~VIDEO OF SENATOR HIRONO'S LINE OF QUESTIONING HERE~

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Under questioning from Senator Mazie K. Hirono's (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), top enlisted leaders from each of the armed services, along with the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that there is no evidence that women in combat roles lower standards for their units. Following a Pentagon decision to review the "effectiveness of women in combat jobs," Hirono raised concerns during a SASC Personnel Subcommittee hearing about the administration's "attack on women" and potential steps to remove women from combat positions.

The Department of Defense's review "undermines the sacrifice of thousands of female service members who have already met the rigorous gender-neutral standards and have served in combat with distinction," Senator Hirono said.

Women have been able to serve in combat roles for the past ten years. At a SASC hearing, Hirono pressed miliary leaders on if they believed the fact of women being present in combat units lowers standards. Each enlisted leader disagreed.

"I've seen no data that supports that there's any lowering of standards or that there's lowering of the readiness of units with those females in those units," said Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff David Isom, a former member of the Navy's SEAL Team 6.

Top military publications Marine Corps Times and Task & Purpose reported on the hearing, detailing how Hirono's questioning led leaders to confirm that gender alone does not compromise military standards or readiness.

Read the full article from the Marine Corps Times here and Task and Purpose here or below.

Marine Corps Times: No evidence women in combat roles lower standards, top enlisted leaders say

By: Karen Jowers | Thurs, Feb 12, 2026­­

Top enlisted leaders from each service told lawmakers Wednesday that they support women serving in any role in the military, including combat arms, if they meet the established standards.

Enlisted leaders from the five services, as well as the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that they have yet to see any indication that women serving in combat units have caused standards to lower.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent call for a review of the effectiveness of women in combat roles prompted Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, to question the service leaders during a Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee hearing.

"This is an attack on women to call for this kind of review," Hirono said during the hearing focusing on troops' quality of life. "I think that he is laying the groundwork to reverse the policy allowing women to serve in combat arms positions."

Hirono added that she plans to introduce legislation to codify the DOD policy allowing women to serve in combat arms positions as long as they meet required standards.

The six-month assessment, first reported by NPR in January, requires the Army and Marine Corps to submit data to assess the operational effectiveness of ground combat units. It will also analyze how women have integrated into these ground combat roles over the span of more than a decade.

"I've seen no data that supports that there is any lowering of standards or that there's lowering of the readiness of units with those females in the units," Navy Master Chief David L. Isom, senior enlisted adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the hearing.

"I'm not seeing anything that leads me to believe there's an issue with meeting the standard or affecting readiness," Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer added.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Wolfe said he has served with "some of the best warfighters that the world has ever known" in the Air Force. "Some of them happen to be men, some of them happen to be women. Absolutely not, I've not seen any erosion."

From the Space Force, the service's Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna noted that "we have not seen any erosion in the readiness based on any of the administration's positions."

Hegseth's review, Hirono added, "undermines the sacrifice of thousands of female service members who have already met the rigorous gender neutral standards and have served in combat with distinction."

She said everyone who wants to serve their country should have the opportunity to do so, to include LGBTQ members.

Task & Purpose: Top enlisted leaders say they see no issue with women in combat arms meeting standards

By: Patty Nierberg | Thurs, Feb 12, 2026­­

The top enlisted leaders for each of the military branches - all of whom are men - said they have no issue with women in combat roles meeting the same standards as men.

The remarks were in response to a question posed at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday about a recently ordered Pentagon review of the "effectiveness" of women in combat jobs. The review, which will look at data on ground combat troop readiness, training, casualties, and deployability, comes more than a decade after the Department of Defense lifted the ban on women in combat roles.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) asked the all-male panel for their input, saying that the review was "an attack on women" and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was "laying the groundwork" to reverse the decade-old policy that approved women to serve in combat jobs.

"It also undermines the sacrifice of thousands of female service members who have already met the rigorous gender-neutral standards and have served in combat with distinction," she said.

Hirono prompted the enlisted leaders to answer the question: "Do you believe the mere fact of women being in these combat arms units lowers standards?"

She directed the question to each enlisted leader and they all disagreed.

"I've seen no data that supports that there's any lowering of standards or that there's lowering of the readiness of units with those females in those units," said Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff David Isom, a former member of the Navy's SEAL Team 6.

Both Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman IV and Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz responded the same way, saying: "Senator, no."

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer also said "no," adding that "I'm not seeing anything that leads me to believe there's an issue with meeting the standard or affecting readiness."

And Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Wolfe said that "From my perspective, I serve with some of the best war fighters that the world has ever known. Some of them happen to be men. Some of them happen to be women. Absolutely not. I have not seen any erosion."

Lastly, "from the Space Force perspective, we've not seen any erosion in the readiness based on any of the administration's positions," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna.

The top enlisted leaders in the U.S. military testified before the Senate on Feb. 11 about quality-of-life issues facing junior troops. Air Force photo by Chad Trujillo.

In January, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said that the military's combat standards would be "uniform" and "sex neutral," adding that they "will not compromise standards to satisfy quotas or an ideological agenda."

A number of women who served in combat arms, like infantry and armor, told Task & Purpose that they have repeatedly proved that they can meet the same standards as men - whether by graduating from Ranger School, one of the Army's most physically grueling schools, or in their day-to-day jobs, which require they complete physically demanding tasks like loading artillery shells or even carrying their peers on their back.

Hirono then asked the leaders if they agreed that troops, "regardless of gender," should be allowed to serve in any role, including combat arms, if they meet "established standards."

All agreed, with Weimer adding, "Yes, senator. It's about standards."

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