Hegseth looks to remake the military, from generals to drones

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving to reshape the Pentagon workforce and military operations in ways that could leave a lasting mark on the department. 

In a “State of the Force” address to rank-and-file troops at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Wednesday, Hegseth announced the creation of a new combatant command for drone warfare, a plan to build a massive new military base on American soil, and a far-forward look at what’s next for warfare — led by a few familiar faces.

“I’m proud to stand on this stage and report that the warrior ethos has been revived, our military is being rebuilt, and American deterrence is back,” he told the audience. “The state of our force today is stronger than it’s ever been.”

He also confirmed a plan to make the general and admiral corps 20% smaller than it was at the start of the Trump administration, a move officials argue is intended to slash bureaucracy and empower lower-level troops. He has directed the armed forces to cut another 10% of its top officers by the end of the year, on top of the 10% who have already been fired or denied promotion.

“The media calls that a purge,” Hegseth said. “I call it accountability and long overdue, and frankly, the bare minimum.”

About 850 generals and admirals were on active duty across the Defense Department as of July 31, public military personnel data shows.

Hegseth, who ended his military career as a major in the Army National Guard, has sought to position himself as a champion of rank-and-file warfighters held back by layers of government oversight and regulations.

“Clear missions, full hearts, hands untied,” he said. “It’s all I ever wanted as a platoon leader, and it’s all my E-6 squad leaders ever wanted.”

Though Hegseth did not offer details on which general and flag officers could see changes or how the plan will be implemented, he noted colonels will be required to pass an assessment of their “ability to solve complex military problems and win on the battlefield” in order to pin on a star.

“All of you deserve senior leaders who know how to warfight; who will employ you like the War Department, not like the State Department; who will think outside the box, bold and violent,” he told troops. “We only want the top-performing generals.”

Some who have served in the military’s top echelon worry downsizing will do the opposite: dissuade the best and brightest from pursuing higher leadership roles at all, robbing the defense community of critical experience.

“People will get out early based on the lack of opportunity,” one retired four-star told Federal News Network. “There will be less competition for promotion to 1-star, reducing the overall quality of serving [general officers and flag officers].”

Hegseth used most of the address to outline the slate of ideas he aims to roll out in the years ahead:

• Autonomous Warfare Command: AUTOWARCOM would be a new combatant command led by a four-star general and granted “service-like authorities” to further integrate autonomous and robotic capabilities across the joint force. Lawmakers have also proposed creating a drone command as part of the 2027 defense policy bill.
• Project Agincourt: Hegseth wants to rebrand the Pentagon’s direct reporting portfolio manager for unmanned systems as a stepping stone to Autonomous Warfare Command. Helmed by Defense Innovation Unit Director Owen West and Navy SEAL Senior Chief Max Strasiser, the initiative will bring together operators and entrepreneurs to field new tools in “rapid adaptation cycles while distributing decisions and dollars closer to frontline units to combatant commands [and] realistic training exercises,” Hegseth said.
• Project Meridian: A 120-day study of the future of warfare is overseen by Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael and spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey — both defense contractors — and Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House. Hegseth said the team will “identify the domains that we must conquer and capabilities we must master” rather than building new strategies or policies.
• Fortress America: Hegseth wants to boost infrastructure resilience by bringing energy independence to all major military installations in the U.S., reshoring critical supply chains and hardening bases against strikes and cyber threats.
• New base: The Trump administration is inviting governors and state adjutant generals to bid to host the first base built on American soil in four decades. Hegseth said states can directly pitch their ideas for the new installation, intended to house up to 25,000 troops, to Pentagon leadership and “maybe even the president himself.”
• America’s Corps of Cadets: Liberty University, Hillsdale College, Tuskegee University, Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University will partner with the department to launch a new officer commissioning program based in a classical education rather than liberal arts.
• Office of Religious Affairs: A new high-level organization will report directly to Hegseth in budget and infrastructure needs as he looks to empower chaplains and elevate the importance of “spiritual health.”

Hegseth also teased the introduction of a “PT test that can be done with only a stopwatch and a clipboard … every duty day, at every level from corporal to commandant.”

The speech reprised many of the declarations Hegseth made on the same stage one year ago, when he gathered hundreds of senior officers and enlisted leaders at Quantico in an unprecedented meeting of top brass to lay out his vision for the future force. The department is well on its way toward accomplishing those goals, he said Wednesday.

“No fatties … no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors,” he said, adding a slur referring to transgender people. “The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.”

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