Hegseth rails against ‘woke,’ lays out standards in speech to top generals, admirals

(WASHINGTON) — As the government teeters on the brink of a shutdown, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday addressed an auditorium packed with several hundred of the nation’s most seasoned military commanders summoned last-minute from around the world.

The event occurred at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, a secure site an hour south of the nation’s capital. Hegseth kicked off the event with an extraordinarily blunt speech on the importance of the “warrior ethos,” a term he uses to describe the spirit that makes combat units effective.

“We must be prepared,” he said. “Either we’re ready to win or we are not.”

“This speech today is about people and it’s about culture,” he said, calling for “the right culture at the War Department.”

He acknowledged why he fired Gen. CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and other senior leaders.

Hegseth said his rationale “has been straightforward,” contending it’s hard to change a culture with people who benefited from that previous culture.

He demanded no more “fat generals,” saying all service members would need to meet fitness tests and grooming standards.

“No more beardos,” he said. “The era of unacceptable appearance is over.”

Brown never pushed “quotas” for promotions within the military, which relies on a merit-based system that Hegseth claimed wrongfully punished too many people for “toxic leadership.” Brown and others pushed the idea of recruiting from a broader section of America so that the military would look more like the nation it serves.

The secretary added that the department is “clearing the way for leaders to be leaders.”

“You might say we are ending the war on warriors,” Hegseth said.

He told his audience that if all the new standards he has unveiled makes their “hearts sink,” then they should resign.

As expected, Hegseth, who now goes by the title “secretary of war,” pressed hard, as part of the broader rebranding ordered by Trump, the importance of enforcing combat standards that keep troops lethal.

Trump followed Hegseth with his own speech, echoing Hegseth’s statements. He said as president, he would have their backs and that he is committed to making the military stronger, faster and fiercer “than ever before.”

The president went on a long-winded speech talking about several topics, including his claims that he has ended more foreign conflicts than previous presidents.

Trump also took shots at his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and his handling of the United States troops’ from Afghanistan, calling it “was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”

The president also took credit for the rise in military enlistments.

Last week, general and flag officers at the one-star level and above were told to fly to Quantico from their duty stations with just several days’ notice and no hint as to what the meeting might be about. The Pentagon declined to comment on the meeting, and speculation quickly spread that the meeting might have to do with urgent cuts to the military force or the national defense strategy, which would set new priorities for the second Trump administration and could change how troops train and equip themselves.

In the end, though, sources said the meeting appeared — at least as of now — to be more of a “rally the troops” speech similar to what Hegseth frequently gives in public venues and in Fox News interviews. But his remarks, which will be livestreamed to the public, will also provide a prime photo opportunity with Hegseth addressing hundreds of top military generals as their boss.

On Sunday, the program was given an unexpected jolt when the White House announced Trump would join Hegseth at Quantico. The White House has not said when or how the president learned of Hegseth’s meeting or why he wanted to participate. Aides also haven’t said what Trump’s remarks will focus on.

The Defense Department, which now coined by Trump and Hegseth as the “Department of War,” has not said how much it will cost to fly in so many people last minute, although it is widely expected to cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s also not clear exactly how many people were invited. Overall, there are 838 total general officers and admirals on active duty — 446 of them are from the higher two-star, three-star and four-star ranks — according to the Pentagon’s latest statistics from June.

The event comes as the government is careening toward a potential shutdown that could force some 2 million troops to work without pay if a spending bill doesn’t pass Congress by midnight Wednesday.

Most military personnel are on track to be paid Oct. 1, officials said Monday. But after that, troops would be at the mercy of negotiations on Capitol Hill, which remain at a stalemate.

According to a contingency plan posted by the Pentagon this weekend, all active-duty troops would be required to keep working. The plan says contracts can move forward, too, but under increased scrutiny with priority given to efforts to secure the U.S. southern border and build Trump’s U.S. missile shield known as “Golden Dome,” as well as operations in the Middle East and shipbuilding.

There had been speculation that the commanders traveling from around the world to hear Trump and Hegseth speak on Tuesday could get stuck away from their assigned work locations if the government shuts down that night. But according to government guidance, personnel must return home as soon as possible if a shutdown occurs while on work travel. Any travel costs incurred after the shutdown are reimbursable once spending resumes.

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