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Women who served in the armed forces are pushing back against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's statement that requirements for military positions will "return to the highest men's benchmark," saying the criteria have historically been the equal for men and women.

"None of us have at any point requested preferential treatment," Elisa Cardnell, who was enlisted for half a decade, told the media.

Speaking numerous generals on Tuesday, Hegseth repeated his beliefs that the armed forces had lowered standards to accommodate female personnel and placed service members at danger. His new directives would bring them back to a higher level, he said.

"Should it result in zero females meet the criteria for combat jobs, then that's acceptable," he remarked.

He maintained that women would not be barred from the armed forces completely.

Several female veterans were outraged.

"I'm fed up of Pete Hegseth lying about women in the military and requirements," former US Marine fighter pilot Amy McGarth said in a social media post.

"There has always been one standard for such positions," she continued. "There was never a male requirement or a female criterion for operating an aircraft."

The Navy veteran, too, explained that gender and age were not part of evaluations given for military positions.

Military requirements are set differently depending on the unit a person is serving in, if they are in special operations, ground forces, armored divisions or rescue teams, she stated. However, all personnel in these positions have to pass the identical assessment.

"These requirements have always been unbiased, and they have always been set at a high standard," she remarked. "Naturally, not all women are going to meet them, but some males do either."

This is not the same for the yearly fitness assessments administered to all service members, which comprise standard drills like push-ups. In those cases, the standards and scores vary according to age and gender, and the assessments differ by division.

The veteran commented it is still uncertain if Hegseth will truly bring major reforms to how military personnel are assessed.

In his address, Hegseth stated: "Any place where proven fitness requirements were modified, especially since recent years, when combat arms benchmarks were changed to allow women could qualify, must be restored to their initial level."

He appeared to refer to a directive in that year by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter that all military jobs be available for women and that every individual, regardless of gender, who fulfills the criteria should be able to enlist.

"Regarding any job that demands strength to perform in combat, those physical standards must be rigorous and gender neutral," Hegseth remarked. "If women can make it, outstanding. Otherwise, that's the reality."

Broadly, Hegseth said he was revising standards across the armed forces to "fix decades of decline" and that the military have "advanced too many officers for the incorrect motives," like ethnicity, sex and "historic so-called firsts."

Lawmaker Tammy Duckworth, an former service member who was critically wounded while on duty as a combat pilot in the Middle East, commented to reporters after the speech: "From someone who's not qualified for his own job, it's pretty biased to discuss females who are qualified to perform their duties."

She added that his comments could harm recruitment.

Women in the US military were first allowed to fly combat aircraft in the Navy and Air Force in the early nineties, although they were excluded from ground combat. This shifted in 2013 when the restriction on female combat roles was lifted and by that period combat roles were available for all.

Because of how recently females were included in all ranks, numerous are currently in the midst of their careers, Ms Cardnell explained.

"Progress is gradual to observe females achieve high ranks, and we haven't had a chance to witness it," she remarked.

Currently active and veteran female soldiers are concerned that Hegseth is creating a armed forces environment where women will be marginalized and unable to advance, she commented.

"Leadership sets the tone," she noted.

Some women in uniform disagreed with Hegseth's comments.

Republican House Representative Sheri Biggs, who was enlisted as a senior officer in the Air National Guard, stated in a statement that she backed the Pentagon chief's efforts to eliminate "woke" policies from the armed forces.

"Returning to requirements that prioritize excellence and responsibility puts national defense and our troops where they should be — foremost," Biggs remarked.

Another GOP representative, Representative Nancy Mace, who graduated from The Citadel academy, posted on social media in support of Hegseth.

"Adversaries are not intimidated by inclusion metrics. They dread American firepower," she wrote.