When federalized Texas National Guard soldiers first arrived in Illinois last week, viral media photos seemed to show that some of the troops likely exceeded the military's weight standards.

Those troops have reportedly been recalled to their home state and replaced by others who comply with War Secretary Pete Hegseth's more stringent fitness requirements, according to The Hill.

The move comes just weeks after the secretary berated a gathering of commanding officers for not enforcing the standards and allowing "fat troops" to serve under "fat generals and admirals."

Hegseth enforcing fitness standards on "fat troops"

Social media erupted with withering criticism and mockery in response to a photo that showed several heavyset Texas National Guard troops unloading their gear upon arrival in Illinois for a deployment -- currently blocked by a district judge -- to help protect federal facilities in the Chicago area.

Numerous commenters pointed out the obvious disparity between the overweight appearance of those soldiers compared to Secretary Hegseth's prioritizing of enforcing fitness standards.

On Monday, in response to a news article about some of those Texas troops being replaced by others in better shape, Hegseth posted on X, "Standards are back at The @DeptofWar."

Just a few weeks earlier, according to The Hill, while addressing a rare gathering of all of the U.S. military's top commanding officers, Hegseth emphasized the military's physical fitness standards and said, "Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops."

"Likewise," he added, "it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon leading commands around the country and the world."

Texas replaced the overweight troops

Secretary Hegseth's X post included a screenshot of a Task & Purpose article, which revealed that the Texas Military Department had recalled and replaced "a small group" of the soldiers who'd deployed to Illinois because they were not in compliance with fitness standards.

"In less than 24 hours, Texas National Guardsmen mobilized for the Federal Protection Mission," an unnamed spokesperson told the outlet. "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."

Though the Department confirmed the replacement, it did not disclose how many of the roughly 200 deployed troops from Texas had to be recalled.

National Guard emphasizes compliance with fitness standards

Interestingly enough, that move by the Texas Military Department came just a few days after the National Guard Bureau issued a statement that, albeit without mentioning them, was almost certainly in response to the viral photos of likely overweight Texas troops.

"All National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are required to meet service-specific height, weight, and physical fitness standards at all times," the Bureau said.

"When mobilizing for active duty, members go through a validation process to ensure they meet 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."

"The National Guard, states, territories, and District of Columbia are committed to excellence and lethality and are laser-focused on compliance and standards," the Bureau added.