Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of Health and Human Services, joined service members from five military branches and Defense Department civilians, Aug. 13 to participate in a first-of-its-kind "fitness check."
The event, held in the Pentagon Athletic Center, featured six, five-person teams representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps and DOD. Each team participated in a competition where individuals had to complete 50 pullups and 100 pushups in 10 minutes or less.
"We're going to have a little fun today — a little competition between departments — and I appreciate you taking part," Hegseth told the joint force contestants at the event's outset.
He explained to the group that the fitness check was part of an overall promotion by DOD to highlight the importance of physical fitness throughout the chain of command.
"We've talked about [how] we're going to be fit, not fat; we've talked about how we're going to be ready — it's a real thing," Hegseth told the group, adding that it matters what service members look like, how they carry themselves and whether or not they are capable of doing what the job requires of them on a physical level.
In his Jan. 25, 2025, message to the force, Hegseth made it clear that having high standards — including high fitness standards — is one of his top priorities that contribute to restoring the warrior ethos.
In addition to physical fitness, Hegseth said physical health is also a key ingredient to having a successful fighting force, which is why DOD is working with Kennedy and HHS to identify pilot programs to improve the quality of food that troops are consuming.
Kennedy spent his time addressing the group, stating that there is a diabetes crisis among America's youth, with about 38% of the country's teens suffering from diabetes.
Additionally, 78% of young Americans don't qualify for military service, with a failure to meet physical fitness standards being a major factor, Hegseth and Kennedy said.
The secretaries said one of the primary goals of the fitness check is to eventually expand it beyond the military to young Americans in order to encourage them to embrace fitness.
"[This is] really a challenge to the American people, who — if they're like my kids — they look up to you guys and gals; they look up and respect the commitment you've made," Hegseth told the service members prior to the fitness check's start.
The competition itself consisted of two 10-minute rounds, providing the competitors — including Hegseth and Kennedy — the chance to alternate between participating in the pushups and pullups in one round and observing and counting reps for their teammates in the other.
When the competition ended, the Marine Corps team was victorious. One Marine — Gunnery Sgt. Daquan Hye — had the fastest overall completion time for all participants by doing the 50 pullups and 100 pushups in a mere two minutes, 43 seconds.
Hye said maintaining a high level of physical fitness in the military is important for two reasons: sustaining the warfighter mentality and setting high standards.
"When people see you out, they should see by the way you carry yourself — by the way your physique looks — [that] they shouldn't be surprised when you tell them that [you're] in the military," Hye said.
Another fitness check participant, Space Force Maj. Carl M. Cunnane, also agreed that high fitness standards are essential in the military.
"[In the military], even simple office jobs have a [requirement] to handle anything in a crisis," Cunnane said, noting that when the Pentagon was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, many service members had to muster the physical strength to help evacuate their coworkers.
"I want to know — [regarding] the [people] to the left and to the right of me — if I'm capable, I'm going to be carrying them out if they need it; and, vice versa, I would hope they would carry me out," he said.
For many participants in the fitness challenge, just having the opportunity to come out in a friendly, joint environment and compete against their fellow service members and civilians was a great experience, win or lose.
"It's a great competition; it's great to get out there … [to] build that team cohesion against the joint forces and also to push ourselves as hard as we can and then set the example for others to follow," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Nicholas P. Rockey.
"This was a great opportunity to build camaraderie amongst the services," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Crystal Gonzalez, who had the opportunity to speak with both Hegseth and Kennedy during the competition.
"Having this opportunity within the military is a beautiful thing, and I love it, and I'm glad I showed up," she added.