Hegseth Orders Military Overhaul; Trump Attends

At a rare, unannounced gathering of hundreds of senior commanders at Quantico, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared the Pentagon must shed “woke” policies and told officers who disagree they should resign. He announced sweeping cultural changes — ending identity months and DEI offices, reinstating strict grooming rules, and setting fitness benchmarks to male standards — framing the shift as a return to a “War Department” focus on preparing for and winning wars. Hegseth defended recent removals of senior officers, including the top U.S. general and the Navy’s top admiral, and said multiple flag officers have already been fired or recalled as part of the overhaul. He pledged to overhaul how discrimination complaints and misconduct investigations are handled, saying the current system forces senior leaders to walk on “eggshells.” President Trump attended, echoed Hegseth’s opposition to diversity initiatives, and signaled he would remove military leaders he dislikes “on the spot.”