Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called a meeting of approximately 800 of the War Department’s flag officers and command senior enlisted advisers at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA, on Sept. 29. It was an opportunity for Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump and Hegseth to level-set expectations in a post-woke wakeup call to a new dawn of warfighting. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, in his introduction of Hegseth, referred to the gathering as the first “Key Leaders All-Call.”
Flag Officers and Senior Enlisted Advisers Gathered
There had been considerable speculation about the purpose of the short-notice meeting, since the announcement had conveyed a sense of urgency. Hegseth began his speech, “Welcome to the War Department because the era of the Department of Defense is over.” What followed was a no-nonsense, uncompromising explanation that what the military had experienced over the past several decades was over. The way Hegseth put it, “The only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: warfighting – preparing for war and preparing to win.” He made the point, “The only people who deserve peace are those who are willing to wage war to protect it.”
These were not suggestions but imperatives, as Hegseth emphasized:
“This speech is about people, and it’s about culture. The topic today is about the nature of ourselves. Because no plan, no program, no reform, no formation will ultimately succeed unless we have the right people and the right culture at the War Department. If I’ve learned one core lesson in my eight months in this job, it’s that personnel is policy.”
He explained the War Department is not looking for perfect leaders but competent ones who value training. The secretary reiterated that the commanders should strive to create a military in which they would want their children to serve. Merit is the only criterion for advancement, and high standards of performance and appearance are paramount.
