The Pentagon has requested that military personnel who meet strict physical, uniform, and grooming standards be selected to attend Pete Hegseth’s speech on September 30.

The Pentagon is seeking military personnel who can pass physical fitness tests, meet body composition requirements, and maintain an «impeccable» appearance to attend an upcoming speech by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

  • Why it matters: The selection reflects the emphasis Hegseth has placed on physical fitness, discipline, and appearance as components of U.S. military preparedness.

Pete Hegseth Speech Includes Strict Physical Requirements for Troops

The criteria appear in internal emails sent to commanders and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, not in a public Pentagon announcement.

To be considered, military personnel must pass the Army’s physical fitness test and meet the parameters established for the waist-to-height ratio.

They must also maintain «impeccable» grooming and uniform standards, with no exceptions, according to one of the emails cited by the Journal.

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The fact: The selection is not based solely on physical appearance. It also considers demonstrated leadership, professional character, communication skills, and the ability to make decisions under pressure.

Candidates must be consistently ranked among the top-performing members and maintain a clean record of integrity, discipline, and selfless service.

Additionally, they must serve as role models for their peers and subordinates, according to the criteria reported by the newspaper.

Some Military Personnel May Train With Him

The selected troops will also have the opportunity to take part in physical training with Hegseth during activities related to the event.

The speech, called «State of the Force,» is scheduled for September 30 and will have a different audience from the one convened a year earlier.

This time, it will include lower-ranking officers and enlisted personnel. The previous meeting was attended mainly by generals and admirals from the Armed Forces.

The difference: The new criteria make physical performance and personal presentation factors in determining who can be part of the audience.

A Pentagon official declined to comment on the initiative to the Journal. PEOPLE also reported that the Department of Defense did not offer additional comments.

Pete Hegseth Has Made Physical Fitness a Priority

The requirements align with a policy focus Hegseth has promoted since taking office as Secretary of Defense in January 2025.

During his speech last year in Quantico, Virginia, he publicly criticized the presence of military personnel and senior officials with obesity.

«It is completely unacceptable to see generals and admirals who are obese in the Pentagon’s hallways,» Hegseth said at the time, while defending stricter physical standards.

He also argued that physical fitness and appearance were the starting point for strengthening the readiness of the Armed Forces.

The context: Hegseth has linked these standards to his stated goal of strengthening combat capability and what he calls the «warrior spirit.»

His agenda has also included testosterone tests for military personnel over 30 years old as part of periodic health reviews, according to PEOPLE.

The September 30 speech will provide another example of how these priorities are being incorporated into an event where even the selection of attendees includes physical and professional criteria.