Hegseth Says He Has Transformed U.S. Military, Leaning Into Culture War Flashpoints

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told hundreds of junior military officers and enlisted leaders at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Wednesday that the Trump administration has achieved a cultural shift in the military, declaring: “No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors.”

The address, billed as a “State of the Force” speech, leaned into culture war flashpoints at a moment when the Pentagon is in its seventh month of war with Iran and has not held a news briefing since May. Hegseth said the “ideological clowns are out” and the “patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.”

Hegseth has vowed to shrink what he calls a bloated flag-officer corps since taking over at the Pentagon. He said he had already achieved a 10 percent reduction and aimed to reach 20 percent. But the firings so far, and his unconventional reach into promotion boards to end the careers of some senior officers, have drawn bipartisan criticism. Many of the notable firings were of Black or female officers who were let go without explanation despite excellent service records.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement: “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.”

In his speech, Hegseth defended his policies and claimed that retention and recruitment, including among women and minorities, have risen. He called the new force “color-blind” and merit-based.

Hegseth spent considerable time criticizing the media for reporting on troop morale and depleted munitions stocks in the 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.

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 foundational tradition of avoiding politics. The flag officers stayed almost completely silent as Hegseth spoke about culture war issues from his book The War on Warriors. He said the address would be an annual event and blamed past generals and defense secretaries by name for weakening the military.

Hegseth also announced new initiatives around autonomous weapons, technological innovation, base construction and domestic production of essential military supplies. He pledged to elevate the military’s chaplains and called religious faith the most essential component of the republic.

This week Hegseth also announced an end to civilian tenured positions at U.S. military academies; a Pentagon press release said the change would “reform our educational institutions to ensure they remain laser-focused on lethality and readiness.” While criticizing elite academic institutions as anti-American in his speech, Hegseth named five new colleges that will pilot an enhanced relationship with the Pentagon to produce officer candidates.