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Related: About this forumDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth rails against 'fat generals' and calls for physical fitness standards - NBC News
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced at a gathering of military officers that he expected more physical fitness from personnel in the U.S. military and criticized "fat generals and admirals." Hegseth said that he will impose a mandatory personal fitness test twice a year.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rails against 'fat generals' and calls for physical fitness standards - NBC News (Original Post)
TexasTowelie
15 hrs ago
OP
MaddowBlog-Why Pete Hegseth's pitch to generals and admirals was even worse than expected
LetMyPeopleVote
12 hrs ago
#6
MagaSmash
(10,995 posts)1. This guy too?

Coldwater
(248 posts)3. Exactly, Trump should lead by example
SheltieLover
(74,033 posts)2. Kraznov going to lead by example?

PatSeg
(51,029 posts)4. He reminds me so much of the many
unqualified, low level management I've had to endure over the years. So much bogus hype that no one is buying.
ALBliberal
(3,121 posts)5. Was Winston Churchill fit? Was FDR in a wheelchair?
This country has lost it ever effing mind
LetMyPeopleVote
(170,428 posts)6. MaddowBlog-Why Pete Hegseth's pitch to generals and admirals was even worse than expected
Did the secretary bring generals and admirals in from around the world so he could treat them like a CPAC audience? Actually, yes, he did.
Why Pete Hegsethâs pitch to generals and admirals was even worse than expected
— (@gypsydaveh.bsky.social) 2025-09-30T16:25:32.516Z
flip.it/GIAS0g
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/pete-hegseth-speech-generals-admirals-rcna234674
But having heard the secretarys remarks, he proved to be even worse than expected. Reuters reported:
Choosing the worst moment from Hegseths bizarre and unnecessary speech is admittedly challenging. Was it his boasts about firing qualified military leaders? Or maybe his condemnation of diversity initiatives and climate change as s--- that the military will no longer care about?.....
Maybe the lowest of the low points was Hegseths comment that seemed to open the door to a new attitude toward war crimes. We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also dont fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country, he declared. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement.
In other words, Hegseth spent millions of taxpayer dollars to bring generals and admirals in from around the world so that he could treat them like a CPAC audience.
As for those in attendance who mightve been uncomfortable with the secretarys absurdities, he extended some advice to them, too. If the words Im speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign, Hegseth said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed fat generals and diversity initiatives that he said led to decades of decay in the military and told a rare gathering of commanders on Tuesday they should resign if they dont support his agenda. Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the Woke Department, Hegseth said as he kicked off the event in Quantico, Virginia. But not anymore, he said.
Choosing the worst moment from Hegseths bizarre and unnecessary speech is admittedly challenging. Was it his boasts about firing qualified military leaders? Or maybe his condemnation of diversity initiatives and climate change as s--- that the military will no longer care about?.....
Maybe the lowest of the low points was Hegseths comment that seemed to open the door to a new attitude toward war crimes. We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also dont fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country, he declared. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement.
Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-09-30T13:06:31.204Z
In other words, Hegseth spent millions of taxpayer dollars to bring generals and admirals in from around the world so that he could treat them like a CPAC audience.
As for those in attendance who mightve been uncomfortable with the secretarys absurdities, he extended some advice to them, too. If the words Im speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign, Hegseth said.