Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided an upbeat assessment of the military’s progress during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, emphasizing a surge in recruitment and the administration’s firm efforts to eliminate woke culture from the armed forces.
The meeting followed a milestone for President Trump, who just marked his 100th day back in office the day before.
“Well, Mr. President, I think we’re controversial because we’re over the target,” Hegseth said. “And like so many things, Mr. President, you inherited a demoralized military that couldn’t recruit, that was perceived as weak after what happened in Afghanistan and elsewhere because of Joe Biden.”
Hegseth outlined recent improvements in enlistment numbers, pointing to what he described as a dramatic turnaround since Trump resumed leadership.
“What we have seen since your election and the inauguration has been nothing short of a recruiting renaissance,” Hegseth detailed. “It has been decades since we’ve seen this kind of recruiting in the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force.”
“The men and women of America want to join the United States military led by President Donald Trump,” he added.
Backing up Hegseth’s remarks, Military.com reported on May 21 that the Army had already signed up 51,837 new recruits, amounting to 85% of its annual target of 61,000 for fiscal year 2025.
President Trump also noted a broader trend in public service recruitment, stating that police and fire departments across the country are also seeing a flood of interest.
“I mean, they have waiting lists now, and six months ago it was a disaster,” the president said.
Hegseth went on to describe the cultural overhaul taking place within the Department of Defense since Trump returned to the White House and appointed him to lead the Pentagon. He highlighted the reversal of several policies implemented under Joe Biden’s administration.
“We’re going to be fit, not fat, in our formations. We welcome back all…the folks who were forced out because of the COVID mandate. We ripped wokeness out of the military, sir—DEI, trans—and it’s Fort Benning and Fort Bragg again at the DoD,” he said.
While Hegseth discussed the military’s progress, he is also facing renewed scrutiny from legacy media outlets. The New York Times recently published claims—based on anonymous sources—that he was involved in sharing military operational discussions in a private Signal chat, paralleling an earlier controversy known as “Signal-gate.”
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell issued a scathing response to the report:
“Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article. They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.”
Parnell also insisted there was no breach of national security, stating:
“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story.”
He concluded by reaffirming the department’s focus and priorities: “What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda.”
{Matzav.com}