US President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have faced criticism after delivering incendiary speeches to hundreds of generals and admirals. Trump suggested using US cities as military training grounds, while Hegseth outlined a series of directives aimed at removing what he called 'woke' culture from the armed forces.
Speaking at the gathering, Trump proposed deploying troops to Chicago, describing it as 'a big city with an incompetent governor'. He also advocated for aggressive responses to protesters, stating: 'They spit, we hit'. The president defended the navy's sinking of Venezuelan boats without evidence, claiming each vessel 'kills about 25,000 people'.
Hegseth, in his address, denounced diversity initiatives as 'the insane fallacy that diversity is our strength'. He confirmed the dismissal of several senior officers, including General CQ Brown, and called for a 'colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based' promotion system. He warned that those uncomfortable with the changes should 'do the honorable thing and resign'.
The speeches have been condemned by critics as an attack on military professionalism. The assembled officers reportedly remained stone-faced throughout, with minimal applause. Observers noted that the event appeared designed for a wider political audience rather than purely internal military communication.
