Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the US military must fix “decades of decay” as he addressed a rare gathering of hundreds of senior officers summoned from around the world.
Addressing a room full of America’s top generals and admirals, summoned from around the world without explanation last week, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top U.S. general, and the Navy’s top admiral. He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture.
“This speech is about fixing decades of decay, some of it obvious, some of it hidden,” Hegseth said, as he strode a stage in front of a massive American flag.
“Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department.’ But not anymore,” he said.
President Donald Trump, as he departed for the event, told reporters that he would fire military leaders on the spot if he did not like them.
Trump then opened with a joke as he took the stage for a speech that lasted more than an hour, saying: “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room, of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
