Hegseth says a free press is important, but he calls reporting on troops and the Iran war ‘a national betrayal’

At Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said reporting on troops and the war in Iran crossed a line he described as betrayal. According to NPR, he told the room, “A free press is, of course, important, but partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission that they’re undertaking is fundamentally anti-American. It’s sick. It’s a national betrayal. It’s treason, actually.”

The remarks came in a State of the Force address. Hegseth used the speech to say the Trump administration has produced a cultural shift inside the military. He spoke to hundreds of junior officers and enlisted leaders. Nearly 800 generals, admirals, and senior enlisted leaders had been ordered to the base from around the world on short notice.

Hegseth framed that shift in blunt terms. He said, “No fatties, no t—–s, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors.” He followed that with, “The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.”

Officer cuts, academy changes, and a silent audience

Before turning to the press, Hegseth spent time attacking coverage of troop morale and of depleted munitions stocks in the Iran war. The Pentagon’s silence on the war has coincided with internal dissent, as Pentagon generals reportedly broke ranks over the Iran war as Pete Hegseth faces a growing revolt.

That war is now in its seventh month. The Pentagon has not held a news briefing since May, including with a press corps the outlet described as handpicked and more sympathetic to the Trump administration.

Since taking over the Pentagon, Hegseth has said he wants a smaller flag officer corps, which he has called bloated. He said a 10% cut is already done and that he is aiming for 20%. Firings so far, and his unusual reach into promotion boards in ways that have effectively ended some senior careers, have drawn criticism from both parties.

Many of the better-known dismissals involved Black or female officers who were removed without a stated reason, even though their service records were excellent.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, “Throughout his tenure, Secretary Hegseth has taken countless reckless, partisan actions that have damaged our military. He has ended the careers of dozens of our most accomplished senior officers and refused to explain why. Today’s news should alarm every American.”

Hegseth answered that criticism by defending the policies. He claimed retention and recruitment have gone up, including among women and minorities, and he called the force “color-blind” and merit-based.

Flag officers in the room stayed almost completely silent while he talked about culture-war subjects from his book The War on Warriors.

The Quantico event recalled a gathering last year, when Hegseth gave what the outlet called an unusually partisan speech to hundreds of generals and admirals, against the military’s long practice of staying out of politics. He said the State of the Force address will happen every year. 

Hegseth also laid out plans tied to autonomous weapons, technology work, base construction, and making essential military supplies inside the country. He said he would raise the role of military chaplains, and he called religious faith the most essential component of the republic.

Separately this week, Hegseth said civilian tenured jobs at U.S. military academies will end. A Pentagon press release said the move would “reform our educational institutions to ensure they remain laser-focused on lethality and readiness.” In the speech, he criticized elite colleges as anti-American and named five other colleges that will test a closer tie with the Pentagon for producing officer candidates.