In a stark address to a rare, hastily assembled gathering of top U.S. military commanders, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blistering critique of the Pentagon’s leadership, slammed “fat generals,” and issued a clear ultimatum: support his new agenda or resign.
“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,'” Hegseth said as he kicked off the event on Tuesday. “But not anymore.”
Joining Hegseth was former President Donald Trump, who echoed the Secretary’s sentiments and told the room of admirals and generals, “I have your backs 100%.” The event, which felt like it was built for television, conveyed a strong and contentious message, testing the historically apolitical nature of the U.S. military and indicating a significant change in the Pentagon’s goals.
Who is Pete Hegseth and What is His Agenda?
Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and Army National Guard veteran, was appointed Defense Secretary eight months ago. His tenure has been marked by rapid, sweeping changes, including the firing of senior officers, banning certain books from military academy libraries, and authorizing aggressive military strikes. His speech on Tuesday was the clearest articulation of his philosophy to date, directly blaming decades of what he called “decay” on diversity initiatives and a loss of warrior ethos.
He defended his firings of the previous top U.S. general, who is Black, and the Navy’s top admiral, who is a woman, stating they were part of a “broken culture.” He promised to overhaul how the Pentagon handles discrimination complaints, arguing the current system has top brass walking on “egg shells.”
Also Read: Power Up Your Morning: A Vegetarian Breakfast with 30g of Protein, No Meat, No Supplements
What Did Hegseth Say to the Commanders?
Hegseth’s message was uncompromising. He spoke to an auditorium of uniformed officials who had been summoned on short notice from posts around the world, just ahead of a potential government shutdown. His remarks were met with silence.
He targeted physical appearance and professional standards, declaring, “The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos.” He also called it “completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” announcing that all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only.
Most significantly, he issued a direct challenge to the commanders’ loyalty to his vision. “If the words I’m speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth said. “I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.”
How Did Donald Trump Support This New Direction?
Former President Trump, who earlier told reporters he would fire military leaders he didn’t like, took the stage for a speech that lasted over an hour. He reinforced Hegseth’s core themes, focusing on a merit-based system over diversity initiatives.
“Merit. Everything’s based on merit. .. We’re not going to have somebody taking your place for political reasons, because they are politically correct and you’re not,” Trump said. He also joked about the consequences of dissent, stating, “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
His speech also touched on a contentious proposal for domestic military deployments. “I told Hegseth we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military,” Trump said, referring to plans to send troops to cities like Chicago and Portland. He framed this as a response to an “invasion from within” by immigrants in the country illegally, whom he described as a threat “more difficult in many ways, because they don’t wear uniforms.”
What Has Been the Political and Military Reaction?
The event drew immediate and sharp condemnation from Democratic leaders, who accused the administration of injecting deep partisan politics into the armed forces. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, “It signals that partisan loyalty matters more than capability, judgment, or service to the Constitution, undermining the principle of a professional, nonpartisan military.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, reacted strongly to Trump’s “invasion from within” comments, posting on X, “Anyone who talks about their fellow Americans as enemies to be ‘taken out’ is not fit to lead the nation.”
Within the auditorium, the reaction was more subdued. Reports noted that several officers sat expressionless, and the room was far quieter than at a typical Trump rally. A naval officer was seen taking notes, a small sign of the weight of the moment for a military corps trained to remain apolitical.
