Story perspectives
Defense Secretary Claims 'Woke' Leadership Hinders Combat Standards
10/1/2025
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Story summary
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, said leadership was 'too woke'.
- He called himself the 'Secretary of War' and said Department of Defense (DoD) would prioritize warfighting.
- Hegseth introduced '1990 test' and 'E6 test' to restore standards.
- He argued combat standards must be high and gender-neutral, citing 79,000 LGBTQ+ service members.
