Pete Hegseth Tells Troops To Resign If They Oppose His Plan To Scrap ‘Woke’ Policies And Restore Warrior Ethos

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a blistering address to hundreds of senior military commanders at Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, warning that anyone unwilling to embrace his new directives to restore the warrior ethos should “resign.”

“If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth said. “We would thank you for your service. But I suspect the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.”

The secretary’s speech followed his unprecedented order last week summoning generals and flag officers from around the globe for an in-person gathering. Already, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior generals and admirals, signaling he intends to make good on his promise to strip away what he calls “decades of decay” in the ranks.

Declaring that the Defense Department was “dead” and replaced by the War Department, Hegseth told commanders that America’s military has one mission only: “preparing for war and preparing to win.” He attacked diversity programs, lowered standards, and politically correct training that he said had distracted from the military’s core purpose.

“We became the woke department. But not anymore,” Hegseth vowed. “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship. No more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris. We are done with that.”

Hegseth laid out ten directives aimed at restoring discipline and toughness across the force. Among them: all combat standards will return to their pre-2015 levels, meaning all positions must meet “male level” physical requirements. The secretary stressed that the rules would be gender-neutral, noting that weak men would be cut just as quickly as women who fail to qualify.

“If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” he said. “Weak men won’t qualify either. We’re not playing games. This is combat. This is life or death.”

Fitness tests will be mandatory for all ranks twice per year, grooming standards like bans on beards and long hair will be strictly enforced, and training will shift away from PowerPoint sessions to hands-on field and weapons work. Hegseth also pledged to return basic training to its former intensity, saying drill instructors must be empowered to toughen recruits without fear of reprisal.

“Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral, and high,” Hegseth said. “If not, they’re just suggestions. And suggestions get our sons and daughters killed.”

The War Secretary blasted what he described as the misuse of terms like “toxic leadership,” “bullying,” and “hazing,” claiming they had been weaponized to punish aggressive leaders and promote risk-averse officers.

“Real toxic leadership is promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of merit,” he argued. “If that makes me toxic, then so be it.”

Changes are also coming to the inspector general process, Hegseth said, with fewer “frivolous complaints” allowed to undermine commanders and more authority pushed back down to officers and NCOs.

Framing his speech with references to George Washington and the Roman Empire, Hegseth said America’s adversaries must face deterrence through strength. “To our enemies, FAFO,” he warned, using the acronym for “f— around and find out.”

He concluded by casting his directives as a liberation for troops who had been stifled under political correctness. “Today is another Liberation Day, the liberation of America’s warriors in name, indeed, and in authorities,” Hegseth declared. “You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don’t necessarily belong always in polite society. You are warriors.”

The secretary ended his remarks with a prayer, as President Donald Trump looked on in support of the sweeping changes.