US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparked outrage on Thursday by claiming that many young Americans are “too fat or too stupid” to enlist in the military, attributing recruitment hurdles to inadequate education, criminal histories, and health issues like ADHD.
Speaking to military recruiters, Hegseth lauded their efforts in achieving what he called “historic recruiting numbers” despite these challenges, aligning the success with President Donald Trump’s focus on bolstering the armed forces.
“I know it’s not easy on the basic ingredients on recruiting, that we, you know, too many of our young people are too fat or too dumb. Not dumb, that’s wrong,” Hegseth said.
“You know, we’re just, we’re just not educating them properly, or they’ve got criminal records or ADHD, all these other things,” he added.
He emphasized that “there’s a lot of things contributing to what someone may or may not qualify to get into the military,” while praising recruiters for identifying “the great Americans who want to serve” and enrolling them “in record numbers.”
Hegseth noted that Trump “pays very close attention” to recruitment data, stating: “As the president has stated, and he pays very close attention to, these have been historic recruiting numbers. You guys have all delivered.”
Drawing from his personal journey, Hegseth recalled not growing up in a military family and being unaware of branch differences at age 18, crediting recruiters and veterans for steering him toward the Army via ROTC at Princeton University.
“I didn’t grow up in a military family. I didn’t know the difference between the Army and the Marine Corps when I was 18 years old. No idea,” he shared.
Advocating a return to fundamentals, Hegseth urged the military to eschew “social engineering stuff that looks like college campuses,” declaring: “You’re signing up to join a warfighting entity, not a woke institution.”
He defined the military as “a distinct entity with core values” such as “accountability, discipline, meritocracy, standards, readiness, lethality.”
Hegseth introduced the “Department of War Golden Rule,” advising leaders to manage units as they would for their own children’s: “Do onto your formation that which you would want done onto your son or daughter’s formation.”
“If your kid was in this unit, what would you do to make it more lethal, more prepared and ready?” he asked.
Criticizing diversity quotas and superficial focuses, he pushed for prioritizing “the best of the best equipped, trained and ready to go full stop.”
Hegseth viewed enlistment rates as a “feedback loop from the American people,” reflecting trust in leadership: “Men and women willing to serve, put on the uniform is a reflection of the belief they have in civilian leadership and military leadership.”
He unveiled a “warrior dividend” — a $1,776 bonus for about 1.45 million active-duty and reserve personnel — calling it “a meaningful reflection of the gratitude that we have for all of you.”b392d8
“1776 bucks is a nice little chunk of change,” Hegseth remarked.
Closing with appreciation, he said: “Just keep being the best of the best. We are so grateful. Merry Christmas to you all.”
