Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is exploring the return of the shark attack practice, in which multiple drill sergeants swarm recruits to establish dominance on day one of basic training.
• He has also directed the Pentagon to consider overturning the ban on bay tossing, a tactic that lets drill sergeants flip bunks and scatter trainees’ belongings to enforce discipline.
• Hegseth has amplified his stance on X, deriding current courses as “weak, woke” and insisting on a “tried, true & tough” approach to soldier preparation.
• Pentagon and Army spokespeople confirm that no formal orders have been issued yet on reinstating shark attacks or reversing the bay tossing prohibition.
• Senior Army leaders and veteran drill sergeants remain split on whether reviving aggressive swarming tactics will strengthen recruit resilience or erode unit cohesion.