Washington, D.C. — September 30, 2025
A dramatic and controversial moment unfolded this morning at Quantico, where former Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and former President Donald Trump jointly assailed what they described as the “woke culture” that has infiltrated the U.S. military — a critique that appears to have left many senior officers visibly unenthused.
Hegseth, speaking before an assembly of some 800 generals and admirals summoned from bases worldwide, delivered a pointed and combative address, vowing to end diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, identity months, and what he called “gender delusions.” “As I’ve said before, and will say again — we are done with this st**,” he declared.
He insisted the military’s sole remaining mission should be warfighting: “unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit.” He derided prior “mission creep” and pledged there would be no more nation-building, echoing a refrain often heard in recent debates over U.S. foreign policy. On personnel standards, he added: “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is … weak men won’t qualify … this is combat. This is life or death.”
Yet the reaction among the assembled senior officers struck many observers: muted, even glum. Several generals reportedly appeared bored or unhappy, having been summoned on short notice from deployments and bases around the globe. The event came across as more spectacle than strategy to some in attendance.
After Hegseth, Trump took the stage in a roughly 70-minute address that merged military, political, and cultural themes. He proposed increasing the size of the U.S. military, saying the nation need not retain underperforming personnel: “You don’t have to take them anymore … you have the pick of the litter.” He also doubled down on his confrontational rhetoric: warning that those who disagree could leave the room, or risk their rank and future.
Trump further proposed using major U.S. cities — which he called “dangerous” — as training grounds for the military and National Guard, and signaled that law enforcement or military personnel might respond forcefully to spitting or verbal attacks from civilians. “They spit, we hit,” he said.
A recurring undercurrent of the event, and of criticism since, revolves around the optics: high-ranking officers flown in at taxpayer expense, sitting impassively as sweeping cultural and policy shifts were telegraphed from the podium. “I’ve never walked into a room so silent,” Trump quipped at one point.
Analysis & Reactions
Supporters of the approach argue the military has drifted into performative diversity initiatives at the expense of mission readiness, discipline, and battlefield focus. For them, the spectacle signals a decisive reset. But more cautious voices warn that alienating high command and marginalizing readiness concerns in favor of ideology could create fractures within the institution.
Critics point out that even now, U.S. military aid and engagement in Ukraine — arguably a form of nation-building by another name — persist. Moreover, the hardened tone of Trump’s remarks risks deepening civil-military tensions, especially if lines between domestic policing and military roles are blurred.
As the nation watches, today’s event may be remembered less for concrete reforms than for its theatrical flare — a provocative show of force, signaling a new order, but leaving many generals and admirals visibly unconvinced.
