Macho man Pete Hegseth turns ‘State of the Force’ address into a spectacle of slurs and self-congratulation

“High T” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth returned to Quantico on Wednesday with a 52-minute declaration of military strength that, for long stretches, sounded like a catalog of performative personal and political grievances. Transgender people, journalists, universities, diversity programs, and dismissed generals all became targets in a speech heavy on culture war buzzwords and performative toughness.He promised merit. He invoked the “warrior ethos.” He used an anti-transgender slur. And when he topped off his description of a transformed military with a boast about testosterone testing, the performance hit an awkward silence.“We are no longer the woke department or the weak department,” Hegseth said. “Simple translation of that. No fatties, no tr***ies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors. Just tough, ready, committed troops.”Moments later, he continued: “The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in with testosterone testing on top.”He paused. Nobody clapped. Against the buildup, the silence was deafening.“Diversity is not our strength,” he continued. “Unity is our strength.”Related: Pete Hegseth mandates that all military service members watch his fratty Virginia speech to generalsA return engagement at QuanticoThe “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia came exactly one year after Hegseth’s first major address there, when senior military leaders were ordered to attend a gathering featuring him and President Donald Trump. Generals and admirals summoned from around the world heard demands to remake military culture, with the audience remaining largely silent.Wednesday’s audience consisted of junior officers and enlisted leaders. Hegseth said he intended the address to become an annual tradition, allowing the secretary to report on the department and outline its direction.He opened by revisiting the previous gathering and suggesting that commanders who resisted