Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth assembled the brass of all military branches for a meeting that featured his 45-minute speech, which was streamed live. It is embedded below.
Hegseth wrote a book about how DEI was destroying our military, so nothing he said yesterday should have come as a surprise. He wants to restore the American military as a lethal war-fighting machine. We kill people and destroy things, he said.
At the same time, a military career is something to be proud of: he used the phrase “profession of arms” repeatedly. This was his message to our adversaries: “To our enemies: FAFO.”
He declared war on DEI:
We became the Woke Department. But not anymore. …No more dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship. … We are done with that shit.
Above all, the Secretary wants the military to be run on merit only. All combat personnel will be required to meet the highest male standard of physical fitness. No more affirmative action for women. Race, too, is out the window as a factor in promotion. Merit counts, and nothing else.
Hegseth issued a series of ten directives. They are described, although not quoted, on the War Department’s web site. One of his initiatives is to look at the standards that were in effect in 1990. If the standard has been changed, why? If it has been watered down, the military will revert to the 1990 version.
Everyone is to be physically fit. No more fat generals. No more beards and long hair. No more anonymous online complaining. Drill sergeants will be re-empowered, and we will see an end to “stupid rules of engagement.” “Maximum lethality” is the new watchword.
I don’t know how the generals and admirals took it. Per military discipline, they sat silently. I assume that some loved it, some didn’t. There have been firings and resignations, and I hope there are plenty more resignations. Hegseth didn’t blame officers for the decline in preparedness of recent years, he blamed elected leaders who installed woke policies. But, as he said, it is hard to change culture using the same personnel. Those who don’t buy into the new vision (which is, of course, the old vision) will be welcome to leave.
On the other hand, it is easy to imagine the reaction of patriotic 19-year-old men who are thinking they may want to enlist. Recruitment is way up under the Trump administration; watch for it to rise even higher.
