Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of America’s top generals and admirals from around the world to Marine Corps Base Quantico with just days’ notice for what amounted to a military culture reckoning. The hastily arranged gathering on September 30, was both an ultimatum and a transformation announcement: align with the new “warrior ethos” doctrine or face dismissal.
The meeting cost taxpayers millions of dollars and required unprecedented security to bring hundreds of senior officers to one location. Ranking member Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) of the Senate Armed Services Committee condemned the gathering as “an expensive, dangerous dereliction of leadership,” stating that “even more troubling was Mr. Hegseth’s ultimatum to America’s senior officers: conform to his political worldview or step aside.”
Standing before an auditorium packed with the nation’s most senior military commanders, Hegseth delivered an uncompromising message that the “era of politically correct, overly sensitive, don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now.” The meeting served as a high-stakes command realignment designed to impose immediate cultural and operational changes across the entire force structure, from combat units to the Pentagon’s highest echelons.
He repeatedly criticized past policies and condemned the focus on diversity, inclusion, and what he termed “gender delusions,” signaling a decisive break from previous Pentagon objectives.
The Secretary issued a memo giving military branches 60 days to construct plans for implementing new grooming policies and about 90 days to enforce them.
Hegseth was blunt in his criticism of current grooming standards, stating: “No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression. We’re going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards.” He compared bearded soldiers to the broken windows theory of policing, arguing that “when you let the small stuff go, the big stuff eventually goes.”
The Secretary made clear there would be limited exceptions: “If you want a beard, you can join Special Forces. If not, then shave.” Special Forces operators retain beard exemptions for mission-essential requirements when operating in certain environments.
Hegseth’s new policy effectively eliminates most religious and medical shaving waivers that have been granted in recent years. The Pentagon will revert to “pre-2010 standards,” ending accommodations for Sikh, Norse Pagan, and some Muslim troops who had been granted religious exemptions. Medical exemptions for conditions like pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps), which disproportionately affects Black servicemen, will also be largely eliminated.
Service members with permanent medical conditions may face administrative separation if they cannot comply.
He insisted that all service members—including generals and admirals—must meet what he called the “highest male standard” for physical fitness, regardless of gender. Every member of the joint force is now required to pass fitness and grooming tests twice annually, a standard enforced equally across ranks. Hegseth stated: “When it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender-neutral. 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 called for a crackdown on “fat generals” and dismissed leniency for physical shortcomings at any rank.
The secretary announced that restrictions on hazing and the rules of engagement would be loosened. Racial quotas are to be eliminated, as are many diversity and identity recognition programs. He claimed terms like “toxic leadership” and “bullying” had been weaponized against tough leaders and that real toxic leadership involved “promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of merit.”
He is also overhauling the Inspector General process, which he said has been used for “frivolous complaints,” and will focus on supporting commanders and noncommissioned officers in enforcing standards.
Promotions are to be based exclusively on performance and merit, with leaders judged solely on their demonstrated capacity in field exercises and operations. He criticized the past focus on race, gender and quotas for leadership selection.
Hegseth was clear in his warning: “If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign.”
President Donald Trump quickly echoed Hegseth’s demands.
Trump opened his remarks with what many interpreted as threats against military officers who might disagree with his policies. “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room,” he told the initially silent audience. “Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.” Earlier, before the speech, Trump had told reporters he would fire generals he disliked “on the spot.”
Trump made several alarming statements during his 72-minute address, most notably declaring that the United States faces an “invasion from within” comparable to foreign enemies. “We’re under invasion from within,” Trump told the assembled generals and admirals. “No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms.”
Perhaps most controversially, Trump suggested that American cities should serve as military training facilities.
Trump’s comments came as his administration has already deployed National Guard troops to multiple American cities, including Washington D.C., Memphis, Los Angeles, and Portland, often over the objections of local officials. He has repeatedly threatened to send troops to Chicago, despite resistance from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, whom Trump criticized as “incompetent.
He told the audience: “I told Pete we should use some of these dangerous cities as training sites for our military — including the National Guard, but also our armed forces, because we will be entering Chicago very shortly.”
However, these deployments face significant legal challenges. Federal courts have ruled that some military deployments violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement. On September 2, 2025, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s use of the National Guard in Los Angeles was illegal, stating the deployment violated the 140-year-old law designed to prevent military involvement in civilian law enforcement.
The president described Portland as resembling “a war zone” and announced on Truth Social that he had directed the deployment of troops there with authorization for “full force, if necessary” against what he termed domestic extremists.
Oregon and Portland have filed federal lawsuits challenging Trump’s authorization of 200 Oregon National Guard members for deployment in Portland, arguing the administration has overstepped its legal boundaries.
The collection of commanders sat stoically through the speeches in keeping with military tradition of nonpartisanship. However, the meeting occurred amid broader concerns about military leadership changes under the current administration.
Since taking charge of the Pentagon in January, Hegseth has ordered the departure of several senior military leaders, including firing top military lawyers. General David Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff, announced his retirement shortly before the meeting, with Trump nominating General Kenneth Wilsbach as his replacement.
