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'A bad look': Pete Hegseth slams 'fat' generals in Quantico address; Trump calls for fitness in US military
Hegseth added that the look of overweight troops was “completely unacceptable”, adding that all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday called for a renewed focus on fitneess requirements in the military. Slamming overweight generals, admirals, the defence secretary stated that the lack of discipline and ‘fat general, admirals’ in the halls of the Pentagon has led to decades of decay in the military.
Meanwhile, President Trump called for a renewed focus on fitness, strength and ability for a revamped and stronger US military.
Hegseth slams ‘fat’ generals
Speaking at a rare gathering of commanders on Tuesday, Hegseth added that if anybody felt bad about his address or new agenda for the military, they should do the “honourable thing and resign.”
“If the words I'm speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign. I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full,” the defence secretary said.
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He added that the look of overweight troops was “completely unacceptable”, adding that all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only.
"The era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos," Hegseth told the audience, which sat in silence.
Addressing the room full of America's top generals and admirals, who were summoned from around the world without explanation last week by the White House, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top general, who was Black, and the Navy's top admiral, who was a woman.
Hegseth added that the sacked officers were part of a broken culture, adding that diversity initiatives had also led to the decay of the military, echoing the Trump administrations crackdown on DEI policies across the country.
He also promised sweeping changes to how discrimination complaints are handled and how accusations of wrongdoing are investigated at the Pentagon, adding that the current rules have top brass “walking on egg shells.”
Trump calls for focus on fitness, strength
President Donald Trump, who addressed the gathering later, said that he would like for the military to focus on fitness and ability.
“We are bringing back a focus on fitness, ability, character, and strength... We will NOT be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom”, said Trump.
Before leaving for the Quantico address, President Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he would fire military leaders on the spot if he did not like them.
These remarks, however, stood in contrast to Trump's warm words over the weekend, when he said he would use the face-to-face meeting with the US military's top commanders to tell them that "we love them."
