United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, addressed 800 senior military admirals and generals regarding the military requirements for active-duty and incoming military personnel in Quantico, Virginia on Sept. 30. Hegseth stated that with the help of our president, Donald Trump, they would put an end to the “woke” culture that has infiltrated our military.
Hegseth informed all senior military leaders that our military will no longer have “fat generals and admirals” or overweight troops in combat units.
Moreover, Hegseth stated, “If the Secretary of War can do hard physical training, so can every member of our joint force.” The room of senior military leaders remained silent during Hegseth’s speech.
Hegseth has proposed his way of restoring the “Warrior Ethos” that the military somehow lost during the Biden administration. With the overall climate of today’s society, shouldn’t people who have restrictions be able to join the military if they want to fight for our nation? Hegseth doesn’t think so.
Hegseth also echoes the words of Donald Trump, who said that, “If I don’t like somebody, I will fire them, right on the spot.” This is a slap in the face to the very people who have fought to keep our country safe
A few senior leaders spoke about what was addressed during the meeting. Dana Pittard, a person of color and a retired general who commanded troops in Iraq, thought that the speech was “insulting; he talked about the previous commander in chief, President Biden, and then talked about the ‘enemy within.’
That is a dangerous slippery slope to be referring to the leaders of the US military in that way.
Another military leader, Tamara Stevens, a retired Navy technician, believed that Trump’s proposal to have basic training in dangerous cities here in the US would not assist the military in preparing for any international threats.
“Basically, he’s saying that we’re no better than Hamas because people are joining because they want to break things and they want to kill people; I mean, for anyone that’s been in the military, he’s not qualified to be secretary of defense.”
In conclusion, the new Defense secretary is clearly talking out of the side of his neck and imposing fear than urgency for change. If given the opportunity during the current administration we’re under, we should restore what we can, and press forward with new ideas for our military. Accepting all who choose to serve this country.
