“The article at the link says Hegseth specifically said standards cannot be lowered.”
Define “lowered”. He said create a combined standard, which means right then and there the standard is lowered. He did not say make the standard the one the men use.
Hegseth added, “We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles to ensure our men and women who are under our leaders or in those formations have the best possible leaders and the highest possible standards that are not based at all on your sex if you’re a man or a woman.”
Hegseth explained that he would be signing the memorandum, which would be reviewed by the various U.S. military service branches, and that the United States would “soon” have “nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.”