On September 30, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed a room filled with every general and admiral in the United States military. The gathering, held at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, was widely described as unprecedented in scope and scale—no comparable assembly of senior military leadership has occurred in modern times (2). In his remarks, Secretary Hegseth announced a series of initiatives that the Trump Administration believes will significantly enhance the lethality and readiness of all branches of the armed forces. These measures include mandatory physical training for all service members, a unified standard for combat roles, and strict grooming requirements across the services (3).

Before and after the Secretary’s address, a wave of criticism swept through both legacy and emerging media outlets, many of which described the speech as dangerous and demeaning to the generals and admirals in attendance. The Atlantic and others in print, digital, and broadcast media warned of the risks in assembling every general officer—O-7 and above—in a single room (4). The Guardian featured interviews with veterans who viewed the speech as unnecessary, disrespectful to senior leadership, and reckless in its emphasis on lethality, particularly given the Trump Administration’s rhetoric about deploying the National Guard to American cities (5). Margret Brennan on Face the Nation found a retired three-star Army general to critique Secretary Hegseths speech, claiming that pieces of it were misleading, unnecessary, or addressing fabricated problems (6). While some commentators acknowledged that the Secretary had every right to address the military’s senior leaders, and that civilian authorities are legally empowered to set military standards, the overall tone of the coverage remained overwhelmingly critical.

Not everyone who heard the speech was dismayed. Retired Marine Corps officer and career infantryman Major General Dale Alford joined host Mike McNamara, also a former Marine officer, on the All Marine Radio podcast to discuss the address. Early in the program, McNamara remarked, “If I could have written a speech for him to give, this is the speech. I couldn’t believe what he said, it was just an amazing thing to watch.” General Alford interjected, “Most of it was stuff we say over a beer at the O-Club,” referring to the officers’ club. He continued, “First off, I’ll say that I was wrong about him. When he was picked nine months ago or so, I teeth-suckered. I thought, what’s this guy who’s never run anything going to do running the entire Department of Defense?” Over the course of the podcast, the two Marines discussed the merits of a single standard for combat roles and other policies outlined in the speech (7).

Mike Baker, host of The President’s Daily Brief and a frequent guest on The Joe Rogan Experience, invited Bill Roggio, editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal and a U.S. Army veteran, to share his perspective. Roggio said, “I thought it was one of the more measured things I’ve seen. Look, people who are critical of getting rid of things like DEI and having physical standards, and all the things mentioned in the speech, I just want to know what war we’ve won since the beginning of the 21st century that shows what we’ve been doing works. It’s not working. We need a change of direction.” Later, he added, “I have friends who served during the War on Terror, some who just retired, who told me that in one instance, one trans case dominated ninety percent of that lieutenant colonel’s administrative time” (8).

Legacy and emerging media outlets have long been hostile toward the Trump Administration—especially toward Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whom they portray as unqualified to lead the Pentagon (9). During his confirmation hearing, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois said, “In these serious times, we need a serious candidate to lead our military. We need someone with merit to lead our meritocracy. Someone with moral strength to be in charge of protecting our national strength… Our troops deserve better than a guy who was seemingly only nominated because he used to host Trump’s favorite show on Fox News.” (10). It is no secret that any individual President Trump nominated to lead the Defense Department would have been dissected by the Democratic Party’s political establishment and its media allies. Senator Marco Rubio was the lone nominee widely praised by the Senate, largely because of the body’s tradition of supporting one of its own. Yet, as Secretary of State, he now faces the same criticism from the media and the left that once spared him.

What ultimately matters, however, is direction. Secretary Hegseth has clearly invested significant thought, time, and energy in identifying and addressing the systemic problems within the Department of Defense. While some perceived his tone as dismissive toward senior officers, that is secondary to the substance of his leadership. Service members appear to support his agenda, and his conservative approach to governance reflects a renewed commitment to lethality, discipline, and military readiness. Secretary Hegseth may not have been anyone’s first choice for the position, but he was President Trump’s. Though the President has made questionable personnel decisions in the past, perhaps in this instance we should trust his judgment, and pray for a renaissance within the defense establishment by the time Vice President JD Vance assumes the presidency.

The Prairie Post deliberately refers to the Department of Defense by its official name rather than the Department of War. While we agree that a change in name is overdue, we remain wary of any executive who disregards the separation of powers. A core tenet of conservatism is limited government, secured through separation of powers and checks and balances. We look forward to the day Congress enacts the change so we can celebrate it with the rest of the nation.