Hegseth orders troops to watch his speech denouncing a ‘woke’ army: NPR

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered troops to watch or read his speech last month in Quantico, Virginia, in which he declared the “woke” military was gone, decried “fat generals” and ordered women in the military to meet the “highest male standards” for physical fitness.

The memo, obtained by NPR, calls on the military to complete “Warrior Ethos Tasking,” which includes a link to the video and updated policy memoranda, by the end of the month. The policy memorandums detail his plans to improve physical fitness, grooming standards and military readiness.

The memo states: “All commanders must document the completion of the Warrior Ethos task in a memorandum for record. »

When asked for comment, a Defense Department official, not authorized to speak publicly, said by email: “The secretary’s speech was directed to the entire force and this memo only reinforces that guidance.” »

Hegseth spoke Sept. 30 to hundreds of generals and admirals who were ordered by commands around the world to an auditorium at Marine Base Quantico.

“The era of the Ministry of Defense is over”

Walking back and forth across a stage, with a huge American flag as a backdrop, Hegseth declared: “Today we end the war on warriors. » He declared that “the era of the Department of Defense is over,” that the new name will be the War Department and indicated that the Pentagon would evolve toward a more aggressive culture.

Hegseth, a 45-year National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, said the U.S. military has promoted too many leaders for the wrong reasons based on race, gender quotas and “historic firsts.”

“Frankly, it’s tiring to look at combat formations, or any formation, and see big troops. Likewise, it’s totally unacceptable to see big generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegseth said.

“Today is another day of liberation, the liberation of America’s warriors,” Hegseth said. “You are not politically correct and do not necessarily always belong to a polite society. We are built for a purpose.”

The generals and admirals all sat with impassive faces as Hegseth spoke. And then they maintained this stoic stance when President Trump addressed them.

“I’ve never been in a room this quiet before,” Trump said. “If you want to clap, you clap. You can do whatever you want.”

But a source not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that before both speeches and before the cameras were turned on, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told the assembled officers that they should treat the speeches as if they were at the State of the Union, where the Joint Chiefs also show no emotion, consistent with the military’s traditional nonpartisan stance.