Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave one of the most bizarre speeches ever given by an official on Tuesday, in which he called men with beards, “beardos,” and declared that there would be no more “fat generals” and that there would only be male physical standards for combat jobs.
In what can only be considered an unhinged rant, Hegseth spoke to senior military officers and expressed his vision for how the U.S. military will look and act.
“The sooner we have the right people, the sooner we can advance the right policies … but if the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” he said, USA Today reports.
According to Hegseth, the new look military will “…center on his broader campaign against past efforts that he has deemed ‘woke’ aimed at promoting diversity or accommodating troops — the specifics of which were made official in 10 directives sent out to military leadership as he spoke,” USA Today reports.
Hegseth then added that there would be no “fat troops” or “fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
“And that’s why today, at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos,” Hegseth said pausing for laughter that never came, CNN reports.
“The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.”
And Hegseth didn’t stop there. He added that there would only be male physical standards for combat jobs, and if that means women are left out of those jobs, then “it is what it is,” Hegseth said.
The Pentagon will reportedly update the fitness and grooming standards to fall in line with Hegseth’s vision for the more fit, clean-shaven military.
According to the policy memos, the plan is to increase fitness tests for active duty troops, who will now be required to pass twice yearly tests. There will also be body fat measurements twice a year.
Twitter promptly pointed out that Vice President JD Vance wouldn’t be able to serve in Hegseth’s military.
More hilarious reactions from social media below:
