US defence secretary Pete Hegseth slammed “fat generals” and diversity initiatives that he said had led to decades of decay in the military, and told a rare gathering of commanders on Tuesday they should resign if they do not support his agenda.
Mr Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, was joined by US president Donald Trump, himself a former reality television host, for an on-camera event in Quantico, Virginia, that had a made-for-TV character to it, with generals and admirals assembled on short notice.
“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,’” Mr Hegseth said as he kicked off the event. “But not any more,” he said.
Addressing an auditorium full of top brass summoned from around the world without explanation last week, Mr Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top US general, who is black, and the Navy’s top admiral, who is a woman. He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture.
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He promised sweeping changes to how complaints of discrimination are handled and how accusations of wrongdoing are investigated at the Pentagon, saying the current system has top brass walking on “egg shells”.
“If the words I’m speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honourable thing and resign,” Mr Hegseth said.
“I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.”
Mr Hegseth criticised the look of overweight troops, saying: “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
He said all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only and emphasised the importance of grooming standards.
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“The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos,” Mr Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence.
Mr Trump, as he departed for the event from the White House, told reporters on Tuesday that he would fire military leaders on the spot if he did not like them. Mr Trump then opened with a joke as he took the stage for a speech that lasted for more than an hour, saying: “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
But he then spoke warmly of the military, in sometimes-wandering remarks that touched on issues including the prowess of US nuclear submarines but also included fierce criticism of the media, former president Joe Biden and Venezuela.
He echoed Mr Hegseth when he turned his attention to his opposition to diversity initiatives.
“Merit. Everything’s based on merit. You’re all based on merit. We’re not going to have somebody taking your place for political reasons, because they are politically correct and you’re not,” Mr Trump said.
“I am with you. I support you, and as president, I have your backs 100 per cent,” Trump said.
[ Pentagon places restrictions on reporters in return for accessOpens in new window ]
The auditorium was filled with uniformed officials, seated in front of a stage with a large American flag, a lectern and boards that read: “Strength. Service. America.”
As Mr Trump spoke, several officers sat looking expressionless, and the room was far quieter than the crowds at Mr Trump’s usual gatherings. A naval officer took notes.
After his speech, Mr Trump departed the auditorium and there did not appear to be any one-on-one meetings with the assembled military leaders.
The US military is meant to be apolitical, loyal to the US Constitution and independent of any party or political movement. That creates pressure on commanders to avoid reacting to overtly political comments, by Mr Trump or Mr Hegseth.
It is unclear how much the event cost. It required military leaders to fly in from around the world before a potential government shutdown.
The Pentagon has undergone eight months of blistering changes since Mr Trump took office, including firings, banning of books from academy libraries and ordering of lethal strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela.
“If you try to poison our people, we will blow you out of existence,” Mr Trump told the audience.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump signed an executive order to rename the department of defence the “department of war”, reverting to a title it held until after the second World War, when officials sought to emphasise the Pentagon’s role in preventing conflict. The name change will require congressional approval.
The administration has announced a plan to send National Guard deployments to Chicago, the latest US city where Mr Trump aims to deploy troops despite objections from local authorities.
Mr Trump announced plans to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, over the weekend. He sent National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles earlier this year, despite protests from local officials.
“I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military. National Guard, but our military,” Mr Trump said, referring to Mr Hegseth. He acknowledged discomfort among his opponents for deploying the military on US streets, but said America was in the grip of what he described as a war from within, waged by immigrants who are in the country illegally and who his administration is seeking to deport.
“America is under invasion from within. We’re under invasion from within, no different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways, because they don’t wear uniforms,” Mr Trump said.
That triggered a sharp reaction on social media from Illinois governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat.
“Anyone who talks about their fellow Americans as enemies to be ‘taken out’ is not fit to lead the nation,” Mr Pritzker said on X. – Reuters
