U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a sweeping rollback of progressive and identity-based policies across the armed forces during a keynote speech at Special Operations Forces Week, declaring the start of a new era of military readiness focused on discipline, merit, and combat effectiveness.

Hegseth’s remarks, delivered to an audience of military leaders and special operations personnel, emphasized a renewed commitment to traditional standards of military excellence and a rejection of ideological programs introduced under the previous administration.

“We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind,” Hegseth said. “No more pronouns. No more climate change obsession. No more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses—we’re done with that sh*t.”

BREAKING: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says that there will be no more dudes in dresses at the Pentagon.

“We’re done with that sh*t.” pic.twitter.com/E77ZDW2bYk

— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) May 6, 2025

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The audience responded with applause and cheers as Hegseth laid out his objectives.

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He identified the central mission of his office as building a force focused on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, and readiness.

Hegseth stated that the military must value service members not based on race, gender, or other immutable traits, but on character, performance, and patriotism.

“They want to be in disciplined formations that value them not for immutable differences, not for the color of our skin or gender, but because of honor and integrity and grit and patriotism,” he said.

“They want a meritocracy where they can work hard, make themselves better, kick ass, and rise up.”

.@SecDef: “That’s been my first priority since Day One, is restoring the Warrior Ethos… we are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. No more pronouns, no more climate change obsession… no more dudes in dresses… We’re focused on lethality, meritocracy, accountability,… pic.twitter.com/bOvqsF3Ytb

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 6, 2025

Hegseth underscored his belief that military service appeals most when Americans see leadership worth following and a mission that reflects national values.

He said that Americans are again drawn to service because of the culture being reestablished under the current administration.

During the speech, Hegseth cited early results showing that the armed forces are already seeing measurable improvement in recruitment.

In his first month as Secretary of Defense, all branches of the military reportedly met or exceeded their monthly recruitment goals, with the U.S. Army exceeding its target by 15 percent.

Last week, during a cabinet meeting, Hegseth described the shift as a “recruiting renaissance,” pointing to a reversal of the declining enlistment numbers that plagued the armed forces under President Biden.

“What we have seen since your election and the inauguration has been nothing short of a recruiting Renaissance,” Hegseth said.

“It has been decades since we’ve seen this kind of recruiting in the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force.”

Hegseth attributed the resurgence in recruitment to a renewed sense of mission, clarity of leadership, and a return to a warrior-focused culture.

“The men and women of America want to join the United States military, led by President Donald Trump,” he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says we’re experiencing a “Recruiting Renaissance” in the US Military:

“What we have seen since your election and inauguration has been nothing short of a recruiting renaissance. It’s been decades since we’ve seen this kind of recruiting in the… pic.twitter.com/zFHk8T1K26

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 30, 2025

Hegseth, a former Army officer and combat veteran, has been outspoken in recent years about reversing what he described as distractions within the Defense Department and rebuilding a fighting force centered on excellence and readiness.

The Defense Department has not released final quarterly figures, but internal data cited by senior officials confirm significant increases in enlistment activity in several regions of the country, particularly among rural and working-class communities, which historically account for a large portion of military service members.

Further policy announcements related to training standards and military education programs are expected in the coming weeks.

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