US President Donald Trump has unveiled sweeping cultural and operational changes in the US military, vowing to end what he called “woke culture” at the Pentagon and positioning the armed forces to take a more active role within American cities.
The announcement was made during a rare high-level military gathering at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, which drew top generals and admirals from across the world.
The event opened with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth outlining new physical fitness requirements that will apply uniformly to all personnel, based on the “highest male standard.” He told the audience that “standards must be uniform, gender neutral, and high,” acknowledging the changes may exclude some women.
He said the goal was to build a more disciplined and combat-ready force while rolling back policies from previous administrations that he claimed had weakened military culture.
Hegseth declared the end of anonymous complaints, beard exemptions, and what he termed “unprofessional appearances,” marking a major cultural shift within the Department of Defense.
He stressed the need for a renewed “warrior ethos” and announced his commitment to reshaping leadership ranks, saying he had dismissed senior commanders who resisted these changes. “More leadership changes will be made, I’m certain,” he said.
Trump, who spoke after Hegseth, praised the reforms and went further by proposing that American cities be turned into military “training grounds.”
He described civil unrest as “the enemy from within” and told the assembled leaders, “the situation won’t get out of control once you’re involved.” He repeated his criticism of Democratic-led cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, calling them unsafe and promising to “straighten them out one by one.”
He framed the proposal as part of a broader national security strategy.
“It’s a war from within. Controlling the physical territory of our borders is essential for national security. We can’t let these people in,” he said. His comments came after deploying National Guard troops to cities including Washington DC, Los Angeles and Portland to support law enforcement and immigration operations.
The gathering, held under tight security, brought together senior officers from across US military installations worldwide.
Many had travelled from bases in Europe, the Middle East and South Korea. Dressed in their service uniforms and campaign medals from conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond, they filled the auditorium in formation according to their respective service branches.
Trump used the platform to reiterate his intention to rebrand the Defence Department as the Department of War, saying the title was “so popular” that even his critics supported it. He claimed the change had boosted recruitment. “It’s a historic re-assertion of our purpose, our identity and our pride,” he said. He also highlighted his foreign policy record, stating that he had “settled” seven wars and hoped to secure an eighth if Hamas accepted a US-Israel proposal on Gaza.
His proposals drew strong reactions from political leaders. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker accused Trump of “invading and disrupting” cities through military deployments and immigration enforcement.
“Our troops and our nation deserve better than you acting as a petty tyrant,” he wrote on X. Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, a military veteran, told the BBC she was alarmed by Hegseth’s statements.
“His comments today are going to affect all kinds of recruiting, not just women. I don’t know folks who want to serve in a military that’s being used for political theatre,” she said. She accused Hegseth of trying to drive women and people of colour out of the armed forces.
“For a guy who’s not qualified for his own job, it’s pretty discriminatory to talk about women who are qualified to do their jobs,” she said.
Observers noted the unusual nature of the in-person summit. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of the Nato Military Committee, said he had “never seen that before” in his 49 years of service.
Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies called the decision to hold the meeting physically “mystifying” given the availability of virtual options.
Trump, however, described the gathering as an exercise in building unity within the ranks. He joked about the silence in the room as he took the stage, saying, “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before.” He told the audience, “Together, we’re reawakening the warrior spirit. And this is a spirit that won and built this nation.”