India, Sept. 30 -- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared that the US military will require fighters to reach the "highest male standard" in physical fitness testing, recognising that this may exclude some women from service.

"Standards must be uniform, gender neutral, and high," Hegseth urged American military leaders in an unprecedented speech at a base bar near Washington, DC.

In front of hundreds of military commanders, the Defense Secretary reaffirmed his goal for a "warrior ethos" at the Pentagon, which includes undergoing a physical fitness exam twice a year and achieving particular height and weight standards.

He, however, went on to make an anti-women remark, saying that if new military protocols halt women from servin...