Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gathered roughly 800 senior officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico and declared an end to a “war on warriors,” invoking the newly renamed Department of War.
• New directives raise physical and grooming standards, require twice‑yearly fitness and height‑weight tests for all ranks, mandate the highest male standard for combat roles, and ban beards and long hair.
• Hegseth ordered reviews that narrow definitions of toxic leadership, bullying and hazing, moved to end anonymous Equal Opportunity and Inspector General complaints, and signaled more latitude for drill instructors.
• President Trump called the nation “under invasion from within,” suggested using cities such as Chicago as military or National Guard “training grounds,” and highlighted a civil‑disturbance quick‑reaction force.
• The assembled generals and admirals largely stayed silent as Hegseth urged dissenters to resign and Trump warned of on‑the‑spot firings, drawing swift criticism and legal cautions over domestic deployments and loosened rules of engagement.