Facing questions over leadership, Hegseth says DOD is ‘leaving wokeness and weakness behind’

As controversy continues to swirl around the Department of Defense following a second Signal group chat scandal, Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle on Wednesday to tout the work and goals of the Trump administration as he closes in on 100 days in office.

“Fighting for you is the privilege of a lifetime, a deployment of a lifetime. And from day one and each 100 of those days, our overriding objectives have been clear,” Hegseth said. “Restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.”

Hegseth claimed the department was “leaving wokeness and weakness behind” and instead “refocusing on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness.”

Hegseth’s speech followed reports from national outlets that he and others held group chats on Signal discussing U.S. military plans to strike Yemen that accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, and a second group chat discussing classified information concerning the attack with his wife and brother.

Despite the recent controversies surrounding Hegseth, Trump and most Republicans have continued to back him leading the Department of Defense. U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) on Monday became the first sitting GOP lawmaker to call for his resignation, following revelations about the second group chat.

During his speech in Cumberland County, Hegseth touted recent recruiting classes for the Army and Navy, saying their high numbers indicate positive momentum and that their message is resonating.

He claimed high standards are needed for those who want to serve in the military and boasted that “DEI”, an acronym for diversity, equity, and inclusion, was “dead at DOD.”

DEI was at the center of a Department of Defense controversy in March when a webpage honoring Jackie Robinson’s military service was temporarily removed and then later restored. The same occurred to pages highlighting prominent Native American figures in U.S. military history.

The Associated Press reported last week that Army and Air Force libraries, including the Army War College in Carlisle, were directed by the department to remove books related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Hegseth’s staff has been undergoing changes as well. John Ullyot, the top spokesperson at the head of the department, announced last week that he is going to resign.

The secretary also celebrated the “partnership” his department has had with the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, claiming they’ve identified $5.1 billion in savings. Most of Trump’s allies have defended the work of DOGE.

Recent polling shows Americans agree that the government is inefficient, but have a negative approval rating of DOGE’s job performance.

Hegseth also outlined a number of initiatives from the Trump administration in relation to foreign policy, including defending the southern border and ensuring allies abroad are stepping up to defend themselves. 

“Under the leadership of President Trump, the message to our adversaries in these first 100 days… has been undeniably clear,” he said. “America is back.”

During his speech, Hegseth praised the Army War College as being one of the “vital institutions” for the military. Earlier this week, Trump announced that he’ll deliver the commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Hegseth, who served as an officer in the Army National Guard and was a Fox News host, was one of the only cabinet selections from the Trump administration who failed to receive universal backing from Republicans. He was confirmed by a 50-50 vote, which required Vice President JD Vance to deliver the tie-breaking vote. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, and Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in voting in opposition, while 50 Republicans voted to confirm him. 

Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate delegation was split on the confirmation of Hegseth. U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a freshman Republican who narrowly defeated longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in November and who served in the Army, voted to confirm him, while Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman joined all of his colleagues on his side of the aisle in opposition.