Hegseth pledges to end ‘politically correct’ leadership in US armed forces

**Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth Declares End to “Woke” Culture in US Military**

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of US military officials to an in-person meeting on Tuesday to announce an end to woke culture in the military. During the gathering, he outlined new directives for troops, which include adopting gender-neutral or male-level standards for physical fitness.

Mr. Hegseth and President Donald Trump had abruptly called military leaders from around the globe to convene at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington, without publicly disclosing the meeting’s purpose until the following morning.

### Focus on Cultural Shift and Leadership Changes

Mr. Hegseth’s address primarily reflected his long-standing talking points, portraying the military as hamstrung by woke policies. He emphasized that military leaders who disagree with his new approach should do the honourable thing and resign.

While meetings between top military brass and civilian leaders are customary, the sudden nature of this gathering sparked intense speculation. Admirals and generals from conflict zones in the Middle East and elsewhere were summoned specifically for a lecture on race and gender in the military. This highlighted how deeply the country’s culture wars have become central to the Pentagon’s agenda under Mr. Hegseth, despite ongoing global national security concerns.

### Criticism of Diversity Initiatives and New Directives

During his nearly hour-long speech, Mr. Hegseth criticized the promotion of leaders based on race, gender quotas, and historic firsts.

> “The era of politically correct, overly sensitive don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now at every level,” he declared.

He announced plans to loosen disciplinary rules and ease hazing protections, aiming to remove many of the safeguards instituted after past scandals and investigations.

Mr. Hegseth ordered a review of the department’s definitions of so-called toxic leadership, bullying, and hazing. The goal is to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second guessing.

He also called for changes regarding the retention of adverse information on personnel records. Leaders will be able to disregard minor or forgivable infractions so they don’t permanently affect service members’ careers.

> “People make honest mistakes, and our mistakes should not define an entire career,” Mr. Hegseth said. “Otherwise, we only try not to make mistakes.”

### Addressing Bullying and Mental Health Concerns

Bullying and toxic leadership have been linked to numerous military suicides in recent years, including the high-profile case of Brandon Caserta, a young sailor who was bullied into taking his own life in 2018. A Navy investigation found that Caserta’s supervisors’ belligerent and brash leadership likely contributed significantly to his tragic decision.

### Stance on Physical Fitness, Environmental Policies, and Transgender Troops

Mr. Hegseth used the platform to criticize physical fitness and grooming standards, environmental policies, and the presence of transgender troops in the military. He praised the warrior ethos and championed “peace through strength,” reflecting the priorities of both himself and President Trump.

He dismissed the notion that diversity is the military’s strength as an “insane fallacy.” Criticizing previous administrations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and LGBTQ+ policies, Mr. Hegseth stated:

> “They were told females and males are the same thing, or that males who think they’re females is totally normal.”

He also included electric tanks and COVID-19 vaccine requirements in his list of misguided policies.

On the issue of women serving in combat roles, Mr. Hegseth clarified:

> “This is not about preventing women from serving. But when it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender neutral. 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. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”

### President Trump’s Remarks on Domestic Security

During the same meeting, President Trump spoke for an hour and 13 minutes on various subjects. Although the military is primarily designed to address foreign threats, the president emphasized using it for domestic purposes.

> “It’s the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it gets out of control,” Mr. Trump said.

His comments referred to criminals and immigrants in the country illegally, as well as “insurrectionists funded by the radical left.” He noted:

> “Many of our leaders used our military to keep peace.”

### Context and Ongoing Changes in Military Leadership

Mr. Hegseth’s speech comes amid the looming threat of a government shutdown and follows several unusual and unexplained moves by the Defence Secretary. These include ordering cuts to the number of general officers and firing other top military leaders — actions underscoring his continued focus on lethality and reshaping the military’s leadership and culture.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/hegseth-pledges-to-end-politically-correct-leadership-in-us-armed-forces-1813004.html

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