Hegseth slams ‘fat generals’, says US officers should resign if they don’t support his agenda
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Mr Hegseth criticised the look of overweight troops, saying: “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed “fat generals” and diversity initiatives that he said led to decades of decay in the military, and told a rare gathering of commanders on Sept 30 they should resign if they don’t support his agenda.
“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,’” Mr Hegseth said as he kicked off the event in Quantico, Virginia.
“But not anymore,” he said.
Addressing the room full of America’s top generals and admirals, summoned from around the world without explanation last week, Mr Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top US general, who was black, and the Navy’s top admiral, who was a woman.
He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture.
He promised sweeping changes to how discrimination complaints are handled and how accusations of wrongdoing are investigated at the Pentagon, saying the current system has top brass walking on “egg shells”.
“If the words I’m speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honourable thing and resign,” Mr Hegseth said.
“I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.”
Mr Hegseth criticised the look of overweight troops, saying: “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
He said all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only and emphasised the importance of grooming standards.
“The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos,” Mr Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence.
President Donald Trump, as he departed for the event, told reporters on Sept 30 that he would fire military leaders on the spot if he did not like them.
Mr Trump then opened with a joke as he took the stage, saying: “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room, of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
But he then spoke warmly of the military, in sometimes wandering remarks praising the prowess of US nuclear submarines, his creation of the US military’s Space Force and recent success in US military recruiting.
“I am with you. I support you, and as president, I have your backs 100 per cent,” Mr Trump said.
Revamp of defence priorities?
The remarks stood in contrast to Mr Trump’s warm words over the weekend, when he said he would use the face-to-face meeting with the US military’s top commanders at the Marine Corps University in Quantico to tell them “we love them”.
The auditorium was filled with senior uniformed officials, seated in front of a stage with a large American flag, a lectern and boards that read: “Strength Service America”.
The Pentagon has undergone eight months of blistering since Mr Trump took office, including firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
That has led to speculation, both within the US military and in the broader American public, that the gathering could go far beyond the morale-boosting exercise described by Mr Trump to include discussions about reductions in senior officers’ ranks and a revamp of US defence priorities.
“It’s anyone’s guess” what will ultimately be discussed, said one US official, speaking on condition of anonymity about the agenda of the gathering.
Military leaders attending the gathering will be under public scrutiny for any reaction to overtly political comments made by Mr Trump, who has often dragged the military into political issues.
The US military is meant to be apolitical, loyal to the US Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.
The administration has announced a plan to send National Guard deployments to Chicago
He announced plans to send National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, over the weekend and sent Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles earlier in 2025, despite protests from local officials.
Speaking to Reuters on Sept 28, Mr Trump described the Quantico meeting as an “esprit de corps”.
“I want to tell the generals that we love them, they’re cherished leaders, to be strong, be tough and be smart and be compassionate,” Mr Trump said in an interview.
Mr Trump’s attendance is likely to overshadow Mr Hegseth, who summoned the commanders from around the world, including those based in distant locations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
In almost every public speech he gives, Mr Hegseth talks about the “warrior ethos” and the need for the US military to have a warrior mentality, themes he is expected to return to on Sept 30.
Earlier in September, Mr Trump signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defence the “Department of War”, reverting to a title it held until after World War II when officials sought to emphasise the Pentagon’s role in preventing conflict.
Mr Hegseth, a former Fox News television host, has moved with stunning speed to reshape and rebrand the department as he seeks to implement Mr Trump’s national security agenda and root out diversity initiatives he calls discriminatory. REUTERS
