Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, formerly Secretary of Defense, laid out his vision for the U.S. military under its newly renamed department. After all, if you call it the Department of War, how exactly do you prepare for all that war?
Admirals, generals, and senior staff were flown into Washington, D.C., for a closed-door meeting at Quantico on Tuesday. Some feared the worst — a sudden announcement of war. Instead, in the words of combat veteran Don Davis, it turned out to be “a rah-rah speech. A pep rally. A weird one at that.”
Hegseth did make concrete announcements. Regular fitness testing will now be required across the ranks, with combat standards set to a gender-neutral male baseline.
He also ordered “a full review of the definitions of ‘so-called toxic leadership, bullying, and hazing,’ in order to re-empower leaders to enforce high standards without fear of reprisal.” Translation: he wants commanders to be tough on their troops again, without HR standing in the way.
Was the speech heavy on platitudes? Sure. But at least it wasn’t a declaration of yet another endless war — the kind the U.S. military seems to thrive on.
President Trump spoke after Secretary Hegseth and he was not applauded upon arrival, which he remarked upon.
“I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” he said. “You know what, just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud. And if you want to do anything you want, you can do anything you want. And if you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
That got him a laugh. They were probably just confused.
Relevant question: How much did this pep rally cost, the day before active-duty military service members will lose their paychecks?
