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Pentagon Officials Decry Defense Secretary’s Controversial Speech to Top Brass
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent address to top military generals has reportedly left many defense officials questioning its purpose and efficacy. What was intended as a rallying cry instead generated significant backlash, with some sources describing the event as more akin to a press conference than a genuine briefing for senior leadership. One official was quoted saying it “could have been an email.”
Held last-minute at the Quantico base in Virginia, the meeting saw Secretary Hegseth reportedly criticize “fat generals” and advocate for new fitness standards that some fear could restrict women’s roles in combat. Officials across the Pentagon and global bases struggled to comprehend the rationale behind the gathering, particularly as former President Donald Trump reportedly justified the potential deployment of military personnel into U.S. cities, urging officials to “just have a good time.” This aspect of the event led some to perceive it as a political rally.
The timing of the speech, just hours before a potential government shutdown, further fueled speculation among officials. Some believed it was a deliberate distraction, aiming to shift the military’s focus from international threats to a more domestic role. Beyond the content, the decision to gather nearly all of America’s top military officers in one location was widely condemned as an “inexcusable strategic risk” and a “total waste of money” by anonymous defense officials, who expressed concerns about concentrating such vital leaders.
Hegseth’s efforts to boost morale and project a more aggressive military image, including reportedly ending diversity programs and criticizing rules of engagement designed to protect civilians as “stupid,” were met with strong opposition. One former senior defense official lamented the event as “a waste of time for a lot of people who emphatically had better things they could and should be doing,” and noted the “inane message of little merit.” Some officials reportedly even calculated the meeting’s cost using artificial intelligence, while others chose to avoid watching it entirely, with one stating, “At this point, I am averting my eyes.”
New Standards Spark Political Debate
The Secretary’s directive for military commanders to enforce stricter physical fitness standards drew immediate ridicule from Democratic politicians. California Governor Gavin Newsom openly questioned whether former President Trump would meet such new criteria.
New York Representative Pat Ryan, an Army veteran, characterized deploying U.S. troops against American citizens as “unprecedented and unconstitutional — it’s UNAMERICAN,” urging bipartisan opposition. Pennsylvania Representative Chrissy Houlahan went further, calling for Hegseth’s resignation, stating he “embodies dangerous views that undermine our military’s efficacy, lethality and readiness.”
Despite Pentagon statements about preparing for a potential conflict with China, defense officials voiced concerns that focusing on domestic roles would “distract warfighters from actually training to fight and win” against foreign adversaries. While some Trump allies, such as Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, praised the speech as reinforcing the administration’s mission for “more warfighter training,” Democrats largely dismissed the event as vanity-driven. Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono deemed the resources expended “totally unjustified,” concluding that it came “at the expense of real national security.”