WATCH: Hegseth says eliminating diversity efforts is ‘secret sauce’ of Defense Department
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the “revival” of the Department of Defense has come from eliminating “debris” such as efforts to support diversity in a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“We had a department that was obsessed with gender ideology, and race, diversity, equity and inclusion,” Hegseth said. “In fact, the mantra you would hear dripping from the lips of generals, and with a serious look on their face, was ‘our diversity is our strength,’ which is the single dumbest phrase in military history. Of course our diversity is not our strength. Our unity is our strength, our shared purpose, the flag we wear, and the Constitution we serve to defend.”
He added that eliminating that perspective is “the secret sauce of the revival of the War Department” and said it’s why morale in the military is “sky-high,” though he didn’t offer data to support that claim.
Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were invited to testify on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request to increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion – the largest proposed amount in decades.
On Wednesday, the defense leaders appeared before House lawmakers, who questioned the defense leaders for the first time since the start of the war on Iran. Hegseth sparred with Democrats on the costs of the war and its ripple effects on Americans and the economy.
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