ISTANBUL

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told hundreds of top officers on Tuesday that more firings of senior commanders are coming as he seeks to overhaul military culture, fitness and leadership standards.

“We have been and will continue to be judicious but also expeditious … more leadership changes will be made,” Hegseth told an unusual gathering of more than 800 generals and admirals at Marine Corps Base Quantico in the state of Virginia.

Hegseth said his rationale is straightforward. "It's nearly impossible to change a culture with the same people who helped create or even benefited from that culture," he said. "An entire generation of generals and admirals were told that they must parrot the insane fallacy that 'our diversity is our strength.'”

He criticized military leaders for focusing on diversity and climate issues rather than combat readiness.

"No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusions, no more debris," he said.

He accused politicians of forcing the military to focus on "the wrong things" and said leaders were promoted "based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts."

Hegseth said with the moves, the Pentagon is “clearing out the debris, removing the distractions, clearing the way for leaders to be leaders.”

The Pentagon chief also warned servicemen who did not conform to the new order, saying: "If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should ... resign.”  

New military orders

Hegseth laid out sweeping new directives to reshape the military.

He said combat positions would return to the highest male standards, arguing that the roles are “life or death.”

A new combat field test will be added for combat arms units, he said, which must be executable at any time, in any environment and with full combat equipment.

Fitness testing will also change, with combat troops required to take gender-neutral, age-normed assessments scored above 70%. "It's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country in the world," he said.

All service members will be required to pass physical training and height and weight checks twice annually, he said.

Grooming standards will tighten, ending the use of beards and long hair, “the era of unprofessional appearance is over,” said Hegseth.

He also announced reviews of standards across all units and institutions, including a reassessment of definitions for toxic leadership, bullying and hazing, to give commanders more authority in enforcing discipline.

Oversight systems such as inspector general and equal opportunity processes will be overhauled under a “no more walking on eggshells policy,” which he said would prevent anonymous or "frivolous" complaints.

Changes will also be made to how adverse information is retained in personnel records, ensuring that minor infractions do not permanently block promotions.

Hegseth said mandatory training requirements will be reduced, freeing up time for "more time in the motor pool and more time on the range."

He emphasized that the Pentagon “very much values the impact of female troops” but reiterated that all combat roles must maintain high, gender-neutral physical standards.