been deployed to America\u2019s wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere since 2001. During that same time, some 1,200 have been injured or killed in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Retired Gen. Peter Chiarelli was tapped to command U.S. combat operations in Iraq in 2006 and served as the Army\u2019s vice chief of staff from 2008 to 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was also name-checked in the defense secretary\u2019s speech as the kind of officer that the Trump administration no longer wants to serve. \u201cOut with the Chiarellis, the McKenzies and the Milleys,\u201d Mr. Hegseth said, referring to four-star generals Kenneth \u201cFrank\u201d McKenzie, who led U.S. Central Command, and Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both of whom served in Mr. Trump\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/10\/1002_NMILWOMEN_Chiarelli.jpg?alias=standard_1200x800\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Susan Walsh\/AP\/File<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gen. Peter Chiarelli testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, June 22, 2010. Now retired, General Chiarelli recalls that early in his time in Iraq the U.S. was fighting an Iraqi insurgency and needed medics, many of whom were women, to be assigned to more dangerous positions. \u201cThey performed magnificently,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>General Chiarelli, who retired from the Army in 2012, recalls that early in his time in Iraq there was still pressure coming from Congress to limit the role of women in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recommended<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/1001\/trump-vought-shutdown-fire-federal-workers\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/1001\/trump-vought-shutdown-fire-federal-workers\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/09\/0930%20NSHUTTERED%20dems.jpg?alias=square_200x200\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/1001\/trump-vought-shutdown-fire-federal-workers\"><strong>Trump threatens mass layoffs as shutdown begins. Can he do that?<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat created a huge problem for me,\u201d he told the Monitor Wednesday. The U.S. was fighting an Iraqi insurgency and needed medics, many of whom were women, to be assigned to more dangerous positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI encouraged our commanders to go ahead and do it, to put women in those positions,\u201d he says. \u201cThey performed magnificently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Religious undertones?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There has been concern among some some military officials&nbsp;about the religious undertones that they see accompanying Mr. Hegseth\u2019s reservations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In August, Mr. Hegseth reposted on his X account a CNN segment that featured a pastor, Doug Wilson, who is often described as a Christian nationalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the CNN report, Mr. Wilson said he doesn\u2019t believe women should hold leadership positions in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A statement from a Pentagon spokesperson following Mr. Hegseth\u2019s X posting said the defense secretary \u201cis a proud member of a church affiliated with\u201d Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, which Mr. Wilson co-founded, and \u201cvery much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson\u2019s writings and teachings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/10\/1002_NMILWOMEN_SWIM.jpg?alias=standard_1200x800\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Patrick A. Albright\/U.S. Army\/AP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Capt. Seth Deltenre, left, and 1st Lt. Gabrielle White, from the Maneuver Center of Excellence in Fort Benning, Georgia, compete in the Run-Swim-Run event during the 2025 Best Ranger Competition, April 11, 2025, at Victory Pond in Fort Benning. About 170 women serve as Rangers, an elite branch of Army Special Operations Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Mr. Hegseth became defense secretary, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has received a \u201ctsunami\u201d of calls, says Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force officer and lawyer, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the group<\/a>\u2019s founder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recommended<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/0929\/government-shutdown-congress-mass-firings\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/0929\/government-shutdown-congress-mass-firings\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/09\/0929%20NSHUTDOWN%20CAPITOL.jpg?alias=square_200x200\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/0929\/government-shutdown-congress-mass-firings\"><strong>A government shutdown looms. This time, the impact could last.<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Complaints about sexism in the military are also about three times higher than they were last year, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A former Army chaplain who spoke on background said \u201cthere had been progress\u201d as the Pentagon took on misogyny and military sexual assaults in the years since women have served on the front lines. But in the Trump administration, men appear to be freer to say and do what they like, the former chaplain added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He now serves as what\u2019s known as an Ecclesiastical Endorser, a federally vetted liaison between churches and the Department of Defense. Many of the chaplains he is responsible for are women who are feeling \u201cscared, and they\u2019re discriminated against,\u201d he says. \u201cWomen are leaving prematurely from a career or choosing not to pursue it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cecilia Bradford, a chaplain in the Army Reserve, says she has come \u201cface to face\u201d with fellow chaplains \u201cwho didn\u2019t believe women should be in ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But she is also driven by the conviction that she can make a difference. Now, she says, she wants \u201cto make sure that we continue on.\u201d The field has been male-dominated \u201cfor so long,\u201d she adds, \u201cthat if we don\u2019t leave our imprint, it could very well go back to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s a concern shared by the general who was in the audience for Mr. Hegseth\u2019s speech. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked very, very hard\u201d to attract and keep women in the military, she says. The Trump administration is \u201cactively working against what I have worked for, and it blows my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recommended<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/1002\/portland-national-guard-trump\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/1002\/portland-national-guard-trump\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2025\/10\/1001_NPROTLAND_LEDE.jpg?alias=square_200x200\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Politics\/2025\/1002\/portland-national-guard-trump\"><strong>From LA to Portland: Tracking Trump\u2019s expansive use of the National Guard<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Hegseth, during his speech, touted the work his department has done in past months \u201cto remove the social justice &#8230; garbage that has infected\u201d the military. \u201cNo more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship. No more division, distraction, or gender delusions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, he endeavored, it seemed, to offer some reassurance, stressing that both racism and sexual harassment \u201care wrong and illegal.\u201d Infractions, he added, \u201cwill be ruthlessly enforced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also said that America\u2019s female troops \u201care the absolute best in the world\u201d and that defense officials \u201cvery much value [their] impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As far as combat jobs go, \u201cIf women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If it means that no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,\u201d he added this week. \u201cThis is not the intent, but it could be the result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There will be women who qualify among the many who have already surpassed gender-neutral standards, says Dr. Haring, pointing to the 170 women who currently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/USA\/Military\/2015\/0430\/Breaking-military-s-ultimate-glass-ceiling-Women-start-Ranger-training\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serve as Rangers<\/a>, an elite branch of Army Special Operations Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deepen your worldview<br>with&nbsp;<strong>Monitor Highlights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By signing up, you agree to our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/About\/Privacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Already a subscriber?<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/auth\/sso_login\">Log in to hide ads<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat [Mr. Hegseth] doesn\u2019t recognize or acknowledge,\u201d she adds, \u201cis that once you finally let women compete, many, many, many women have successfully done all the things he thinks women can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Staff writer Anna Mulrine Grobe reported from Brussels.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0|\u00a0Evan Vucci\/AP Members of the U.S. military&#8217;s senior leadership listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Sept. 30, 2025. About 800 flag officers attended speeches by the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Oct. 02, 2025, 3:53 p.m. ET|WASHINGTON (CSMonitor.com) Even before his tenure&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/03\/if-i-leave-what-is-left-why-officers-battle-hegseth-for-womens-right-to-fight\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44355"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44355"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44356,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44355\/revisions\/44356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}