Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday unveiled a series of new directives he said are aimed at purging the U.S. military of the “woke garbage” that has infected it for years, and he specifically said all service members — including the highest-ranking officers — will be required to meet weight requirements and pass physical fitness tests twice each year.
In a rare speech to hundreds of generals and admirals gathered at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, Mr. Hegseth, joined later on stage by President Trump, outlined a major culture shift across the military and said the specific new policies he announced are designed to clear out the “debris” that has crept into the military. That debris, he said, includes overly broad definitions of things such as “bullying,” “hazing” and “toxic” leadership. He ordered the military services to review the definitions of such terms, saying they’ve been weaponized inside the Pentagon and have been used to force out otherwise qualified individuals for political reasons.
Mr. Trump told the officers gathered at Quantico that his administration will always have their back.
“Together over the next few years, we’re going to make our military stronger, tougher, fiercer, faster than it has ever been before,” the president said, adding that his overarching approach is to try to “solve wars” rather than have the U.S. military fight and win them.
Mr. Hegseth also said he’s targeting a culture of “risk aversion” inside the military. He said the Pentagon will overhaul the Defense Department’s inspector general office, as well as equal opportunity processes that he said helped spur “frivolous complaints” that slowed down the military’s warfighting mission.
Taken together, those changes could mark a major change in how the Pentagon handles internal complaints and investigations, as well as disciplinary procedures.
Mr. Hegseth said the changes are intended to “liberate” commanders across the ranks. He told any officers who disagree with the new approach to resign.
“If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Mr. Hegseth said. “We would thank you for your service. But I suspect, I know, the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite.”
“You are hereby liberated to be an apolitical, hard-charging, no-nonsense constitutional leader that you joined the military to be,” he said.
Perhaps Mr. Hegseth’s most aggressive stance came on the issue of physical fitness standards, which he said have been relaxed for the wrong reasons.
“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops,” Mr. Hegseth said. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It’s a bad look.”
Starting Tuesday, Mr. Hegseth said, each service must ensure that all combat requirements are returned to the “highest male standard only.” Each service must institute new, rigorous fitness standards based on gender-neutral metrics, he said.
Each service member must take a physical training test twice per year, he said, and meet specific height and weight requirements twice each year. And, he said, troops are required to do some form of physical training each day.
“We’re not talking hot yoga or stretching,” he said.
Mr. Hegseth said the Pentagon will enforce tighter grooming standards, including bans on beards and long hair for male service members, with the exception of Special Forces personnel.
He acknowledged that some of the new standards could impact the number of female service members across the Defense Department, which Mr. Trump has given the secondary name “War Department.” But the Pentagon chief said that is an acceptable loss if they are unable to meet the highest military standards.
“This is not about preventing women serving,” he said. “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”
