<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/war" rel="" target="" title="Senior Pentagon leaders"><span>Senior Pentagon leaders</span></a><span> are putting together lists of uniformed US service members who will be offered the chance to attend the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/could-you-beat-donald-trump-in-a-fight-poll-results-ufc-event/41cb10ab-ac15-4fd2-bfe9-34b66bd246f5" rel="" target="" title="UFC fight at the White House"><span>UFC fight at the White House</span></a><span> next month hosted by </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="" title="President Donald Trump"><span>President Donald Trump</span></a><span>, but tickets will only be given to those who meet military body composition standards, according to guidance memos reviewed by CNN and sources familiar with the process.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Ticket recipients are required to meet the DOW waist-to-height ratio standard of less than 0.55, as well as all service specific physical fitness test requirements," one of the memos sent to service members says, using the Pentagon's preferred acronym for the agency.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That figure is roughly in line with standards for service members that the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/war" rel="" target="" title="Defence Department"><span>Defence Department</span></a><span> put in place earlier this year when it made waist-to-height ratio the new body composition standard for measuring a service member's "warfighting readiness."</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-kennedy-centre-judge-orders-renaming-illegal-cancels-closure-president-lashes-out/d4d3fa5a-198b-4555-b244-3f7ef8622bfa"><strong><span>Trump lashes out after judge stops him renaming Kennedy Centre after himself</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Cleveland Clinic lists the average height of American men and women at 175 centimetres and 163 centimetres respectively. At those heights troops would need to have a maximum 37-inch (94 cm) waist for the average man and 35-inch (89cm) waist for the average woman.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The switch in the body composition standards is part of an intense focus on physical fitness by </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/pete-hegseth-suspicious-trades-blackrock-defence-stocks-pentagon-secretary-of-war-denial/31095d1a-7d6e-479b-96f8-e087a3a92de8" rel="" target="" title="Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth"><span>Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth</span></a><span>, who described his vision for the military in a speech to senior uniformed leaders last year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There will be no "fat troops" or "fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon," Hegseth said in the October during a speech at Marine Base Quantico, Virginia.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/white-house-ufc-event-free-tickets-donald-trump-weight-requirements/b1ea47b7-a6ac-453b-b8da-f4127bce8e7b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Pentagon declined to comment on the guidance about the UFC event.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One defence official said the selection requirements for </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-donald-trump-makes-ufc-appearance-amid-la-immigration-riots/6d104884-01c0-4ec9-9d87-01b003b6ea1a" rel="" target="" title="Trump's made-for-TV UFC event"><span>Trump's made-for-TV UFC event</span></a><span> send a very clear message to soldiers interested in attending: "No fattys."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-250-bill-face-mugshot-treasury-scott-bessent-money-currency-usa-politics-news/42b7ada3-6be9-49b2-b2dc-667582a8541a"><strong><span>US government pushes to put Donald Trump's face on new $250 bill</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Another defence official familiar with the approval process said senior Pentagon leaders have signalled their preference that DoD attendees "look good" on camera during the event. "Basically, no fat soldiers," the person said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The guidance also directs commanders to only distribute tickets to "genuine UFC fans" and to focus on selecting junior enlisted and junior officers, according to the memos reviewed by CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And while the Pentagon guidance recommends military leaders recruit attendees who live outside the nation's capital, it notes that service members will be required to pay their own way, though the tickets are free.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Pentagon has tightly orchestrated the optics of Trump's appearances with US troops, including at his previous visit to Ft. Bragg where soldiers were handpicked for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-freedom-250-concert-lineup-acts-names-bands-pulling-out-young-mc-commodores/0ab6cb17-18c6-4dff-8ee1-934b9dc9f258"><strong><span>Musicians back out of Trump's Washington concert after widespread criticism</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>