Hegseth says “the era of the Defense Department is over,” Trump to address generals in rare meeting

Hegseth mentioned he wished to acknowledge the “new proactive social media insurance policies.” 

“Nameless, on-line or keyboard complaining isn’t worthy of a warrior,” Hegseth mentioned. “It is cowardice masquerading his conscience. Nameless, unit degree social media pages that trash commanders, demoralize troops and undermine unit cohesion should not be tolerated.” 

Hegseth defended his decision to fire senior military officers soon after he was confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

“It’s nearly impossible to change a culture with the same people who helped create or even benefited from that culture,” he said.

But Hegseth said those fired senior leaders were “following elected political leadership.”

“An entire generation of generals and admirals were told that they must parrot the insane fallacy that ‘our diversity is our strength,'” Hegseth said.

He said the “new compass heading is clear: Out with the Chiarellis, the McKenzies and the Millies.”

Hegseth appears to be referencing former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, former U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie and retired Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who served as the Army vice chief of staff.

Hegseth slammed the “toxic leaders” who he said are “endangering subordinates” by “promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of based on merit.” 

“Real toxic leadership is promoting destructive ideologies that are an anathema to the Constitution and the laws of nature and nature’s God, as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence,” Hegseth said. “The definition of toxic has been turned upside down, and we’re correcting that.” 

Hegseth said the Defense Department will be “undertaking a full review of the department’s definition of so-called toxic leadership, bullying and hazing, to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second-guessing.” 

He added that “we’re talking about words like bullying and hazing and toxic,” which he said have been “weaponized and bastardized inside our formations, undercutting commanders and NCOS.” 

“If that makes me toxic, so be it,” he said.

He said leadership will be “merit based.” 

Hegseth said that he is issuing new policies to overhaul the Defense Department’s internal watchdog, its inspector general, as well as the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Equal Opportunity program.

He said he calls it the “no more walking on eggshells” policy. 

“We are liberating commanders and NCOs,” Hegseth said. “We are liberating you.”

Hegseth said senior military leaders need to end the “poisonous culture of risk aversion.”

“You must trust that the warrior alongside you in battle is capable, truly, physically capable of doing what is necessary under fire,” he said.

In addition to the physical requirements, Hegseth also said the shaving standards would be restored. 

“No more beardos, the era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles are done,” adding that if someone “cannot pass a PT test or don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession.” 

“The era of unprofessional appearance is over,” Hegseth said. 

Hegseth said that he is rolling out 10 new Defense Department directives that involve physical fitness, new grooming requirements and a return to “the highest male standard” for combat positions.

“If you do not meet the male level physical standards for combat positions, cannot pass a PT test or don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession,” he said.

Hegseth said “it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the world. It’s a bad look.”

He said he doesn’t want his son serving with out-of-shape troops or alongside females who cannot meet the same combat arms physical standards as men.

“We must restore a ruthless, dispassionate and commonsense application of standards,” he said.

Although President Trump earlier this year signed an executive order renaming the Defense Department as the Department of War and Hegseth as Secretary of War, the name can only officially be changed by Congress. 

Hegseth went on to discuss the importance of a strong fighting force and said the Armed Forces need to be led by the most “capable and most qualified combat leaders.”

“Our warfighters are entitled to be led by the best and most capable leaders,” he said. “That is who we need you all to be.”

Hegseth said the Pentagon under his leadership is “ending the war on warriors,” and claimed that his predecessors have promoted leaders based on race, gender quotas and “historic so-called firsts.”

“We lost our way and we became the ‘woke’ department, but not anymore,” he said.

The secretary blamed “foolish and reckless politicians” for being focused on “the wrong things,” and said he aims to fix “decades of decay.”

After discussing the name change, Hegseth told the generals that “there is no time for games,” and said if we’re going to prevent and avoid war, we must prepare now.” 

“The time is now and the cause is urgent,” Hegseth said. 

Hegseth briefly outlined that the Defense Department will be restoring and refocusing the U.S.’ defense industrial base, the ship building industry and onshoring all critical components. 

Hegseth said he will be giving a speech next month to “showcase the speed innovations and general acquisition reforms we are undertaking urgently.” 

Tuesday’s speech, he said, is about “people, and it’s about culture.” 

Hegseth began his speech to senior military leaders by welcoming them to the War Department.

“The era of the Department of Defense is over,” he said.

He said the mission of the Pentagon is “warfighting: preparing for war and preparing to win, unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit,” Hegseth said.

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to address hundreds of generals and admirals Tuesday in Quantico, Virginia, in an unusual and urgent in-person meeting called by Hegseth last week. Hegseth is expected to speak at 8:15 a.m., ahead of Mr. Trump. 

The nation’s top military leaders from all over the world were summoned last week by Hegseth to travel to Virginia for a meeting with the defense secretary but were initially given no information about why. Two defense officials tell CBS News that Hegseth is expected to talk about the “warrior ethos.”

Senior military commanders meet regularly throughout the year in person, but a meeting of this magnitude with so little warning or indication about its purpose is rare, if not unprecedented. 

Hundreds of generals are assembling Tuesday as Hegseth prepares to dramatically reduce the number of top-level military leaders.

In May, Hegseth ordered a 10% reduction in the number of general officers and flag officers across the armed forces. Four-star generals and admirals are expected to be cut by 20%, according to a memo sent out by the defense secretary.

Hegseth described the goal as “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership by reducing excess general and flag officer positions.”

In an interview with NBC News, the president said it would be “really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things.”

“We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps,'” Mr. Trump said in the NBC News phone interview. “You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”

The meeting is being held at the Marine Corps Museum, which is adjacent to Quantico Marine Corps base, located in Virginia, about 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. It houses around 28,000, and as of January 2024, about 6,000 were Marines and 11,000 were civilians, as well as 5,500 contractors and around the same number of students. 

For the past 30 years, since 1995, the Quantico base has also housed the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, which is tasked with conducting experiments in 21st-century warfare. The laboratory relies on war games and other experiments to come up with new tactics and technologies to improve the Marines’ war-fighting capabilities.