From “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Addresses General and Flag Officers at Quantico, Virginia”

Sept. 30, 2025

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Our civilian and military leadership is chock full of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who say never again to nation building and nebulous end states. This clear eyed view ... with President Trump's military buildup, postures us for future victories ... when we embrace the War Department.

... We have to be prepared for war, not for defense. We're training warriors, not defenders. ... Defense is ... inherently reactionary and can lead to overuse, overreach and mission creep. War is something you do sparingly on our own terms and with clear aims. We fight to win. 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, just common sense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters.

That's all I ever wanted as a platoon leader. ...

... today is another liberation day, the liberation of America's warriors ... You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don't necessarily belong always in polite society.

We are not an army of one. We are a joint force of millions of selfless Americans. ... We are purpose built not for fair weather, blue skies or calm seas. We were built to load up in the back of helicopters, five tons, or Zodiacs in the dead of night, in fair weather or foul to go to dangerous places to find those who would do our nation harm and deliver justice on behalf of the American people in close and brutal combat if necessary.

... We fight not because we hate ... We fight because we love what's behind us. ... In this profession, you feel comfortable inside the violence so that our citizens can live peacefully. Lethality is our calling card and victory our only acceptable end state.

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