Editorial: Hegseth's unserious address again shows his unfitness for office

The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, The Virginian-Pilot on Oct 14, 2026

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Nearly two years into his role as secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth has yet to leave his old job as a Fox News host behind. His recent “State of the Force” address at Quantico demonstrated once again that he’s more interested in fighting a culture war and delivering glib soundbites than he is in running the Pentagon.

The speech was much like spectacle a year ago featuring Hegseth and his self-aggrandizing boss, President Donald Trump, who complained to more than 800 stone-faced generals and admirals that “woke” policies — i.e., ones designed to ensure minorities and women were treated fairly and professionally — had made the military weak.

Many in last year’s crowd were visibly uncomfortable with the partisan nature of the remarks. This time, Hegseth chose an audience of junior officers and enlisted personnel, apparently hoping they’d be more receptive to his chest-thumping and preening. Shamefully, they were exactly that — and responded to his politically charged speech with a standing ovation.

Hegseth rehashed offensive lines (“No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals”) and delivered new ones better suited for a Fox News show. “The ideological clowns are out,” he told the service members. “The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.”

Cowboys — or mavericks, in this connotation — aren’t desirable in the armed forces. Our military functions best on discipline and chain of command, with service members abiding by rules of engagement and other military codes of conduct that Hegseth frequently disparaged on Fox and does so now as secretary of defense.

Hegseth also renewed his attacks on the news media, repeating dangerous lies that reporters are treasonous and “fundamentally anti-American.” Such accusations are a hallmark of authoritarian governments and have no place in a free nation.

In other passages of his one-hour speech, Hegseth defended cutting the corps of flag officers by 10%, frequently by manipulating the promotion process to drive out Black and female officers who have exemplary service records. He’s aiming for a 20% reduction.

Hegseth also presented a sunny version of the seven-month war against Iran, which has cost taxpayers more than $40 billion, driven up gas prices, depleted critical munition supplies, spurred extensive damage to U.S. bases in the Middle East and claimed the lives of at least 18 American service members.

The secretary called for U.S. military installations to become self-sufficient and invited states to compete to host what he described as a new “fortress” base. He said it would be operated by tens of thousands of U.S. troops now stationed abroad.

Details — such as the cost of such changes and what mass redeployment would have on protecting our allies — were left unaddressed. Also missing was any indication of what all of this would mean for military communities such as Hampton Roads.

Hegseth also announced creation of a new Office of Religious Affairs to support “the most essential component of our republic: faith.” While most Americans would agree that chaplain services should be readily available, the secretary’s overt endorsement of Christianity runs afoul of the Constitution’s First Amendment.

Equally troubling was Hegseth’s announcement that two men active in defense contracting, SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Anduril founder Palmer Luckay, would join former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to prepare a study on the future of warfare. It’s an initiative ripe for self-dealing, already widespread in this administration.

Hegseth’s speech did nothing to allay concerns that he is a fundamentally unserious man who has neither the qualifications nor the temperament to lead the world’s largest military force. This week, he generated new outrage with his grotesque plan to livestream the firing squad execution of the man who attacked Fort Hood in 2009

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, citing extrajudicial strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, violations of the War Powers Act, and other abuses. At this point, it will be difficult for Hegseth’s allies to raise a compelling case for not sending him back to television.

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