Not long after the Pentagon chief called together all the armed forces' top commanders to Quantico, Virginia in an extraordinary demand for an in-person assembly, a former military leader shared on social media to recall a past situation. "In the summer of 1935," the former general commented, "military leaders in Germany were summoned to a unexpected gathering in Berlin and informed that their previous oath to the German constitution was void and that they would be required to swear a personal oath to the Führer. Most generals accepted the pledge to maintain their roles." The defense secretary's account answered to the comment: "Cool story, General."
The Assembly and Its Addresses
Yet when the gathering occurred on Tuesday morning, the commanders and navy admirals were subjected to a three-quarter-hour talk by the Pentagon head, then came a disjointed, lengthy speech by the commander-in-chief, which validated at least a portion of what the retired general seemed to worry about. The Pentagon chief emphasized the army's appearance, criticizing "fat troops" and "overweight commanders in the halls of the Pentagon", and indicated his intent to change the army's environment so as to purge "progressive ideals" and promote a more masculine image. "End of identity months, diversity offices, cross-dressing individuals," he stated. "End of discord, diversion and sex misconceptions. End of debris. As I've mentioned earlier, and will say again: We are finished. With that. Shit." The armed forces, the chief implied, would become an showcase for the administration's chosen ideological approach, and this transformation will obviously involve many changes to what the armed forces seem when they are captured on camera.
Procedural Changes
To this end, the defense secretary stated that he would also be eliminating or drastically curtailing the non-discrimination, informant, investigative body and complaint procedures that allow service members to report harassment and misconduct. The modifications seemed aimed to particularly reverse efforts undertaken over the course of the 2010s to reduce harassment in the military and eliminate exemption from consequences.
"No more unfounded reports, end of ongoing reports, end of secret accusations, end of smearing reputations," the chief said. "Stop being overly cautious." One former official, speaking on the basis of confidentiality, noted: "From my perspective what this is, is people are fed up of not being able to make unacceptable or vulgar comments at the office assemblies." The Pentagon head, it appears, is devoted to bringing back this valued liberty.
Representation and Fairness Revisions
The chief likewise declared that he would be modifying procedures that have allowed the military to be more diverse – such as eliminating exceptions for troops to have facial hair, frequently used by minority service members, and increasing health benchmarks for particular, often well-paid and prestigious fighting jobs to what the chief seemed to consider is a level only males will meet. The secretary, who has resisted women serving in battle positions, said that candidates for such positions will be held to the "top male benchmark", which he also referred to as "gender neutral". "If that means no women meet standards for particular fighting positions, that's acceptable," the chief remarked. "That is not the goal," he continued, debatably. "But it could be the result."
Address to Officers
Regarding the leaders present, a group which included multiple men of color and women of various races, the secretary seemed to give what he obviously believed was a complimentary evaluation of their masculine violence and potency. "You take lives and break things for a career," the chief remarked to the present leaders. "You are not politically correct and may not always fit in always in polite society." The address was recurring and full of moments of aware macho posturing. "For our adversaries," the chief stated at one point "Mess around and discover." The defense secretary stopped, seeming to wait approval, but no one applauded.
Leader's Speech
Trump, simultaneously, also showed that he wants to change the armed forces into a ideological device of his government, repeatedly telling the gathered commanders that they would be assigned missions targeting U.S. citizens. "America is under invasion from within," the leader said. "We are being attacked from within. Just like a foreign enemy, but tougher in many ways because they lack identifiable attire. If nothing else when they're wearing a uniform you can remove them. It is conflict from inside." The president, who just days ago sent 200 state military to Portland, Oregon, with orders to use "complete strength, if necessary" offered that he had ordered the defense secretary to use U.S. urban areas as "practice zones".
Sometimes, the leader drifted, as he typically behaves, into improvised comments that were challenging to interpret. "Yet, they shall not obstruct in our way, any longer," the president stated. "You will not witness a period like we had with the past leader and that collection of ineffective personnel that operated that should have never been there. Because we have the United States military, the best, the bravest, the bravest, that the planet has ever observed, that the earth has ever recognized."
Reception and Response
The leader, like the chief, sometimes paused, looking for the officers to clap or smile. But the amusement were absent; the armed forces crowd was largely silent.
Analysis and Implications
There is something pathetic about the secretary and the leader, who have plotted and not succeeded their way into {positions of power|roles of
