Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of US military officials to an in-person meeting on Tuesday to declare an end to “woke culture” in the military and announce new directives for troops that include gender-neutral or male-level standards for physical fitness.
Hegseth and President Donald Trump had abruptly called military leaders from around the world to convene at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington, without publicly revealing the reason until the morning of the meeting. Hegseth’s address largely focused on long-used talking points that painted a picture of a military hamstrung by woke policies. He urged military leaders who disagree with his new approach to do the honorable thing and resign.
Meetings between top military brass and civilian leaders are common, but the haste and secrecy surrounding this gathering fueled intense speculation about its purpose. Admirals and generals from conflict zones in the Middle East and elsewhere were summoned for a lecture on race and gender in the military, highlighting how culture wars have become a central agenda item at Hegseth’s Pentagon—despite ongoing broad national security concerns worldwide.
During his nearly hour-long speech, Hegseth criticized what he called the military’s promotion of too many leaders for the wrong reasons, such as race, gender quotas, and historic “firsts.”
> “The era of politically correct, overly sensitive don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now at every level,” Hegseth declared.
He announced plans to loosen disciplinary rules and weaken hazing protections, emphasizing the removal of many guardrails put in place after past scandals and investigations. Hegseth ordered a review of the department’s definitions of “toxic leadership,” bullying, and hazing to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second-guessing.
He also called for changes to the retention of adverse information on personnel records, allowing leaders with forgivable, earnest, or minor infractions to avoid being permanently encumbered by those matters.
> “People make honest mistakes, and our mistakes should not define an entire career,” Hegseth said. “Otherwise, we only try not to make mistakes.”
Bullying and toxic leadership have been linked to numerous military suicides over recent years, including the dramatic 2018 suicide of Brandon Caserta, a young sailor reportedly bullied into taking his own life. A Navy investigation found Caserta’s supervisors’ belligerence, vulgarity, and brash leadership likely contributed significantly to his decision.
Hegseth used the platform to criticize physical fitness and grooming standards, environmental policies, and the presence of transgender troops, while emphasizing his and President Trump’s focus on the warrior ethos and peace through strength.
> “The department has been told from previous administrations that our diversity is our strength, which I call an insane fallacy,” he said. “They had to put out dizzying DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and LGBTQE+ statements. They were told females and males are the same thing, or that males who think they’re females is totally normal.”
He also referenced the use of electric tanks and COVID-19 vaccine requirements as mistaken policies.
On the topic of women serving in the military, Hegseth clarified:
> “This is not about preventing women from serving. But when it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender neutral. If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”
During the meeting, President Trump spoke for an hour and 13 minutes on a variety of subjects. While the military is primarily designed to handle foreign threats, Trump emphasized his vision of using it for domestic purposes as well.
> “It’s the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it gets out of control,” Trump said. His remarks targeted criminals and immigrants in the country illegally. He also expressed complaints about insurrectionists funded by the radical left.
> “Many of our leaders used our military to keep peace,” he said.
Hegseth’s speech comes at a time when the country faces a potential government shutdown this week. Known for emphasizing lethality, Hegseth has recently taken several unusual and unexplained actions, including ordering cuts to the number of general officers and firing other top military leaders.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/hegseth-pledges-to-end-politically-correct-leadership-in-us-armed-forces-1813004.html