See Hegseth summons “fat generals” at a gathering of military leaders
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses called out “fat generals” at Quantico’s meeting with military commanders.
President Donald Trump threatened to fire, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses threatened “decades of collapse” with the Pentagon.
Trump gave more than an hour of speaking, touching on the deployment of the National Guard into Democrat-run cities and negotiations to end foreign conflicts. Hegus, who first won the podium before the billboard-sized American flag, revealed his key policy priorities and told the country’s military elite that the new measures would eliminate political correctness among the world’s most powerful military.
As some reports had anticipated, Hegses used the opportunity to praise the “warrior spirit” and “peace by force”, while Trump gave a distinctive speech and was full of self-contribution. Critics said the rally was a waste of taxpayers’ dollars and was dangerous to national security. However, it gave former Fox News anchor Hegseth, who achieved a lower rank than the guests present during his military service.
Check out the important takeaways at Quantico Meeting.
Leaders who are not in sync with the program must “resign”
Both Trump and Hegses said the general and admiral who are troubled by the Trump administration’s programs should resign.
“If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there’s your rank, there’s your future. Trump said. He told reporters with his distinctive bravery before he arrived at the rally that if he didn’t like them he would fire the general “on the spot.”
See President Trump’s reference racial slur in Quantico’s remarks
While discussing nuclear weapons during a meeting with Quantico’s military leaders, President Trump said there are “two n words” you can’t say.
Hegseth also delivered an ultimatum. He said he should resign as a senior officer if his words became their “heartsink.”
“If the words I’m speaking today sink your heart, you should do something honorable and resign,” Hegses said.
Michael Smith, retired Navy rear admiral and president of the US national security leader, said it was “irony” that Hegses advocated for him to step down politics before he told him to resign if he was not working with his goals.
“The secretary begins to say how important it is for this group of generals and admirals to be apolitical, and he continues to take the atmosphere of cultural frustration and says, ‘If you don’t agree with this political vision, you should resign,'” Smith said.
Smith said the tenors in both speeches were broken by standard.
“Requiring personal loyalty to the administration’s political policy is contrary to the non-political nature of our military,” he said.
Military can use “dangerous cities” as “training grounds.”
Trump suggested in his remarks that America’s “dangerous cities” could be used as “training grounds” for the military.
“We should use some of these dangerous cities as military training grounds,” he said.
Trump suggests using “dangerous cities” for military training
President Donald Trump has suggested that “dangerous cities” could be used for military training purposes.
The statement came days after he deployed the National Guard in Portland, Oregon. Trump also deployed troops in Los Angeles, the southern border, and in Washington, DC. There, many soldiers were tasked with “beautifying” neighborhoods, picking up trash and nipping on leaves.
“Washington, DC has gone from our most dangerous city to the safest city in a month,” he said, praised the national security forces in the country’s capital.
These statements worried Mark Kang-Sian, senior defense advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“If the military issues an order specifying that lethal force should be used, that can be a big problem,” Kangsian said. “The military is not trained with nuances about civil rights and the use of deadly force,” he added.
Heggs chases “decades of collapse”
Heggs told the crowd that “decades of collapse” had transformed the army into a “wake department.” Under past leadership, military authorities said they were promoted based on race or gender, with standards slipping and “toxic ideological trash” “infected” the department.
“We’re cleaning up the pieces, removing distractions, clearing up the way of leadership,” he said. “We might say we are ending the war with the warriors.”
Trump, Hegses pushes military overhaul, “fat shame” overweight
President Donald Trump and Pete Hegses vowed to fire the general and accept resignation, pushing for new policies, including military fitness rules.
It was a common theme for Hegseth, who wrote the book “War and Fighting War.” Since taking the reins at the Pentagon in January, Hegseth has led a campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI policies across the military, including firing top generals, firing military lawyers, cutting internet content and kicking transgender forces.
Kangsian, who is also a retired colonel, said the most important part of the speech was “something that wasn’t there.”
“There was no purge of generals, no pledges of loyalty, no demand for compliance with partisan political policies,” Kangsiang said.
When Hegseth ordered a Quantico meeting the previous week, some feared that Hegseth would do that.
Hegseth spoke to top service members
As Hegseth spoke to a crowd of hundreds of decorated members of the military, he paced back and forth in front of a massive American flag reminiscent of the iconic scene of World War II generals in the classic military film “Patton.”
True to military form, the rows of top generals and admirals in his audience remained stoic and silent when he gave his speech.
Trump later recited the silence in the room, saying, “I have never walked into the room in such a silent state. Don’t laugh, don’t laugh. You are not allowed to do that.”
Kangsian said the general and the admiral were “clearly explained how to react.”
The deficit in military leadership experiences was impressive between speakers and audiences. In his years of service, Hegses reached the rank of majors far below the lowest leader in the room, and he never ordered military forces.
In his book, The War on Warriors and public comments, Hegseth outlined his vision of the need for Pentagon outsiders to crush rotten military facilities.
Hegseth sets the “best male standard” for combat roles
Heggs said he instructed the military to return all combat weapon positions to “highest male standards” for physical fitness. Combat weapon units need to add field tests, he said.
He said it would need to regain the standard that it claimed was changed in 2015 to allow women to join the combat weapons unit.
“This is not to prevent women from serving,” he said. “But when it comes to physical force, jobs that require combat, those physical standards must be high and gender neutral.”
Trump, Hegses pushes military overhaul, “fat shame” overweight
President Donald Trump and Pete Hegses vowed to fire the general and accept resignation, pushing for new policies, including military fitness rules.
A few months before Trump chose him to lead the army, Hegses publicly stated that women’s “straight” should not take on a combat role. In April, he ordered the military to restore “sexually neutral” fitness standards. Experts previously told USA Today that women in combat are subject to roughly the same standards as men.
Two fitness tests per year, narrower grooming standards
Hegseth announced that all members of the military must take physical fitness tests from top to bottom, and must comply with height and weight standards twice a year.
“It’s completely unacceptable to see fat admirals and generals in the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegses said.
He also said the Department of Defense would crack down on grooming standards — “There’s no more whiskers, long hair, superficial individual expressions,” he said.
“In my direction, the days of unprofessional appearance are over.”
Hegseth announces whistleblower overhaul of Equal Opportunity Policy
Hegseth announced an equal opportunity policy overhaul at the General Office of the Army and Inspectors, the Pentagon’s internal watchdog that investigates complaints from anonymous whistleblowers.
“We will not overshadow any more frivolous complaints, anonymous complaints, repeated claimants or reputations,” he said.
The Pentagon inspector was one of the 17 institutional leaders fired in January. The position remains open.
Hegseth is facing investigations by representative Pentagon inspectors regarding the use of encrypted messaging app signals to share sensitive information about Yemen’s US military operations.
