Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a wide-ranging “State of the Force” address Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, announcing six major initiatives and a series of directives reshaping the U.S. military.
Hegseth delivered this year’s speech to about 600 rank-and-file troops, a shift from the roughly 800 generals and admirals he gathered in 2025. The Pentagon released the text of the address along with a series of memos putting its directives into effect.
He opened by declaring that the military is “no longer the woke department,” saying, “The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in.”
The Pentagon’s Six New Initiatives
Much of the speech’s substance came in the form of six initiatives Hegseth said will modernize the force.
He announced an Autonomous Warfare Command, focused on drones and autonomous systems, which he said would become a four-star combatant command by Oct. 1, 2027.
A second, Project Meridian, is a technology-focused effort he said would be “co-led by three of our nation’s best minds: Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich.”
Other initiatives included America’s Corps of Cadets, a program that will expand officer commissioning pipelines specifically at five universities.
There’s also an effort he called Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability, or FORTRESS America. He invited governors to compete to host a new installation.
A New Religious Affairs Office
The religious affairs announcement drew the sharpest response.
“Today, at my direction, I’m establishing the Office of Religious Affairs. It will report straight to the top, a direct line to the secretary,” Hegseth said. “As Psalm 33:12 extols us, ‘Blessed is the nation in which God is the Lord.” The speech included several biblical references.
Critics said the office crosses a constitutional line.
Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement shared with Military.com that the plan elevates Christianity “to an even higher role in shaping U.S. military policy” and advances what she described as a “Christian Nationalist agenda.”
For more than 250 years, the military and its chaplains have served the diverse religious and spiritual needs of all our service members. Hegseth’s new plan upends this to the detriment of all who serve.
The Pentagon has said the office supports service members’ faith.
Standards, Gender, and a Cut to the Top Ranks
Hegseth spent much of the speech on physical standards and personnel, reiterating themes from last year.
He confirmed a plan to cut the number of general and admiral positions by 20%, effective Jan. 1, and repeated his push for what he calls “gender-neutral” fitness standards, including a requirement that troops in combat roles meet a male-level benchmark.
Hegseth also reaffirmed his rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and his earlier grooming directives, including a ban on beards and mandatory fitness testing.
It was in that part of the speech that Hegseth used his most pointed language.
Describing his vision for the force, he said the military is “no longer the woke department or the weak department,” adding, “Simple translation of that: no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors.”
He also mentioned an ongoing effort to monitor service members’ testosterone levels.
Hegseth, a former Fox News co-host, also took aim at the news media. He framed part of his message as something to be said plainly “so the fake news understands it.”
The speech drew sharply divided reactions. Administration officials and supporters cast it as an overhaul aimed to refocus the military on combat readiness.
Critics, including civil liberties and religious freedom groups, called it politically charged and said several of the initiatives and directives raise legal and constitutional questions.
Some new initiatives and directives will be rolled out on different timelines. His reduction in general and admiral positions is targeted for Jan. 1, and the Autonomous Warfare Command is slated to become a combatant command by October 2027.
According to the Pentagon, the memos accompanying the speech take effect immediately. Hegseth told troops that standards not enforced are “just suggestions.”
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