By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed “fat generals” and diversity initiatives that he said led to decades of decay in the military and told a rare gathering of commanders on Tuesday they should resign if they don’t support his agenda.
“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,'” Hegseth said as he kicked off the event in Quantico, Virginia. “But not anymore,” he said.
Addressing a room full of America’s top generals and admirals, summoned from around the world without explanation last week, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top U.S. general, who was Black, and the Navy’s top admiral, who was a woman. He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture.
He promised sweeping changes to how discrimination complaints are handled and how accusations of wrongdoing are investigated at the Pentagon, saying the current system has top brass walking on “egg shells.”
“If the words I’m speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth said.
“I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.”
Hegseth criticized the look of overweight troops, saying: “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
He said all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only and emphasized the importance of grooming standards.
“The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos,” Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence.
TRUMP TELLS COMMANDERS: I HAVE YOUR BACKS
President Donald Trump, as he departed for the event, told reporters on Tuesday that he would fire military leaders on the spot if he did not like them.
Trump then opened with a joke as he took the stage, saying: “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room, of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
But he then spoke warmly of the military, in sometimes wandering remarks praising the prowess of U.S. nuclear submarines, his creation of the U.S. military’s Space Force and recent success in U.S. military recruiting.
“I am with you. I support you, and as president, I have your backs 100%,” Trump said.
The auditorium was filled with senior uniformed officials, seated in front of a stage with a large American flag, a lectern and boards that read: “Strength. Service. America.”
REVAMP OF DEFENSE PRIORITIES?
The Pentagon has undergone eight months of blistering changes since Trump took office, including firings, banning books from academy libraries and ordering lethal strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela.
Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defense the “Department of War,” reverting to a title it held until after World War Two when officials sought to emphasize the Pentagon’s role in preventing conflict.
Military leaders attending the gathering will be under public scrutiny for any reaction to overtly political comments made by Trump, who has often dragged the military into political issues.
The U.S. military is meant to be apolitical, loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.
The administration has announced a plan to send National Guard deployments to Chicago, the latest U.S. city where Trump aims to deploy U.S. troops despite objections from local authorities.
Trump announced plans to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, over the weekend and sent Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles earlier this year, despite protests from local officials.
Speaking to Reuters on Sunday, Trump described the Quantico meeting as an “esprit de corps.”
“I want to tell the generals that we love them, they’re cherished leaders, to be strong, be tough and be smart and be compassionate,” Trump said in an interview.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Howard Goller and Alistair Bell)
