Trump reveals plan to use US cities to train military and end ‘woke culture’

President Donald Trump revealed his plan to use American cities as training grounds for the armed forces and joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday in declaring an end to “woke culture” during an unusual gathering of hundreds of top U.S. military officials. These officials were abruptly summoned to Virginia from around the world.

Mr. Hegseth announced new directives for troops, including gender-neutral or male-level standards for physical fitness. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump highlighted U.S. nuclear capabilities and warned that America is facing an invasion from within.

“After spending trillions of dollars defending the borders of foreign countries, with your help we’re defending the borders of our country,” Mr. Trump said.

The meeting was called by Mr. Hegseth at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington, without publicly revealing its purpose until the morning of the event. His address focused heavily on long-used talking points, painting a picture of a military hamstrung by “woke” policies. He urged military leaders who disagreed with his new approach to resign honorably.

While meetings between top military brass and civilian leaders are common, this gathering sparked speculation due to the haste of the summons and the secrecy surrounding it. Admirals and generals serving in conflict zones across the Middle East and elsewhere were brought in for a lecture on race and gender in the military. This underscored how the country’s culture wars have become a primary agenda item for Mr. Hegseth’s Pentagon, even amid broad global national security concerns.

Mr. Trump, accustomed to boisterous crowds of supporters, did not receive the usual enthusiastic response from the generals and admirals present. Upholding the armed services’ nonpartisan tradition, the military leaders mostly remained stone-faced throughout his politicized remarks. This was a stark contrast to the cheering rank-and-file soldiers during Mr. Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg this summer.

During his nearly hour-long speech, Mr. Hegseth criticized the military’s promotion system, saying that too many leaders have been advanced for the wrong reasons—based on race, gender quotas, and historic firsts.

“The era of politically correct, overly sensitive, don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now at every level,” he declared.

Mr. Trump echoed that sentiment: “The purpose of America’s military is not to protect anyone’s feelings. It’s to protect our republic. We will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom,” he said. “And we will be a fighting and winning machine.”

Mr. Hegseth also announced changes aimed at loosening disciplinary rules and weakening hazing protections. He emphasized removing many of the “guardrails” that the military has put in place following numerous scandals and investigations. He ordered a review of the Department of Defense’s definitions of so-called toxic leadership, bullying, and hazing. The goal is to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second guessing.

The defense secretary also called for changes to how adverse information is retained on personnel records, allowing leaders with forgivable, earnest, or minor infractions not to be burdened by those records forever.

“People make honest mistakes, and our mistakes should not define an entire career,” he said. “Otherwise, we only try not to make mistakes.”

This move comes amid concerns related to bullying and toxic leadership, factors suspected or confirmed in numerous military suicides over recent years. One tragic example is Brandon Caserta, a young sailor who was bullied into taking his own life in 2018. A Navy investigation found that Mr. Caserta’s supervisors’ belligerence, vulgarity, and brash leadership were likely significant contributors to his decision.

During his speech, Mr. Hegseth criticized several policies, including environmental restrictions and the inclusion of transgender troops, while promoting a warrior ethos and the principle of peace through strength. He rejected the idea promoted by previous administrations that “our diversity is our strength,” calling it “an insane fallacy.”

“They had to put out dizzying DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and LGBTQE+ statements. They were told females and males are the same, or that males who think they’re females is totally normal,” he said. He also criticized the use of electric tanks and COVID vaccine requirements as misguided policies.

Regarding physical standards for combat roles, Mr. Hegseth declared they must be high and gender-neutral. “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” he said. “If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”

Mr. Hegseth’s speech coincided with looming concerns of a potential government shutdown this week. He has taken several unusual and unexplained actions recently, including ordering cuts to the number of general officers and firing other top military leaders.

He has championed the military’s role in securing the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying troops to American cities as part of Mr. Trump’s law enforcement surges, and conducting strikes on boats in the Caribbean targeting drug traffickers, according to the administration.

This gathering reflects a significant shift in Pentagon priorities under Mr. Hegseth’s leadership, with a strong emphasis on combat readiness and traditional military values over cultural and social initiatives.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/trump-reveals-plan-to-use-us-cities-to-train-military-and-end-woke-culture-1813111.html