Pete Hegseth summoned 800 generals and admirals from posts around the world to Quantico, Virginia, pulled them away from their duties defending our nation, and publicly humiliated them by calling them “fat,” claiming they were promoted based on race and gender rather than merit, and demanding they resign if they disagreed with him. He named specific decorated generals to be pushed out, including former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, former CENTCOM Commander Frank McKenzie, and former Army Vice Chief Peter Chiarelli. These officers sat stone-faced as a former Army major with no executive experience lectured them. Then Hegseth ordered every service member in the military to watch his speech by October 31, 2025. This isn’t leadership. It’s a power trip that insults decades of service, sacrifice, and expertise. Senator Jack Reed stated the gathering “distracted from our troops’ missions and wasted their time,” while Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs serving this country, called for Hegseth’s immediate resignation.
The military takes an oath to the Constitution, not to partisan politics. Hegseth told these officers to ignore “stupid rules of engagement” and announced he was overhauling the inspector general process that investigates misconduct while he himself is under investigation by the Defense Department IG for sharing sensitive war plans via Signal. He declared that climate change discussions would be banned from military planning, despite it being one of the greatest geopolitical threats this century affecting agriculture, economies, and geography. He demanded officers resign if they supported past diversity initiatives or disagreed with his views on transgender service members. This politicizes the military at a time when our adversaries are watching. Republicans and Democrats have always agreed that the military must remain apolitical and focused on readiness. Hegseth is destroying that principle.
Respect for military leadership shouldn’t be partisan. These generals and admirals have multiple advanced degrees, decades of command experience, and have made life-or-death decisions in combat. They’ve earned their ranks through merit, sacrifice, and results. Hegseth’s résumé includes being a Fox News host and a National Guard major. The arrogance of lecturing four-star generals about fitness while our nation faces real threats is staggering. I urge you to demand Hegseth’s removal and hold him accountable for undermining military professionalism, wasting taxpayer resources, and insulting the very people who have dedicated their lives to protecting this nation. Our military deserves better.
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