Overview

• Speaking to senior officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Defense Secretary Pete Hegset said the department’s sole mission is to prepare for war and win it, calling pacifism “naive and dangerous” and invoking “peace through strength.”
• Hegset vowed to “crush” any adversary with “brutality, precision and ferocity,” framing the shift as a return to uncompromising combat readiness.
• He pledged to purge what he called “ideological garbage,” roll back inclusivity policies, tighten grooming and fitness standards, and told those who disagree to resign, saying there would be “no more guys in dresses” in the ranks.
• Trump told the same gathering the United States will allocate more than $1 trillion to the military in 2026, noting the 2025 defense budget is $895 billion and citing plans for 19 new Navy ships.
• Recent restructuring moves under Hegset include a proposed 20% reduction in general officer billets and the revival of “Department of War” as an additional official name via a September order, with any formal renaming still requiring Congress.