It's a move that underscores Hegseth's broader push for higher standards in the military, but also one that reflects the long-running debate over gender integration in the ranks.

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.

The review will include standards for physical fitness, body composition and grooming, including beards, which are currently not allowed in the military, apart from some religious exemptions, according to a memo from Hegseth dated Wednesday. It will probe "why those standards changed and the impact of those changes," according to the memo.