Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told hundreds of junior military officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Wednesday that the Trump administration has achieved a fundamental cultural shift in the U.S. military.
"No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors," Hegseth said. "The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top."
Hegseth has vowed to reduce what he describes as a bloated flag-officer corps since taking over at the Pentagon. He said he had already achieved a 10% reduction and was aiming for 20%. His firings, and the unconventional manner in which he has intervened in promotion boards to effectively end the careers of senior officers, have drawn bipartisan criticism. Many of the notable dismissals involved Black or female officers, let go without explanation despite excellent service records.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement in response. "Throughout his tenure, Secretary Hegseth has taken countless reckless, partisan actions that have damaged our military. He has ended the careers of dozens of our most accomplished senior officers and refused to explain why. Today's news should alarm every American," Reed said.
In his speech, Hegseth defended his policies and claimed that retention and recruitment, including among women and minorities, had risen. He described the new force as "color-blind" and merit-based.
Hegseth also used the address to attack media coverage of troop morale and depleted munitions stocks during the ongoing war with Iran. "A free press is, of course, important, but partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission that they're undertaking is fundamentally anti-American. It's sick. It's a national betrayal. It's treason, actually," he said.
Despite the war with Iran, now in its seventh month, the Pentagon has not held a press briefing since May, even with a handpicked press corps considered more sympathetic to the Trump administration.
The event echoed a gathering last year in which Hegseth delivered an unusually partisan speech to hundreds of generals and admirals, despite the U.S. military's longstanding tradition of avoiding politics. Flag officers remained almost completely silent as he spoke on culture war themes drawn from his book The War on Warriors.
Hegseth announced that the "State of the Force" address would become an annual event. This year's edition was no less partisan, with Hegseth naming past generals and defense secretaries by name and blaming them for weakening the military.
Among new policy announcements, Hegseth outlined initiatives around autonomous weapons, technological innovation, base construction, and domestic production of essential military supplies. He also pledged to elevate the military's chaplains, calling religious faith the most essential component of the republic.
Earlier this week, Hegseth announced an end to civilian tenured positions at U.S. military academies. A Pentagon press release stated the move would "reform our educational institutions to ensure they remain laser-focused on lethality and readiness."
While criticizing elite academic institutions as anti-American, Hegseth named five new colleges that will pilot an enhanced relationship with the Pentagon to produce officer candidates.
