Hegseth denounces diversity focus at unusual gathering of military brass

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assailed what he called "decades of decay" caused by policies promoting diversity and inclusion in the U.S. military at an unprecedented gathering of military leaders near Washington on Tuesday.

"Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the 'Woke Department,'" 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, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top U.S. 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 honorable thing and resign," Hegseth said.

"I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full."

TRUMP SAYS OF COMMANDERS, 'WE LOVE THEM'

President Donald Trump will speak at the event later on Tuesday. Trump has said he will use the face-to-face meeting with the U.S. 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."

Hegseth criticized 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 emphasized the importance of grooming standards.

"The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos," Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence.

As he departed for the event, Trump told reporters that he would be meeting military leaders and would fire them on the spot if he did not like them.

REVAMP OF DEFENSE PRIORITIES?

The Pentagon has undergone eight months of blistering changes since Trump took office, including firings, banning books from academy libraries and ordering lethal strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela.

That has led to speculation, both within the U.S. military and in the broader American public, that the gathering could go far beyond the morale-boosting exercise described by Trump to include discussions about reductions in senior officers' ranks and a revamp of U.S. defense priorities.

"It's anyone's guess" what will ultimately be discussed, said one U.S. 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 Trump, who has often dragged the military into political issues.