US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has made his recent speech to top military leaders on the “warrior ethos” mandatory for all American military personnel, according to a recently issued Department of Defense memo.
Hegseth’s speech, delivered to hundreds of generals and admirals at a massive gathering late last month at Marine Corps Base Quantico, highlighted major cultural shifts in the Pentagon, including updated fitness and grooming standards.
“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the woke department. But not anymore,” he said, outlining his expectations ahead of an address from President Donald Trump that touched on a wide range of topics, including “ugly” ships and the possible return of the battleship.
According to an October 6 memo, which surfaced online and a Pentagon official indicated is real, Hegseth has ordered that “leaders at every level will ensure all personnel will either watch the full recording or read the official transcript of the speech” and review the policy changes for the department no later than October 31.
Hegseth said in the department memo that “leaders at echelon must inculcate our cultural shift and ensure every member of the Department of War understands my guidance.” The memo includes a link to the transcript and video recording of the secretary’s speech, as well as a larger list of 11 memorandums issued by Hegseth on September 30.
“The Secretary’s speech was for the whole force,” a Department of Defense official told Business Insider. “This memo just reinforces that guidance.” The memo was first reviewed and reported by CNN.
The 11 directives focus on a variety of topics, including consolidating or completely getting rid of mandatory trainings that don’t have to do with warfighting and enforcing updated physical fitness and grooming guidelines.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
In his speech last month, for which Hegseth ordered 800 generals and admirals to Quantico for an irregular summit, the secretary told leaders the military would “restore a ruthless, dispassionate, and common sense application of standards” and would no longer tolerate “beardos” as “the era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.”
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If troops want beards, he added, they’d need to join special operations forces.
Hegseth also ordered mandatory daily physical training and twice-yearly fitness tests. “It’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” said Hegseth. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals in the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world.”
There were also orders on upholding male standards for combat roles, reforming military equal opportunity, and reviewing the rules on hazing, bullying, and harassment, among other directives.
The Quantico speech highlighted just some of the secretary’s and other Pentagon leadership’s priorities under the second Trump administration. Other changes in the department have included the ending of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and trainings and the elimination of anything that is not directly tied to what DoD officials consider to be lethality and warfighting.
Hegseth’s speech was a high-profile showcase of these policies, as well as his approach to implementing these changes.
“If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink,” Hegseth said, “then you should do the honorable thing and resign.”
