Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s assertion Tuesday that newly proposed military fitness standards may exclude women from certain combat roles has reignited fears about his approach to women in the armed forces.

In a highly unusual address to hundreds of the military’s top leaders in Quantico, Va., Hegseth declared new directives to ensure every combat position “returns to the highest male standard” of their service’s physical fitness test.

“If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” he said, though he stressed that the military will continue to welcome women into its ranks.

“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape, or in combat units with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men,” he said. “This job is life and death. Standards must be met.”

The comments — which hearken back to statements he made last year that nearly upended his nomination — sparked fresh concerns that Hegseth seeks to force out female troops under the guise of combat readiness. They also perplexed female veterans, as combat roles are already subject to gender-neutral standards.

“It seems to me that really that what he's asking for, what he wants to happen, is already how it works,” said Elisa Cardnell, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Service Women's Action Network and a Navy veteran who served aboard a destroyer in the Persian Gulf.

“Women have been allowed to be in combat roles, in all roles now, since 2016. In that time,........

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