Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that he would initiate a review of the entire military with respect to physical fitness, body composition, and grooming standards.

Hegseth observed in a memo to senior Pentagon leadership that the military requires “high, uncompromising, and clear standards” in order to remain a strong and disciplined fighting force. The review will examine how fitness and grooming standards have changed in the last decade.

“We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force,” he said. “This review will illuminate how the Department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past and the trajectory of any change.”

The review comes as the military sees more service members with poor body composition. Nearly two-thirds of military personnel are within the overweight or obese range of the body mass index, according to a study from the American Security Project published two years ago.

Just over one in three adults between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four are too heavy to serve, according to an analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among the young adults who meet weight requirements, only three in four have physical activity levels that enable them to complete basic training, meaning that only two in five young adults are eligible with respect to both weight and physical activity, offering challenges to recruitment.

Hegseth has sought to promote physical readiness and the “warrior ethos” in his first weeks as Defense Secretary. The former television host completed physical training with service members during his recent trip to military bases in Europe, observing that “strength equals readiness.”