Seems crazy to insult the overweight. And beards — who cares? You can require beards to be shaved on entering the service, but a person who happens to style himself with a beard isn't a type of person to be rejected. I think Hegseth is the weirdo.
1 ઑક્ટોબર, 2026
"No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors."
Said Pete Hegseth, quoted in "Pete Hegseth: I’ll purge army of fatties, beardos and weirdos/The war secretary is establishing an Office of Religious Affairs and seeking ‘patriotic cowboys’ as he faces pressure over his budget and the Iran war" (London Times).
પોસ્ટ્સ
153 ટિપ્પણીઓ:
Oh no! Speech Crime! Speech Crime!
I agree with him. BTW - you can BE who are, on your own time.
If you want to join the military - you must be in it for all the right reasons. It's not supposed to be yet another leftwing baby-sitting clown show for whiny leftist victims. .
"Seems crazy to insult the overweight."
Indeed. No need to add insult to guaranteed training injuries. Plus they make great bullet sponges (big targets). Our loss really.
The "beardos" are men who dress up like women, and they don't even try to look like women - besides the ugly dress.
So THIS is what happens when field grades start calling the shots! No wonder they kept it an exclusive club.
I like it. More please.
I miss the pre key.
try again:
If you are overweight, you cannot function properly in basic basic training.. We've been groomed to not "fat shame."
The military should discriminate as needed.
Part of this is an exercise in free speech. NEEDED.
Leftist speech codes need to DEI.
A weirdo and a radical. A 60 year old officer with a desk job at the pentagon and a pot belly has to spend hours exercising even he doesn’t want to. Why? Even if he does he will never be as cute as Pete.
I wonder if "trannies" and "beardos" is an obnoxious way of saying '"both M to F and F to M" transexuals.
He went!
Remember - due to mind-crime leftist grooming - everyone wants to coddle leftist victims - like beardos.
No one wants to protect actual hard working heroes who are built for the military experience. Especially the hack Soviet press and the Democratic corrupt left.
Not overweight, fat and a theatrical liability.
- "beardos" are men who dress up like women. -
Misogyny, misandry, and liberally confused.
Queerly congruent, too. No identity constructs. Leave your Diversity (i.e. class-disordered ideologies) in the closet.
btw - Sharia law boot lickers and Chinese Communists and Russian agents would LOVE it if our military were made up of beardos and whiney trans purple haired babies who use words like "Able-ist" .
A few thousand uniformed 'weirdos' are suddenly crying out in terror that their lifestyle choices will no longer be subsidized by the DOD and the American taxpayer, and have refused to stay silent.
Another great disturbance in the farce.
Iran's war, and Hamasidal proxies, over four decades in progress, aborted and sequestered while retaining the forward-looking viability of the people.
Office of Religious Affairs?! WTF?
He’s describing the Army I joined in 1966. I was the long haired weirdo, but I straightened out fairly quickly.
Radicals in the body are a first-order forcing of premature evolution and progressive viability.
"The "beardos" are men who dress up like women, and they don't even try to look like women..."
I see no evidence of that meaning. It's not on Urban Dictionary, and it's not consistent with the context. Grok said no to that.
Wasn't the bearded vice president in the military?
"If you are overweight, you cannot function properly in basic basic training..."
Doesn't justify using a slur!
If you're paralyzed you can't function properly in the military either, but you'd still deserve opprobrium if you said "No cripples!"
I haven't heard "beardo" in a few years. As I recall, 10 (15? time flies) years ago it referred to millennial men with elaborate facial hair (think waxed moustaches and shaved patterns). It was a thing from hipster Brooklyn back when Brooklyn was hip.
Beards were allowed in the US Navy for a while in the 1970's. It was a shaggy time. It was felt to be a morale boost in the post Vietnam era, but concerns were raised about ability to wear masks for firefighting and such. And just general lack of uniformity. Most modern navies saw it the same way but there have always been exceptions like submariners.
Hegseth needs to face the music and apologize.
Reminds me of the Reagan Era James Watt... unforced error.
ai • The Incident: Watt faced intense public backlash and ridicule after attempting to ban rock-and-roll bands from the National Mall for Independence Day, claiming they attracted "the wrong element".
• The Gag Gift: Reagan good-naturedly chided Watt during an Oval Office meeting and presented him with the plaster foot to symbolize "shooting yourself in the foot".
Poor li'l Annie, flailing about trying to justify a crap article. Gotta go all the way overseas to find commentary one approves of?
Oh, we made fun of the fatties all the time in my 21 years. As have my children who have served. Shape up or ship out! Come to think of it- my mother used to say that. And my grandmother.
My children are far less PC then anyone my age.
"A 60 year old officer with a desk job at the pentagon and a pot belly has to spend hours exercising even he doesn’t want to. Why?"
As we used to say when they ran us so hard and fast we started puking, "Its mind over matter, they don't mind and we don't matter."
And professor, OH MY GOD, s slur, from a guy in charge of organizations whose purpose is to kill people and destroy things.
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” — commonly attributed to George Orwell
For a period of time SOCOM guys in the field in both GWOT theatres were permitted laxity in the grooming standards because with so much else that COs were dealing with, it just wasn't a priority. Towards the end it got out of control and they came down on it hard. I know a lot of those guys miss their haji beards, but they were having frickin mustache and beard competitions in uniform for pete's sake!
As is so often the case, had they not extended the license they might've gotten a longer extension to the laxity.
Beardos is there for the rhyme. Plus, his immediate next sentence was that telling people to shave, to get in shape, etc., is not discrimination, its good leadership - which suggests that he is not looking to bar people with beards, just to make them shave.
BTW, some body's search wasn't very effective! From wiki:
Definition of a Beard
A "beard" is a person who dates or marries someone to conceal that individual's sexual orientation. This term is commonly used in LGBTQ+ contexts, where a heterosexual relationship is maintained to mask a person's true identity.
This is the attitude I want protecting my family and my country from death and destruction, especially if I have loved ones in the military. If it's too harsh for you, too bad. I have higher priorities than your feelings.
"Where exactly are these rough men, then?" - commonly attributed to Boy George. CC, JSM
What's really cruel and out of line is making them all wear the same clothes when they kill people and destroy things.
You go Pete. Quite a change from Espry and General Milivanilli who declared trannies were "The backbone of the military".
BTW, nothing wrong with beards, but they need to be regulation. So you end up with people wasting a lot of time determining whether someone's beard is trim enough. Is giving people the freedom worth it? Pete says no.
It is just oh so sad that an organization whose primary function is to kill people and break their stuff can't tell people who aren't wanted and are a potential dangerous liability to fuck all the fucking way off to wherever they came from in the most diplomatic way possible. Didn't they take that mandatory sensitivity training!?!
I'm verklempt. All choked up ovah heah...
BTW "Bead" has some different meaning in the LGBQT ? Gosh, how shocking. It seems like every term for the LGBQT has a different meaning or is slang for some odd sex practice.
By the way, the military has met and exceeded enlistment goals every year, well in advance of the year's end, under Hesgeth.
T𝘩𝘦 “𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥”...
Sure Pete, and how’s the actual war going? You know, the one that Trump said was won after a couple of days, that one.
Another interesting article about the strange obsessions of the Secretary of Losing a War. This article reads like satire. The whole administration in Washington are complete parodies of themselves. Pete should be careful when talking about weirdos, a broad and undefinable category he surely falls in.
"...but you'd still deserve opprobrium if you said "No cripples!""
That's silly.
You wouldn't have to say that because it's already understood, but if the previous administration did have cripples serving, then yes, it would be appropriate to say it. Again, it's not about your feelings, and letting it be gets people killed, especially the ones you feel for.
We don't want "weirdos" we want "patriotic cowboys."
Some people call them Maurice (woo-WEE-woo!)
Nothing weird to see here.
Good manners are good because they surpass elective perspectives. This is not about what side you are on. We are all in the same side, at least when it comes to... the least of these. I don't want to start quoting the bible, unless we are declaring the possibilities of going nuclear. Defcon 4 ;-)
" how’s the actual war going? You know, the one that Trump said was won after a couple of days, that one."
We won it.
I'd much rather Mr. Pete get rid of the practice of non-combat soldiers stomping around an office building in combat boots and fatigues. The old shirt and tie looked much better. And the female soldiers would look much better in a blouse and slacks.
"Sure Pete, and how’s the actual war going? You know, the one that Trump said was won after a couple of days, that one."
You're welcome.
Well - I've seen "Beardos" walking around town. That's what they are to me. Hairy Men in dresses. No attempt to look like a woman.
Good thing we don't live in a theocracy!
'We don't want "weirdos" we want "patriotic cowboys."
Some people call them Maurice (woo-WEE-woo!)
Nothing weird to see here.'
I do not understand why anyone would think that is weird. Do we want weirdos? What is wrong with patriotic cowboys?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPwW7RaPO_g
Grok says Beardo is someone with a scruffy beard. OK
To me - a beardo is a ugly hairy man with our without a beard in a dress.
I have said.
You know, there was another guy, somewhere in Europe, who believed that he had an army able to take other countries stuff, he even took Iranian oil,. Was this guy a traitor to Germany?
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-lone-german-man-who-refused-to-give-hitler-the-nazi-salute-2015-6
Mrs. Smith, we are sorry to inform you that your son was killed in action due to an ineffective fit of his gas mask over his beard. Fortunately, he was free to look the way he wanted when he died. His death as the team's machine gunner at the time led to the loss of his entire unit.
Bagoh 1:33
Boom. #
IM Tuqr - are you trying to say Hegseth is like Hitler?
That would be so... you.
"Sure Pete, and how’s the actual war going? "
Pretty damn good. We aren't losing people; we control the theater, and the enemy is being drained while having no ability to strike back. If that's your idea of failure, what's your plan for improvement?
"Seems crazy to insult the overweight." Frankly I found nothing in the entire quote "insulting." It was a clear, concise statement of policy - as military statements should be. I agree with the stated policy. - Z.Onasses, USAF retired
De-grooming leftwing speech codes and crimes.
"You know, there was another guy, somewhere in Europe, who believed that he had an army able to take other countries stuff, he even took Iranian oil"
"Nazi Germany never captured Iran or took control of Iranian oil during World War II. But Iranian oil was strategically important to Hitler's plans, and Germany hoped eventually to gain access to it.
Iran declared neutrality when WWII began. Germany had developed substantial commercial ties with Iran during the 1930s, and German nationals were working there. After Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941,
Britain and the USSR became increasingly concerned about German influence in Iran and about protecting Iran's oil facilities.
Britain and the Soviet Union—not Germany—invaded and occupied Iran in 1941."
This is bigger than an aide mouthing off while intoxicated, and even then those incidents have resulted in dismissals.
Hegseth is in a position to advice the president in the most important job in the position of President.
Hegseth CANNOT be showing these kinds of lapses in judgement. Period.
Remember when senator John Tower was rejected for Secretary of Defense by his own fellow senators in the senate, because the senator was known to enjoy having a drink, having a few, more than a few, perhaps all too often?
Dear Pete,
For your next trick, bring back risqué nose art. You just know some fighter jockey is itchin to paint Sydney Sweeney using Mk84s to smuggle dem guns.
Topless only. They promise.
"For your next trick, bring back risqué nose art. You just know some fighter jockey is itchin to paint Sydney Sweeney using Mk84s to smuggle dem guns."
Sounds great to me.
Hegseth needs to keep his religious zealotry to himself. He dresses this new office up with this: Focus on what the department calls free exercise of religion, spiritual readiness, spiritual resilience, and religious support for service members. Guess which religion will get the most " free exercise" (Hint: starts with "Ch" - it sure as hell isn't going to be Unitarianism). This is subterfuge for promoting his favored religion - Christian fundamentalism - as should be obvious to anyone who knows his history of doing exactly that, even as SecDef.
why is "fatty" considered a slur? esp in the military vernacular.
Leftist speech code grooming. we've been groomed to be overly sensitive. Fine in some areas of life. But not the military.
"Hegseth is in a position to advice the president in the most important job in the position of President.
Hegseth CANNOT be showing these kinds of lapses in judgement. Period."
What you seem to consider lapses in judgement I see as plain spoken common sense.
100 push-ups. NOW.
"That would be so... you."
Hahaha! After 10 years of this same crap, they can't grow up. Godwin's law is just one more lesson they never learned.
Everybody agrees with Hegseth, some just don't like hearing it when they are enjoying their tea.
I'm overweight and have worn a beard at multiple stages of my life.
I think Hegseth is 100% correct.
Is Hegseth on TikTok, instead of consuming briefs?
(I'm not talking about lunchables)
@OG Mike: That’s an impressive inventory of destruction. What’s missing is an inventory of objectives actually achieved.
The U.S. is still at war with Iran, still fighting around Hormuz, and Iran has heavily damaged the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain headquarters, forcing regional logistics to shift elsewhere.
Counting destroyed Iranian facilities while ignoring what Iran has done to U.S. forces is not a strategic assessment. It’s a victory lap written before anyone knows how the war ends.
Someone tell Joe Biden.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/05/biden-calls-iowa-voter-damn-liar-and-fat-after-ukraine-accusation.html
"Mrs. Smith, we are sorry to inform you that your son was killed in action due to an ineffective fit of his gas mask over his beard."
Thank you for writing that. In many areas of the military this is no joke.
This includes pilots and air crews who could asphyxiate.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vhZj3-HCNJQ
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4qmStNFzJ10
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FOrPb66PK8g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1U3AjiFG_4&t=85s
This one is much longer, its about BCT at Ft Jackson, which is where I graduated from Basic Training. I don't know if they mention the sand fleas that got into your rations when you were eating out in the field.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbk6XqNpAsc
And this one is because Stripes came out the same summer as I went to Basic Training.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_4Pb02DPD0
"[...] spend hours exercising even he doesn’t want to. Why?"
Because that is the standard. There are actually two standards now: the regular fitness test and the combat fitness test. The regular fitness test includes height and weight standards in addition to fitness performance. Someone in uniform at 60 has been in the service 30-40 years and is very familiar with the requirements so I fail to see what there is to be outraged about in that quote.
It's hard to lead from the front when you're winded, figuratively and literally. That's why so many pre-modern generals rode into battle...those poor horses.
Hegseth is not insulting the overweight. He is stating a fact of the requirements of being in the military and being able to do the "job" that you might need to be assigned to. Being FAT is a health issue. I feel the same about women in the military, in combat positions. or jobs that require physical strength.
Beardos and Wierdos... maybe are euphemisms for Trannies. In that case yes. I agree with him. Actual beards on men....well....nicely trimmed and neat beards probably ....not ZZTop beards.
Your employer has a right to demand a dress code because you not only work there....you represent the face and ethos of the business. Your employer can also dictate that you don't conduct campaigns, political or other wise on company time. In the military you are on "company time" 24/7
RCOCEAN II said...
"I'd much rather Mr. Pete get rid of the practice of non-combat soldiers stomping around an office building in combat boots and fatigues. The old shirt and tie looked much better."
Endorsed.
Class "B" uniforms were invented for a reason. It really changes this old soldier to see soldiers, sailors, and airmen in office buildings dressed in utility uniforms.
Chafe, not changes.
bagoh20 said...
“What's really cruel and out of line is making them all wear the same clothes when they kill people and destroy things.”
I want to tell you something. You know, this whole camouflage thing, for me, doesn't work very well. Because you go in the jungle, I can't see you. You know, it's like wearing stripes and plaid. For me, I want to do something different. You know, you go in the jungle, make a statement. If you're going to fight, clash. You know what I mean?
The "beardo" reference may have been directed at policies that allowed certain people to wear facial hair as a religious accommodation (Sikhs), or to those with shaving profiles due to ingrown hairs (chiefly black soldiers).
And, why on earth do sailors wear camouflage fatigues shipboard? Remember the old "Blueberries"?
Obviously a beardo is going to be an incompetent soldier. Just look at Grant and Lee, FFS.
Sikhs are reputedly the most bad-ass soldiers on the planet.
Beards are not the hill to die on here. (Physical fitness and troop cohesion arguments can be dealt with separately.)
"What’s missing is an inventory of objectives actually achieved."
The whole thing is a list of objectives achieved.
1. Nuke program set back years.
2. Ballistic missile program crippled.
3. Air defenses devastated.
13. Naval power decimated.
If we stopped today, these, among others, have already been achieved.
"Counting destroyed Iranian facilities while ignoring what Iran has done to U.S. forces is not a strategic assessment."
Comparing the two lists.
Comparing the two lists *is* a strategic assessment.
The other side gets in their licks in a war. To demand zero damage to your own forces is preposterous.
“ Seems crazy to insult the overweight.”
Ann, you know what thet think of old bitches like you.
Be careful cause he didn't say no old boomer cunts doesn't me they like you.
Ask grok to explain what a pick-me girl is because you sure are auditioning for the role.
It's good to see the Crusader of Lethality hold the rest of the services up to basic enlisted Marine Corpse standards.
no beardos, no weirdos
I guess he's not a J.D. Vance voter!
2027: "I want 100 sit-ups in front of Ulysses S. Grant and 200 pull-ups in front of Robert E. Lee. Or you're out on your ass, paleface."
I've grown a beard twice and it came in splotchy and ugly, and wrong color, both times. Maybe he can't grow a beard!
Ann, as it appears that you have been sufficiently ratioed in the comments to date, I feel no need to add to your embarrassment.
Nah, I take it back. He's got a good beard.
Also, he would pass my physical fitness test with ease. Joke fail. Plus, now I've outed myself as a bad beard.
Hegseth must stupidly think filling the military with "warriors," merciless, brainless, brute killers, will make him appear as the Warrior Prime: the biggest, baddest bad-ass in the nation. It stinks of his desperate overcompensation and a gnawing of agony eating him from shit out, the certainty of his own inadequacy and failure.
Don't most police departments have regulations about weight? I'm sure they used to. They may have been forced by silly anti-discrimination laws to modify them, but substitute fitness and agility requirements that amount to the same thing.
The New York Yankees for a long time required players to be well-groomed, meaning no long hair or beards. I presume that was to push back against individualism and enhance team spirit. That's even more important in the armed services.
Girth maxxxing is a thing in the urbane semantic playground.
Warriors are not abortionists armed with liberal license to perform human rites, reproductive rites, Capitol punishment for social, clinical, criminal, political, and climate progress in sanctuary states.
Doesn't beard have congruent connotations in the Urban Dictionary?
To be fair to Biden, Joe is decaffeinated, a weak brew, an adulterated remnant of his organic conception.
no wimps
I noticed when I was googling Caleb Flynn that more people seemed to be mad about his crying than his murder.
I also noticed it in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing. People on the left were mocking him for his tears, while they made up a sexual assault allegation.
It's part of the man code that you repress your humanity and deny your vulnerability. It's why we die out earlier, I suspect. That and all the risks we take. Don't cry, ever.
I didn't cry for decades until I started going to Bible study. Now I've cried three times in public, all in Bible study. They were nice about it.
If you can't handle verbal insults, then you are not going to do well in the military, especially if you ever became a POW. The military isn't a place for people easily offended, and Hegseth getting rid of those that are is something I support.
First they came for the fatties, and I did not speak out—because I was not a fatty. -- Lost in translation.
Then they came for the beardos, then the trannies, the wimps and the weirdos. Then I realized that all those people were gone from my beloved Army, and I said, "I'll have a coke".
I served in Vietnam for a year (6/70-6/71) and Ethiopia (7/71-5/72) and I agree with the Secretary of War. I have 6 medals and awards including the Bronze Star and the Air Medal.
Horizontally challenged. What would Gemini assemble as a correlation?
Transsocials or trans/sims?
If I recall correctly all of the services have meet their recruiting goals since 2025, so what's the problem other than some REMFs feeling insulted?
*Office of Religious Affairs?! WTF?*
Yeah. That jumped out at me, too.
Gunnery Sgt. Hartman referred to trainees as “disgusting fatbodies” and most of them accepted it as motivation.
I think the urban pictionary indicates that fat in urbane usage is a well-appointed, uh, residence. Fattie must then be an empathetic term of endearment in social inclusion.
If anybody in the military is bothered by being called a fatty, there's a solution to that problem that immediately come to mind.
It is easy to tell in these comments who served in the military and who didn't. That's not a knock on those who didn't; but someone who was there understands the reasons for what Secretary Hegseth said, and most of us strongly approve. We want people in our armed forces who can accomplish the mission, and being physically and mentally fit is crucial for that.
And that mission is to kill people and break things when ordered to do so, and to look so intimidating to our adversaries that they don't even think about f*cking with us. Fatties, beardos and weirdos don't intimidate our adversaries at all.
Ann Althouse’s ideal military? Think “Stripes”, with Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and John Candy.
Trannies were deprecated with legislation of the Novel Green Deal that engendered development of direct-drive mechanics.
“Seems crazy to insult the overweight. And beards — who cares? You can require beards to be shaved on entering the service, but a person who happens to style himself with a beard isn't a type of person to be rejected. I think Hegseth is the weirdo.”
Geeze… lighten up, Frances!
Robert Cook said…
Attention! ZOMBIE 🧟 ALERT!!!
I voted for people who think that not tolerating obesity in the military is insulting and crazy to have no influence on military policy. I'm getting what I voted for.
It's not crazy to insult the overweight IN THE US MILITARY.
What the hell?
“Clyde said…
It is easy to tell in these comments who served in the military and who didn't. That's not a knock on those who didn't; but someone who was there understands the reasons for what Secretary Hegseth said, and most of us strongly approve.”
Bingo! I entered Basic Combat Training (BCT) in early 1969, and despite there being 57 years between then and now, I can recall the difficulties fat people faced passing the physical tests. Your reward for failing was to have to go through BCT again, with every drill sergeant riding your ass hard.
Can fat people keep up with a jungle patrol? If the patrol stops for the , the whole patrol risks being attacked, not to mention failing its objectives. Leave the fattie, and he’s probably going to be killed.
Assign fat people to rear echelon duty? At Bastogne in 1944, at at several times and places in Vietnam and during the GWOT rear echelon troops found themselves fighting for their lives, not to mention running for their lives. Running is not something fat people generally do well.
"It is easy to tell in these comments who served in the military and who didn't."
I didn't but I have no problem with the concept that those who do ought to be able to open the biggest can of "Whoopass" possible on enemies and that the military is not a freakshow daycare.
boatbuilder said...
It's not crazy to insult the overweight IN THE US MILITARY.
What the hell?
What did you say, fatso?
Just kidding.
Anyway. At the end of WW2there was one general for every 5800 of other ranks. Today there are one for every 1500 ranks. A little top heavy id say.
𝘑𝘰𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥...
𝘈𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥? 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 "𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴"?
From my point of view- the new blueberries... Even stupider then regular camo for Navy personnel. If you fall overboard- the last thing you want to be hard to see. They came about during the Obama admin, and were discontinued for shipboard use because they forgot to make them fire resistant. I'm sad to say, not the first time that's been done with shipboard everyday wear.
Having worn dungarees with chambray shirts and the working uniform that replaced them, and after I retired having seen blue cammies and now regular cammies, the most practical all around working uniform is the dungarees. Tough to look all crisp and polished in them, which apparently disturbs the brass. But when you do dirty work, they're easy to clean, and can take some abuse while wearing them.
I'm fairly certain Navy uniforms have changed far more frequently- for no good reason- then any of the other services.
Trannies went out with the Novel Green Deal, efficient transmission, but unreliable generation.
You, and/or The London Times, failed to mention the other things that Hegseth announced. I wonder why?
From Coffee and Covid:
Jeff Childers
Oct 1
🚀 Let’s start with the military. Secretary of War gave a speech to 600 Quantico officers yesterday and made at least five major announcements. Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported, “Hegseth announces a new drone command and cuts to 20% of generals in ‘State of the Force’ speech.”
image.png
Of course, the speech included all his best hits. “We are no longer the woke department,” Hegseth said, “or the weak department.” The Secretary of War repeated his famous line, which is custom-built to intersectionally offend nearly every progressive group: “no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals— just warriors.”
We certainly have come a long way from the Biden military, where each day provided a fresh and exciting opportunity to be shocked by something you thought could never happen, like plump admirals wearing dresses.
Since we’re moving fast today, we’ll set aside the Secretary’s entertaining trash talk. Here’s what is coming:
Bye Bye, General They/Them. Hegseth said he plans to fire 20% of all generals. Congress has capped them at 857, so a 20% reduction, if he does it, would shed around 170 positions. The announcement itself is a Sword of Damocles hanging over every general who disagrees with his new PT requirement for officers. “The media calls that a purge,” Hegseth said. “I call it accountability, and long overdue.” Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) complained, “He’s purging a generation of great leaders of the military, and it’s going to take a generation to recover from it.”
A new Autonomous Warfare Command. Robots and drones, which is not at all Terminator-like, and which anyone conscious can see is the imminent future of warfare. Let the robots fight it out. The goal is to have Skynet, er, I mean AWC, operational by October 1st of next year (2027). The Secretary called it “the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history.” Well. Mostly peacetime.
“Project Meridian.” In case the imminent future isn’t clear, Hegseth announced a new team with three civilian co-directors to “imagine the future of warfare” —it sounded like a sci-fi writer’s brainstorming session— to produce a 120-day study, due January 28, 2027, of emerging battlefields “from subterranean depths to the cislunar frontier.” Subterranean depths?? (Surely not mole people. Presumably he meant things like Gazan tunnels and buried Iranian nuclear facilities. But Palmer Luckey has been writing about war below the crust and underground vehicles, so who knows.) Already on the team: Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey —both inventive, AI-frontier defense contractors, which made perfect sense— plus, for some inexplicable reason, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is great and all, but turns 84 in June. The traditional MIC was unavailable for comment. (Newt’s been talking about a permanent Moon Base, so maybe that’s it.)
Fortress America. A base modernization project to make all military bases energy independent, so that if an enemy takes down the power grid, the bases’ internet stays on. “Every major military installation,” Hegseth said, “is going to generate its own power. Independent of the civilian grid.” Plus, he announced plans to build the first new domestic military base in forty years, to house 15,000-25,000 troops, using classical architecture, fully self-sufficient, with no state yet selected.
Hegseth is working to develop a warrior military focused on defending the country from real threats. Whether a fat guy or a trans person's feelings are hurt seems very much beside the point.
And I seriously wonder whether anyone will notice if 20 percent of our generals are shown the door. Do we really need almost 900 generals?
Traditionally, the military had strict rules about who could and who couldn't serve. It was presumed them that the military had a purpose other than not making the unfit feel bad about themselves.
The Navy and Coast Guard did allow well trimmed beards in the 1970s. I'm not sure when the rules changed. It's all such a change from the Civil War era. Fastidiously trimmed mustaches are still allowed in the military, though.
"And beards — who cares? You can require beards to be shaved on entering the service, but a person who happens to style himself with a beard isn't a type of person to be rejected. I think Hegseth is the weirdo."
What is the purpose of the military? I think that you are being completely obtuse here. I say that as someone who has worn a beard for 40 years.
The guy in charge of it all is an obese, poor conditioned individual with zero military experience. Hegseth fights the culture war while real generals get their papers revoked. Its a backward ass group! ALL of em...
This is peak Althouse thread. Keep em rolling.
I love watching people who have never been in combat talk about how soldiers should be trained for combat.
Sorry, not seeing the problem here.
Pete should be careful when talking about weirdos, a broad and undefinable category he surely falls in.
How can one be said to belong to a category that cannot be defined?
Pete should be careful when talking about weirdos, a broad and undefinable category he surely falls in.
How can one be said to belong to a category that cannot be defined?
"How can one be said to belong to a category that cannot be defined?"
I bet there are more than a few leftist women who think they are women.
Civil War beards and sideburns and moustaches were indeed magnificent.
Gas masks and indeed, war gasses, weren't in use then.
The grooming standard was introduced in WWI because of gas masks. It is also an OSHA requirement for hazmat workers for the same reason.
The Hitler mustache is a way to keep a mustache while not preventing the proper sealing of a gas mask.
Craig Howard said...
Pete should be careful when talking about weirdos, a broad and undefinable category he surely falls in.
How can one be said to belong to a category that cannot be defined?
10/1/26, 6:14 PM
Let's ask Ketanji Brown Jackson that very same question.
Hegseth wants people who are committed to the mission and capable of delivering. He used glib, hyperbolic terms because he likes to sound interesting.This is silly. Is JD Vance a beardo?
Trump has Weirdo Hair - so there!!
US deploys thousands more troops, Marines to Middle East as oil prices surge ~ FOX News
𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚𝘚 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 13𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 10,000 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 $4 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴.
We are now roughly seven months into a deeply unpopular war of choice that Trump initially said would take four to five weeks and was “𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦.” It is difficult to reconcile those assurances with where we are now. Congress has repeatedly voted to end U.S. involvement, yet the administration continues the war without a specific congressional authorization. Whatever one thinks of the war’s objectives, its duration and the absence of clear congressional authorization raise serious questions about both strategy and constitutional accountability.
Since you are posting about Middle East wars on this thread,
In the Libya war of Obama and Hillary, US air war lasted eight months—from February to October 2011. Gaddafi was killed on October 20.
oil prices rose sharply when the 2011 Libyan war began. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that Brent crude rose $15 per barrel between February 18 and March 2, as the market lost about 1.5 million barrels a day of Libyan exports.
So we have a great “partisan President is bad” on Iran, but had “cheers of enthusiasm” on a war of choice by a democrats. That is impossible to justify except that saying democrats attack their opponents for doing things they gladly do themselves.
Iran hoping Dems win. Dems hope the backwards Theocratics of Iran - win.
Sad.
I guess it's harder to run a department than run off with the mouth on Fox.
Hegseth is a liability. He lacks the strategic, financial, and management experience required to run the Department of Defense, an agency with a budget approaching $900 billion. And if temperament and mental acuity are important leadership attributes Hegseth falls woefully short in each of these categories too.
We don’t need a guy with a too tight suit and makeup room. We need a mature experienced military leader.
IEE, we've seen what your guys Obama and Biden have done with our military and it's not good. There are bad guys in this world who will laugh at you and kill you and your family. A guy in a dress lacks the focus to kick ass when it is necessary to protect our way of life, and allow you and your kind to wear your dress and makeup and play your games. Your ignorance is apparent.
I remember being in law school in the mid-seventies and hearing "From the river to the sea." Things haven't changed much since then.
General Dinky has your back, men!
The two-staters like Thomas Friedman just don't understand that you can't compromise with someone who is totally committed to kill you and end your way of life.
Shouldn't basic training turn the fatty into "a mean lean fighting machine"?
Fatties are often metabolically compromised and a forward-looking liability.
You’ve never had to wear a gas mask , being a coddled female and it shows.
Big Mike - My son is a USMC Captain. Did three deployments in the early part of this century in an enlisted billet, went back in after finishing college and a law degree at the real UT, and humped it through OCS with the kids. He has run into a woke wall of senior leadership in the JAG Corps. Hegseth is absolutely correct in his assessment and approach and those people have been undermining his leadership.
There are 'staches and there are 'staches. During the unpleasantness in Vietnam, someone decided to "Hitlerize" them. Guys who loved them mostly said, "No way I'm sporting one of those pussified things".
Then, 'along came Olds'. Double or triple ace from wars gone by. Looked like a movie star (and was married to one) and had a really bad-ass growth on his upper lip and beyond.
He commanded the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon RTAFB and brought "old school" back to the fight. Migs started dropping from the sky like flies (Robin added four to his tally). Morale among aircrews going north soared as their chances of surviving 100 increased. His mustache became a "thing" among the many who wanted to "be like Robin".
It drove the generals in Saigon nuts but they couldn't do a thing. Colonel Olds' iconic face (and 'stache) was everywhere in the media and he was the closest thing to a public hero in that war.
If anyone would like to know him, there's a good documentary on Amazon Prime/Paramount +, called "100 Missions: Surviving Vietnam". The second half is mostly about Olds.
Although there was some knashing of teeth, the Air Force pretty much had to give him a star when he came home. Only the one, though. They made him Commandant at the Air Force Academy. His tenure was shortened, as I recall, when his efforts to make every cadet a shit-hot fighter pilot were deemed excessive.
His example as a fighter endured and the Air Force eventually recognized March (?) as "Mustache Month".
Mustache or not, Hegseth would have loved him.
"Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) complained, “He’s purging a generation of great leaders of the military, and it’s going to take a generation to recover from it.”"
And what EXACTLY have these "great leaders" accomplished? Winning the GWOT? A well-executed withdrawal from Afghanistan? Lax training, dress and deportment? Furry officers posting on Instagram with no consequences?
I think the US general officers corps has been running on fumes since shortly after Gulf War I.
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