At Quantico this week, War Secretary Pete Hegseth did something that rattled the political establishment: he told U.S. service members that if they oppose his plan to scrap “woke” policies and restore a true warrior ethos, they should resign.
The media reacted with outrage. Critics cried that Hegseth was being divisive, authoritarian, even reckless. But let’s be clear—what he said was common sense. The mission of the United States military is not to promote social experiments or cater to identity politics. Its mission is to fight and win wars. And Hegseth is right to insist that anyone unwilling to embrace that mission should step aside.
“If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth told the audience. “We would thank you for your service. But I suspect the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.”
For years, conservatives have watched as the Pentagon has been slowly turned into a petri dish for progressive ideology. DEI bureaucracies, climate mandates, gender politics, and “sensitivity training” have become as much a part of the armed forces as basic training. The result? Declining recruitment, plummeting morale, and a warrior class that feels ignored and demoralized.
Hegseth didn’t ask for anything radical. He called for a return to the basics: strength, discipline, unity, and a single-minded focus on readiness. These are the values that win wars. They are the values that made the U.S. military the most feared fighting force in the world.
Throughout the 45-minute address, Hegseth repeatedly attacked what he called decades of “decay” in the ranks, driven by diversity programs, lowered standards and politicized leadership.
“We became the woke department. But not anymore,” Hegseth said. “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship. No more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris. We are done with that.”
This is why his blunt message matters. When a leader says, “If you can’t get on board, resign,” he is clarifying the mission. He is separating those who will fight for America from those who want to fight America’s culture wars. And that clarity is badly needed.
History is on Hegseth’s side. The U.S. military has always thrived when its focus was razor sharp: deterrence and victory. Reagan understood that. Patton understood that. MacArthur understood that. And today, with threats multiplying across the globe, America cannot afford a force distracted by ideological crusades at home.
Hegseth has thrown down the gauntlet. He is forcing a choice: Do we want a military optimized for diversity checklists—or a military optimized to win battles? The American people know the answer.
The armed forces deserve leadership that believes in warriors, not wokesters. And for the first time in years, it looks like they have it.
