In a speech before an auditorium full of several hundred of the most experienced military commanders in the Nation on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked the end of “awakening” culture in the army and criticized a litany of complaints such as diversity and probes to the ride.
“The era of politically correct leadership, too sensitive and of the feelings that are not stolen at this time,” Hegseth said at the meeting at a base of the Marines’ body in Quantico, Virginia, a safe place at one hour south of the capital of the nation.
Hegseth asked “no more division, distraction or gender delusions” in an extraordinarily forceful speech about the importance of “warrior spirit”, a term that uses to describe the spirit that makes the combat units effective.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth talks to high -level military leaders at the base of Marines Quantico, on September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.
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“We must be prepared,” he said. “Or we are ready to win or we are not.”
He did not demand more “fat generals”, saying that all members of the service would need to comply with physical conditioning tests and toilet standards.
“No more Beardos,” he said. “The era of unacceptable appearance is over.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth talks to high -level military leaders at the base of Marines Quantico, on September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.
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He acknowledged why he fired General CQ Brown as president of the Jefes of the Joint General Staff and Head of Naval Operations, Lisa Franchetti and other high -level leaders.
Hegseth said his justification “has been simple”, arguing that it is difficult to change a culture with people who benefited from that previous culture.
Brown never pressed “quotas” for promotions within the army, which is based on a system based on the merit that Hegseth said that too many people were unfairly punished for “toxic leadership.” Brown and others pushed the idea of recruiting a broader section in America so that the military looks more like the nation to which it serves.
The secretary added that the department is “cleaning the way for leaders to be leaders.”
“You could say that we are finishing the war against the warriors,” said Hegseth.
He told his audience that if all the new standards have presented makes their “hearts sink”, then they should resign.
Hegesh, who now goes through the title “Secretary of War”, pressed hard, as part of the broader brand change ordered by Trump, the importance of enforcing the combat standards that keep lethal troops.
Trump followed Hegseth with his own speech, echoing many of Hegseth’s statements. He said as president, he would turn his back on him and that he is committed to making the army stronger, faster and more fierce “than ever.”
The president conducted a long breath speech talking about several issues, including his statements that more foreign conflicts have ended than previous presidents.

The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, shakes the hand to President Donald Trump while Trump takes the stage to go to high military officers gathered at the base of Marines Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, on September 30, 2025.
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Trump also took vaccines against his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and his management of the United States troops from Afghanistan, calling him “was the most shameful moment in the history of our country.”
The president also attributed the increase in military enlistments and ended what he said they were unjust promotions and standards.

President Donald Trump speaks with high -level military leaders at the base of Marines Quantico, September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.
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“We went through the political policy where you had to have people who were not suitable for what you are doing,” he said. “Now everything is based on merit.”
The president brought non -military issues, including his rates, economy and Fine Dei’s programs plans. Trump also criticized the press, calling them “corrupt.”

President Donald Trump speaks with high -level military leaders at the base of Marines Quantico, September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.
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Last week, the general and flag officers were told at the level of a star and above that they would fly to Quantico from their service stations with only several days of prior notice and without indications of what the meeting could be discussed.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the meeting, and the speculation quickly spread that the meeting could have to do with urgent cuts to the military force or the national defense strategy, which would establish new priorities for the second Trump administration and could change the way the troops are trained and equip themselves.
The Department of Defense, which now cools for Trump and Hegseth as the “War Department”, has not said how much it costs to fly in so many people in the last minute, although it is widely expected to cost several hundred thousand dollars.

US military generals and senior officers wait for the arrival of President Donald Trump to talk at the base of the Quantico Marines in Quantico, Virginia, on September 30, 2025.
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The event occurs when the government is becoming a possible closure that could force some 2 million troops to work without paying if an expense bill does not approve of Congress at midnight on Wednesday.
The majority of military personnel are on their way to being paid on October 1, authorities said on Monday. But after that, the troops would be at the mercy of the negotiations in Capitol Hill, which remain at a dead point.
According to a contingency plan published by the Pentagon this weekend, all active service troops should continue working. The Plan says that contracts can also advance, but under greater scrutiny with priority given to efforts to ensure the southern border of the United States and build the American missile shield of Trump known as “Golden Dome”, as well as operations in the Middle East and naval construction.
It has been speculated that commanders traveling from all over the world to listen to Trump and Hegseth speak on Tuesday could be trapped in their workplaces assigned if the government closes that night. But according to the Government Guide, the staff must return home as soon as possible if a closure occurs while a work trip is made. Any travel cost incurred after the closure is reimbursable once the expense resumes.