“Now, weakening [lowering] the standards is another matter that should never be allowed to happen.” While I agree, unfortunately, it has happened in many cases, the first of which - to the best of my knowledge - was dual standards for PT tests. One wonders what might happen when they get to peer evals; no recycles for Ranger candidates who are peered out...
Hard to say with what we know now. As far as I have heard, the standards have not been lowered.
Lowering standards frequently leads to disasters. The female Navy pilot quite a few years back splashed and sank on a carrier landing. Word went around that she had been recycled until they could pencil whip a pass in flight training and that she was an incompetent pilot. All because she was part of the first class of women pilots.
In the AF I flew on and ABNCP with one of the first AF female pilots. She was an abomination who scared one too many general officers and lied about an incident to another. She still flew for qual but was made the safety officer (ironic). She was also nuttier than Mr. Peanut.