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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used a special, urgent meeting of the country’s top military officials on Tuesday to send a disturbing and discriminatory message about who should be allowed to serve in America’s armed forces.
It’s unusual — and very expensive — to call all top U.S. generals and admirals to an in-person meeting, and anonymous generals told The Washington Post it was a potential security risk. Hegseth was reportedly expected to discuss “warrior ethos” at the meeting, but launched into a vulgar tirade against service members who don’t fit his specific vision of who should represent the U.S.
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“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading, and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,’” Hegseth said to the group assembled in Quantico, Virginia. “But not anymore. We’re done with that shit.”
Hegseth body-shamed members of the military, saying, “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
He then took aim at diversity efforts and transgender troops, using derisive language: “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses.”
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And if that wasn’t pointed enough, he outlined new grooming policies.
“The era of unprofessional appearance is over,” Hegseth said. “No more beardos.”
Requiring clean-shaven faces will disproportionately affect Black men, who are more likely to have a skin condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae or “razor bumps.” Shaving with this condition can lead to painful, raised bumps filled with pus.
Hegseth also announced that combat roles would be given only to those who met the “highest male standard,” while also arguing that all standards should be “gender-neutral.” He shrugged off the possibility that this could impact women.
“If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” Hegseth said. “Weak men won’t qualify, either. We’re not playing games.”
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When President Donald Trump took the stage to make remarks on Tuesday, he ranted about his political enemies and slammed cities run by Democrats as crime-ridden, despite the fact that the nation’s crime rate has hit historic lows.
He also indicated that troops may be called on in a whole new way, telling military officials that he plans to use them to fight “the enemy within.” The Posse Comitatus Act, signed into law in 1878, generally prohibits using U.S. troops on American soil.
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But Trump has already deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, and members are set to arrive in Portland, Oregon, soon. The president has said the troops are there to assist federal immigration officers, who have increased their presence, and to fight crime. This has led to widespread protests against the Trump administration.
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“This is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room,” he said. “That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within.”