WASHINGTON (TNND) — A small, but unspecified number of Texas National Guardsman were pulled from deployment into Chicago after the Texas Military Department ruled they were “not in compliance” with its “validation process.”
Last week, 200 Texas National Guard troops were deployed to Chicago as part of President Donald Trump’s federalization of the Windy City.
A photo of the Texas National Guard in the Chicago suburb of Elwood went viral because several of the troops had rounded stomaches, thick necks and chubby faces. The photo’s circulation comes as Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared at a summit of military leaders in late September his disdain for seeing obese troops, saying the military has gone soft.
Hegseth said that troops will now be required to do physical fitness everyday and twice a year fitness testing.
Task & Purpose first reported the Texas Military Department’s decision to pull guardsman from the Chicago deployment.
“In less than 24 hours, Texas National Guardsmen mobilized for the Federal Protection Mission,” a spokesperson for the Texas Military Department told Task & Purpose.
“The speed of the response necessitated a concurrent validation process, during which we identified a small group of service members who were not in compliance and have been replaced.”
However, the Texas Military Department did not provide context as to what prompted the Texas National Guardsman from being removed or how they were out of compliance. Instead, on October 9, the Department released a statement saying that “National Guard Soldiers and Airman are required to meet service-specific height, weight and physical fitness standards at all times.”
“When mobilizing for active duty, members go through a validation process to ensure they meet those requirements,” the statement continued. “On the rare occasions when members are found not in compliance, they will not go on mission. They will be returned to their home station, and replacements who do meet standards will take their places.”
On Monday, Hegseth shared a link to Task & Purpose’s article displaying the headline “Some Texas National Guard troops replaced in Illinois after failing to meet standards,” including his own comment which stated “Standards are back at [The Defense Department.]
Meanwhile, on Saturday, a Chicago federal appeals court ruled that National Guard troops are permitted to be federalized in Illinois but are blocked from being actively deployed in the city. Last Thursday, a federal judge issued a two-week restraining order against the mobilizing, ruling that if the troops are deployed, it could be a violation of the 10th and 14th Amendments.