The leader of America’s armed forces risked U.S. national security Tuesday in order to taunt the Trump administration’s perceived foreign enemies.
Speaking to the country’s top military commanders during an unprecedented mandatory in-person assembly, Pete Hegseth emphasized that the recently renamed War Department was reimagined for a reason.
“To our enemies: FAFO,” Hegseth said, using an acronym that translates to “fuck around and find out.”
Hegseth ordered hundreds of U.S. military officials around the globe to meet him at a spontaneous assembly in Virginia, keeping the details of the gathering extremely hush-hush.
There are approximately 800 U.S. generals and admirals in total. Hegseth’s order applied to “all senior officers with the rank of brigadier general or above, or their Navy equivalent, serving in command positions and their top enlisted advisers,” insiders told The Washington Post. It does not apply to military officers who hold staff positions.
The message shocked members of the U.S. military, who could not recall another instance in which a defense secretary summoned so many commanders for a sudden in-person meeting—especially without a clear rationale. Some warned that having so many integral military leaders in one place could pose a national security risk.
As it turns out, the rationale was to rail against the culture wars. Hegseth, pacing back and forth on-stage, also leveraged his time in front of America’s military to criticize “woke” ideology. He ordered the armed forces to reset its entrance requirements to the “highest male standard only,” a decision that would effectively force women out of the military.
“If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” Hegseth said.
The Pentagon chief also nixed medical beard waivers, a decision that will disproportionately affect Black service members due to the curl pattern of the hair on their face.
“No more beardos,” Hegseth said. “Calling someone to shave, or work hard, is exactly the kind of work force we want.”
The post Hegseth Summoned Military Leaders to Say “FAFO” in Disturbing Speech appeared first on New Republic.
