Donald Trump’s War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a sharp address to America’s top generals and admirals on Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, insisting that combat troops must meet what he called “male-level” fitness standards to be prepared for “life and death” situations.
“If women – and weak men – don’t meet those standards, so be it,” Hegseth declared, even as women, who make up nearly 18 percent of active-duty personnel, sat in the audience.
Pete Hegseth Criticises Troop Fitness
Hegseth did not hold back in criticizing the appearance and physical condition of service members.
“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations – and frankly any formations – and see fat troops,” he said.
“It’s unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon, and leading all around the world. It’s a bad look, and it’s not who we are!”
The secretary announced that a formal directive will be sent to all branches of the armed services, outlining new mandates and standards as part of his plan to “toughen up the force.”
Donald Trump’s ‘De-Woke’ Agenda
Hegseth stressed that his measures are also designed to carry out President Trump’s order to “de-woke” the military.
“No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusion, no more debris,” he said. “I’ve said before and will say again, we are done with that s–t.”
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Daily Training and Biannual Testing For US Troops
As part of the changes, combat forces will undergo rigorous physical training every day and take two fitness tests each year to prove they meet the “highest male standard.”
Hegseth, 45, has at times joined troops for workouts himself. He even challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a “Pete and Bobby Challenge” to encourage Americans to embrace fitness.
“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape, or in combat units with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men, or troops who are not fully proficient on their assigned weapons platformer tasks, or under a leader who was ‘the first’ but not ‘the best,’” 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.”
Pete Hegseth Condemns Woke Polcies, Forgiveness for Those Following Orders
While condemning what he labeled as “woke” policies, Hegseth said he does not hold individual officers responsible if they were simply carrying out directives under the Biden administration.
“They had to put out dizzying DEI and LGBTQI+ statements. They were told females and males are the same thing, or that males who think they’re females [are] totally normal. They were told that we need a green fleet and electric tanks. They were told to kick out Americans who refused an emergency vaccine,” Hegseth said.
“They followed civilian policies set by foolish and reckless political leaders. Our job – my job – has been to determine which leaders simply did what they must to answer the prerogatives of civilian leadership, and which leaders are truly invested in the Woke Department and therefore incapable of embracing the War Department and executing new lawful orders.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
