The president and the secretary of war spoke of their efforts to strengthen the forces, tighten standards, and cut ‘woke’ programs in the military.
QUANTICO, Va.—About 730 U.S. military generals, admirals, and senior enlisted troops attended a historic gathering at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Sept. 30 to hear President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth convey a shift in military culture under Trump’s leadership.
Throughout their remarks, Trump and Hegseth emphasized a desire to do away with the “woke” social and cultural trends of recent years, criticized the direction of the military under previous leaders, and invited those in attendance who disagreed to make their objections known and resign.
Here are five key points from Trump’s and Hegseth’s remarks.
- Warrior Emphasis
- Fitness, Grooming, and Training Standards
- Ending ‘Woke’ Programs, Overhauling HR Practices
- Troop Deployments in US Cities
- Culling Military Leadership
Warrior Emphasis
The gathering of military leaders comes just weeks after the Trump administration rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War. In their addresses, Trump and Hegseth both referred to the renaming as a signal of a cultural shift in the military.
“From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: warfighting, preparing for war, and preparing to win,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth said the emphasis on war does not come from a desire for more war, but from the conclusion that strength can deter war in the first place.
“Another way to put it is: peace through strength, brought to you by the warrior ethos,” Hegseth said. “And we are restoring both.”
Trump and Hegseth both highlighted positive military recruiting and retention trends in recent months, attributing them to their efforts to strengthen the forces.
“The tougher and the higher the standards in our units, the higher the retention rates in those units. Warriors want to be challenged. Troops want to be tested,” Hegseth said.
At one point in his speech, Trump touted his commitment to spending more than $1 trillion on military and defense items in fiscal year 2026, and plans for new military systems like the F-47 stealth fighter and the “Golden Dome” missile defense network.
Fitness, Grooming, and Training Standards
A focal point of Hegseth’s remarks centered on raising standards across the forces.
“The new War Department golden rule is this: Do unto your unit as you would have done unto your own child’s unit,” he said.
“Would you want him serving with fat or unfit or under-trained troops, or alongside people who can’t meet basic standards, or in a unit where standards were lowered so certain types of troops could make it in, in a unit where leaders were promoted for reasons other than merit, performance, and war-fighting? The answer is not just ‘No,’ it’s ‘Hell, no.’”
Hegseth said each military service has been directed to ensure that troops serving in designated combat arms positions meet the highest male fitness service standards. He said troops in combat arms roles would also be made to pass additional field proficiency tests.
The Secretary of War said the new fitness emphasis in combat arms roles is not meant to keep women from such combat roles.
“If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” he said.
Citing the core credo of the Marine Corps, “Every Marine a rifleman,” Hegseth said even those troops not specifically designated for combat arms roles should have a baseline degree of combat proficiency.
“The nature of the evolving threat environment demands that everyone, in every job, must be ready to join the fight if needed,” he said.
Amid the push for higher standards, Hegseth also reiterated his focus on a return to strict grooming requirements.
Hegseth linked relaxed grooming standards to a broader trend of falling discipline in other areas of military life, saying, “When you let the small stuff go, the big stuff eventually goes. So, you have to address the small stuff.”
By Ryan Morgan
