Leaning into culture war flashpoints, Hegseth says he has transformed U.S. military

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gives a "State of the Force" address at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Wednesday in Quantico, Va. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

At a gathering at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told hundreds of junior military officers and enlisted leaders that the Trump administration has achieved a cultural shift in the military.

"No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors," Hegseth said on Wednesday. "The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top."

Hegseth has vowed to shrink what he says is a bloated flag-officer corps since he took over at the Pentagon. He said he'd already achieved a 10% reduction and aimed to reach 20%. But his firings so far, and the unconventional way he has reached down into promotion boards to essentially end the careers of some senior officers, has drawn bipartisan criticism. Many of the notable firings were of Black or female officers, let go without explanation despite excellent service records.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued this statement:

"Throughout his tenure, Secretary Hegseth has taken countless reckless, partisan actions that have damaged our military. He has ended the careers of dozens of our most accomplished senior officers and refused to explain why. Today's news should alarm every American."

In his speech, Hegseth defended his policies and claimed that retention and recruitment, including among women and minorities, has risen. He called the new force "color-blind" and merit-based. Hegseth took considerable time to rail against the media for reporting on troop morale and depleted munitions stocks in the war with Iran.

"A free press is, of course, important, but partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission that they're undertaking is fundamentally anti-American. It's sick. It's a national betrayal. It's treason, actually," he said.