QUANTICO, Va.—About 730 U.S. military generals, admirals, and senior enlisted troops attended a historic gathering at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Sept. 30 to hear President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth convey a shift in military culture under Trump’s leadership.
Throughout their remarks, Trump and Hegseth emphasized a desire to do away with the “woke” social and cultural trends of recent years, criticized the direction of the military under previous leaders, and invited those in attendance who disagreed to make their objections known and resign.
Here are five key points from Trump’s and Hegseth’s remarks.
Warrior Emphasis
The gathering of military leaders comes just weeks after the Trump administration rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War. In their addresses, Trump and Hegseth both referred to the renaming as a signal of a cultural shift in the military.
“From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: warfighting, preparing for war, and preparing to win,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth said the emphasis on war does not come from a desire for more war, but from the conclusion that strength can deter war in the first place.
“Another way to put it is: peace through strength, brought to you by the warrior ethos,” Hegseth said. “And we are restoring both.”
In his remarks, Trump touted the new department name and vowed further steps to strengthen the rebranded identity of the department.
“I love the name. I think it’s so great. I think it stops wars. The Department of War is going to stop wars, if we are as ruthless and relentless as our enemies,” the president said.
Trump and Hegseth both highlighted positive military recruiting and retention trends in recent months, attributing them to their efforts to strengthen the forces.
“The tougher and the higher the standards in our units, the higher the retention rates in those units. Warriors want to be challenged. Troops want to be tested,” Hegseth said.
At one point in his speech, Trump touted his commitment to spending more than $1 trillion on military and defense items in fiscal year 2026, and plans for new military systems like the F-47 stealth fighter and the “Golden Dome” missile defense network.
Fitness, Grooming, and Training Standards
A focal point of Hegseth’s remarks centered on raising standards across the forces.
“The new War Department golden rule is this: Do unto your unit as you would have done unto your own child’s unit,” he said.
“Would you want him serving with fat or unfit or under-trained troops, or alongside people who can’t meet basic standards, or in a unit where standards were lowered so certain types of troops could make it in, in a unit where leaders were promoted for reasons other than merit, performance, and war-fighting? The answer is not just ‘No,’ it’s ‘Hell, no.’”
Hegseth said each military service has been directed to ensure that troops serving in designated combat arms positions meet the highest male fitness service standards. He said troops in combat arms roles would also be made to pass additional field proficiency tests.
The Secretary of War said the new fitness emphasis in combat arms roles is not meant to keep women from such combat roles.
“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,” he said.
Citing the core credo of the Marine Corps, “Every Marine a rifleman,” Hegseth said even those troops not specifically designated for combat arms roles should have a baseline degree of combat proficiency.
“The nature of the evolving threat environment demands that everyone, in every job, must be ready to join the fight if needed,” he said.
Amid the push for higher standards, Hegseth also reiterated his focus on a return to strict grooming requirements.
Hegseth linked relaxed grooming standards to a broader trend of falling discipline in other areas of military life, saying, “When you let the small stuff go, the big stuff eventually goes. So, you have to address the small stuff.”
Ending ‘Woke’ Programs, Overhauling HR Practices
During his speech, Hegseth said that past leadership of the Department of Defense had turned it into the “Woke Department” through diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, efforts to appeal to the LGBT community, and attempts to adopt electric vehicles and other local carbon options across the military equipment fleets.
“No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship. No more division, distraction, or gender delusions. No more debris,” Hegseth said.
The Secretary of War said he would issue additional policies to overhaul the military’s inspector general and equal opportunity offices.
He said the inspector general process “has been weaponized” and is “putting complainers, ideologues, and poor performers in the driver’s seat.”
As for the equal opportunity programs, he said: “No more frivolous complaints. No more anonymous complaints. No more repeat complainants. No more smearing reputations. No more endless waiting. No more legal limbo. No more sidetracking careers. No more walking on eggshells.”
Troop Deployments in US Cities
Trump’s remarks were less focused on specific new policies for the military and more generally covered his use of U.S. troops in both foreign policy and homeland security decisions.
In June, the president ordered the deployment of U.S. Marines and National Guard troops to guard federal property in Los Angeles, amid confrontations between federal immigration authorities and opposing demonstrators.
In August, Trump also ordered a deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., as part of a broader effort to address crime in the nation’s capital. He has since discussed plans for additional troop deployments in Portland, Baltimore, Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans.
“The Democrats run most of the cities that are in bad shape,” the president told the gathered military leaders.
Trump indicated he intends to continue calling on the military as part of his model for addressing crime in urban areas.
“We’re going to straighten them out one by one. And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within,” he said.
Culling Military Leadership
During his discussion about raising standards and discontinuing certain “woke” policies, Hegseth talked about the Trump administration’s decision to shrink the military leadership.
Hegseth said that as he has considered recent firing recommendations, he has tried to distinguish between which military officials are simply obeying the orders of civilian leaders under prior presidencies, and which ones “are truly invested in the ‘Woke Department’ and therefore incapable of embracing the War Department and executing new lawful orders.”
The Secretary of War said more leadership changes would come.
“I look out at this group and I see great Americans, leaders who have given decades to our great republic at great sacrifice to yourselves and to your families,” he said. “But if the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign. We would thank you for your service.”
Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
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