𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s extraordinary gathering of approximately 800 generals has been likened to a 1935 “surprise assembly in Berlin” by a former army Lieutenant General.

Hegseth called military officials to an in-person meeting on Tuesday to announce new directives for troops, including “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness alongside an end to “woke” culture within the military.

Ben Hodges is a retired United States Army officer who served as commanding general, United States Army Europe. The news emerges as 12 U.S. air tankers carrying ominous weight charge across the Atlantic.

He has been Senior Advisor to Human Rights First since June 2022 and also serves as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics.

However, Hodges drew parallels between Tuesday’s assembly and a 1935 “surprise assembly in Berlin” during which German generals were “required to swear a personal oath to the Führer,” Adolf Hitler, reports the Mirror US.

In response beforehand, Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer, told Hodges: “Cool story, General. ‘Politically correct era over’.”

During his address early Tuesday, Hegseth claimed the U.S. military has elevated too many leaders for incorrect reasons based on race, gender quotas, and historic firsts.

“The era of politically correct, overly sensitive don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now at every level,” Hegseth said.

He stated he is relaxing disciplinary regulations and reducing safeguards against hazing.

“Leading war fighters toward the goals of high, gender neutral and uncompromising standards in order to forge a cohesive, formidable and lethal Department of War is not toxic,” said Hegseth.

He added that it would be “toxic leadership” to endanger subordinates with “low standards” or promote people on a non-merit basis.

“That’s why today at my direction, we’re undertaking a full review of the department’s definitions of so-called toxic leadership, bullying and hazing to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second-guessing,” he said, revealing that this did not include “nasty bullying and hazing.”

According to Hegseth, words like “bullying, “hazing,” and toxic” have “been weaponised and b-stardised inside our formations, undercutting commanders and NCOs.”

Hegseth and President Donald Trump had suddenly ordered military chiefs from across the globe to assemble at a Virginia base without publicly disclosing the motive until this morning.

The meeting at the Marine Corps facility in Quantico, close to Washington, has sparked fierce conjecture about the intention and merit of calling such a vast number of generals and admirals to one location, with many positioned in more than a dozen nations that include war zones in the Middle East and beyond.

Hegseth’s address featured sharp criticisms of the existing military hierarchy and current leadership figures.

He declared to the generals: “At my direction, each service will ensure that every requirement for every combat MOS, for every designated combat arms position, returns to the highest male standard only.

“He elaborated extensively on the calibre of soldiers he would want “his son to serve next to,” stating: “I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape or in combat units with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men.”

The secretary displayed little apparent worry about whether these fresh standards might bar women from combat roles, though he prefaced his remarks:

“We very much value the impact of female troops.

“Our female officers and NCOs are the absolute best in the world. But when it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender neutral.

“If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is.

“If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result, so be it.”

He went on: “It will also mean that we mean that weak men won’t qualify because we’re not playing games. This is combat.

“This is life or death.”

Concluding his remarks, Hegseth declared that military commanders should “do the honorable thing and resign” if they disapprove of his vision for the armed forces.