Pete Hegseth Again Declares ‘No Fatties’ in U.S. Military

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revived one of his more inflammatory refrains, declaring there would be “no fatties, no trannies, no beardos” in the U.S. military.

On Wednesday, the defense secretary addressed troops at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, for his “State of the Force” speech. He made clear in an email to Army commanders that he only wanted those who maintained “impeccable grooming and uniform standards (no exception)” in the audience.

A snippet of his remarks, which include a slur against the transgender community, read:

We are no longer the “woke department” or the “weak department.” Simple translation of that — no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors. Just tough, ready, committed troops. The War Department, as you know, is color-blind, gender-neutral, and merit-based.

Or, as the president says to me, “Pete, central casting. I want central casting.” The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.

He also boasted about slashing the military’s ranks of generals and admirals, declaring the reductions “an accomplishment” while blasting leaders who “clung to the woke department.”

The new cuts, first reported by Fox News on Tuesday, call for eliminating 20% of positions reserved for generals and admirals — doubling a previous 10% reduction. These cuts come amid growing scrutiny of the Pentagon chief’s overhaul of the military’s senior ranks.

Just last month, former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll reportedly went directly to President Donald Trump, just before his resignation, to raise concerns about the number of Army leaders who had been fired, pushed out, or passed over for promotion under Hegseth.

At last year’s “State of the Force” speech, which included an appearance from Trump, Hegseth first touted what he then hailed as a new approach to “warrior ethos,” and also railed against “fat generals and admirals.”

And this year, emphasizing that he thinks “most” generals responded “positively” to his guidance, the defense secretary added, “Those generals who did not, who clung to the ‘woke department’ or seem to think civilian control of the military is simply a suggestion, well, they no longer work here.”

Next, he addressed the cuts, continuing:

The number crunchers say we fired 10% of the generals and admirals across the force, and that number sounds about right. And I know, because I directed it, that we’ve also reduced the overall number of general officer slots by an additional 10%. So yes, 20% reduction across the board.

Now, the media calls that a purge. I call it accountability and long overdue. And frankly, the bare minimum. As usual, what the media levels as an accusation, I wear as an accomplishment. You see, you can’t change a culture with the same people who enabled it.

Watch above on C-SPAN and Newsmax.

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