Jeannette Garcia, a councilmember for the City of Avondale, Arizona, has expressed her support for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s call for strict and uniform combat standards. She criticized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies by referencing her experience in Afghanistan. This statement was made on the social media platform X.
“DEI policies have weakened our military,” said Garcia. “I fully support @PeteHegseth speech today in standards. My team found an IED and had to wait for EOD support. Secretary of Wars leadership is exactly what our military needs – we need standards not suggestions!”
In late September 2025, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth convened hundreds of generals and admirals to discuss reforms aimed at restoring readiness and discipline within the military forces. Reports indicated that these reforms included mandates for daily physical training (PT), stricter height-weight enforcement, and a return to a single elite combat standard applied uniformly. These measures were framed as a pivot towards lethality and accountability, emphasizing merit and deployability—priorities that Garcia echoes in her endorsement of higher, uniform standards.
According to a Defense Health Agency analysis of 2018–2020 Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) field testing, men passed at a rate of 75.6% compared to 27.2% for women during that period. The report highlighted how training exposure and test familiarity affected outcomes, contributing to debates over whether physically demanding benchmarks should be uniform in close-combat roles. These figures continue to be referenced in discussions about readiness and designing standards tied to battlefield tasks.
A March 2025 RAND study linked ACFT outcomes to medical encounters, finding that soldiers who failed were about 20% more likely to be injured within 180 days. Stronger overall performance correlated with reduced risk of injury. The authors recommended pairing demanding standards with smart programming, coaching, and recovery efforts to maintain unit lethality while minimizing preventable injuries. For proponents of rigorous benchmarks, these findings support elevating conditioning as an operational safeguard rather than merely a compliance metric.
Garcia serves on the Avondale City Council in Arizona and has been an Avondale resident since 2001. She is a U.S. Army combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan on a Female Engagement Team alongside infantry and special operations elements. Public profiles identify her as a disabled veteran active in community advocacy focused on faith-forward initiatives and pro-readiness efforts. Her official city page outlines her appointment and civic priorities as a local leader.
