DOD

SECDEF Hegseth speaks to students at Turning Point USA conference

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave a speech to a conference full of young, patriotic people who could potentially join the military.

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Secretary Pete Hegseth at SAS: ‘DEI is dead at DOD’ (TPUSA)

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed the opening night of Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit, where he praised the US military’s return to strength under President Donald Trump’s leadership.

Speaking to a packed crowd, Hegseth emphasized the Trump administration’s “peace through strength” foreign policy doctrine, calling the Department of Defense “the biggest peace department in the world.”

“Our job is to be strong and ready and lethal so that you never have to use us,” Hegseth said. “And if you use us, our capabilities are so overwhelming, our threat so looming, that we’re able to conclude that mission swiftly and violently to the interest of the United States, or not have to use us at all, so that peace is preserved and deterrence sticks.”

He recounted the moment President Trump selected him as defense secretary, saying Trump stressed the need for a tough leader to restore the military’s “warrior ethos” and return it “back to basics.” Hegseth blamed recent distractions in the military on left-wing social initiatives, including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), critical race theory, and climate-related programs.

“From day one, we have declared that DEI is dead at DOD,” Hegseth stated. “We’re going back to gender-neutral, colorblind, merit-based performance standards. We do readiness, we do accountability, we do war-fighting, we do lethality. We don’t do social experiments.”

Hegseth emphasized that politics has no place in military service, only devotion to the Constitution and excellence in one’s duty.

“My job is for you to be prepared in that mission. That’s it. It’s a back-to-basics moment,” he said.

According to Hegseth, the response to these changes has been “historic,” noting increased enthusiasm among young Americans to serve. His remarks followed a recent Department of Defense announcement stating that military branches are on track to meet or exceed recruiting goals for the current fiscal year.

As the United States nears its 250th anniversary, Hegseth closed by stressing the importance of upholding the country’s founding principles.

“At the DOD, we’re back-to-basics, to the constitution. We don’t do politics, we do warfighting, on behalf of the American people to keep everybody safe.”


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