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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth brought straightforward common sense and a dose of fiery motivation to Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday morning, while speaking to the nation’s top military leaders.
Hegseth’s remarks – which preceded a speech delivered by the President of the United States – were centered on cultivating unyielding American strength and might.
“Good morning and welcome to the War Department, because the era of the Department of Defense is over,” Hegseth said.
“The motto of my first platoon was that ‘those who long for peace must prepare for war,’” he continued, explaining that the origin of this quote dates back to Fourth Century Rome, and has been repeated ever since, in particular by the nation’s first Commander in Chief George Washington.
“The only mission of the newly restored Department of War: warfighting, preparing for war, and preparing to win,” Hegseth said.
The secretary noted that this preparation for war sprang forth from a love for peace.
“Our number one job, of course, is to be strong so that we can prevent war in the first place – the president talks about it all the time, it’s called peace through strength,” Hegseth explained.
He added, “As history teaches us, the only people who deserve peace are those who are willing to defend it – that’s why pacifism is so naïve and dangerous. It ignores human nature, and it ignores human history.”
Hegseth emphasized the department’s commitment to restoring gold standards in military recruitment and leadership, slamming the previous Biden administration for prioritizing political correctness and DEI initiatives over lethality and military supremacy.
“No plan, no program, no reform, no formation will ultimately succeed unless we have the right people and the right culture at the War Department…personnel is policy,” the secretary said.
He added, “We have to say with our mouths what we see with our eyes – to just tell it like it is in plain English, to point out the obvious things right in front of us. That’s what leaders must do…we cannot go another day without addressing the plank in our own eye.”
Hegseth commended the Trump administration for doing everything it can, from day one, to remove social justice initiatives from the military. “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses,” he said. “No more climate change worship, no more division, distractions, or gender delusions. No more debris. As I’ve said before and I’ll say again, we are done with that shit.”
Secretary Hegseth also didn’t hold back when it came to identifying the need for a singular, male-based standard for U.S. soldiers.
“Standards must be met,” he said. “…Standards must be uniform, gender neutral, and high. If not, they’re not standards, they’re just suggestions. Suggestions that get our sons and daughters killed.”
At the secretary’s direction on Tuesday, each branch of the Armed Forces will ensure that every requirement for every combat MOS and designated combat arms position returns to the highest male standard only, he said.
“It’s common sense and core to who we are and what we do,” he said.
Hegseth also announced that as of Tuesday, the U.S. military will implement combat field tests for combat arms units “that must be executable in any environment at any time and with combat equipment.”
