Hegseth indicates more personnel changes, acquisition reforms lie ahead at DOD
The Trump administration’s sweeping U.S. military shakeup is expected to gain momentum in the months to come — with more leadership changes, major acquisition updates and possible personnel cuts in the Pentagon’s pipeline, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested during an unusual gathering of military brass Tuesday.
At the “key leaders all-call” meeting with hundreds of top generals and admirals summoned from around the world at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hegseth and President Donald Trump unveiled a broad docket of new and forthcoming directives meant to reflect their overarching vision for “woke”-ending reforms.
“We will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom. We will be a fighting and winning machine. We want to fight, we want to win, and we want to fight as little as possible,” Trump said.
Theories swirled about the intent behind this mass gathering after Hegseth hastily ordered it last week.
In the portion that was publicly livestreamed, Hegseth outlined his plans for policy shifts — via 10 directives — around physical fitness and grooming standards, mandatory training, oversight processes, records retention rules and more.
Details on implementation were sparse, but some of those moves include mandating all combat arms positions to use the “highest male standard” in their physical fitness requirements; overhauling the inspector general process; launching a new department-wide review of physical standards; and banning beards except for people with temporary waivers, among others.
He and Trump repeatedly criticized the former Biden administration’s military policies and prioritization of diversity and inclusion efforts.
“I have fired a number of senior officers since taking over — the previous chairman, other members of the Joint Chiefs, combatant commanders and other commanders,” Hegseth noted. “It’s nearly impossible to change a culture with the same people who helped create or even benefited from that culture.”
More than 60,000 civilians voluntarily left their jobs within the department so far this year, through the Trump administration’s Deferred Resignation Program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority offerings and other options. And as Hegseth noted, in the last few months the administration fired top military leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, U.S. Cyber Command commander Gen. Timothy Haugh, and Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, among others.
“More leadership changes will be made — of that, I’m certain. Not because we want to, but because we must. Once again, this is life and death. The sooner we have the right people, the sooner we can advance the right policies. Personnel is policy,” Hegseth said on Tuesday.
“If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” he told the crowd of senior officers.
Shortly after addressing the service members, the Pentagon chief signed several associated memorandums that outline the administration’s new proposals — including one that calls for a “cultural refresh” among the civilian workforce. In that issuance, Hegseth directed the department’s undersecretary for personnel and readiness “to immediately issue specific guidance” that will simultaneously encourage rewards for top performers and demystify the employee removal process. In another memo, Hegseth directs department watchdogs to use artificial intelligence as they seek to “expedite” oversight investigations.
Notably, in their remarks on Tuesday, both Hegseth and Trump underscored a need for immediate actions without specifying exact timelines for the initiatives.
“Enemies gather, threats grow. There is no time for games. We must be prepared. If we’re going to prevent and avoid war, we must prepare now. We are the ‘strength’ part of ‘peace through strength,’ and either we’re ready to win or we are not,” Hegseth said. “You see, this urgent moment, of course, requires more troops, more munitions, more drones, more Patriots, more submarines, more B-21 bombers. It requires more innovation, more AI in everything and, ahead of the curve, more cyber effects, more counter-UAS, more space, more speed.”
The secretary emphasized that the “War Department is tackling and prioritizing all of these things.” On that, Hegseth said he’ll give a speech next month “that will showcase the speed innovation and generational acquisition reforms we are undertaking urgently, and likewise, the nature of the threats we face in our hemisphere and in deterring China.”
Officially changing the name of the Department of Defense requires an act of Congress, but earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order rebranding DOD as the Department of War.
During his 72-minute speech, the president also suggested that Hegseth “will soon be announcing major reforms to streamline military acquisitions and expedite” foreign military sales.
“Together over the next few years, we’re going to make our military stronger, tougher, faster, fiercer and more powerful than it has ever been before,” Trump told the audience.
