Hegseth's 'warriors' speech and the new Pentagon culture
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at Quantico, announced a stark cultural shift for the military.
Hegseth's 'warriors' speech and the new Pentagon culture — US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered an unusual speech at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, announcing a stark cultural change for the American military.[^1] He used blunt terms: "No fat people, no trans people, no bearded, no weirdos, no weaklings, no extremists. Only warriors." He declared that the Pentagon is no longer "the WOKE department, the weak department," adding: "The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in." Beyond the rhetoric, Hegseth outlined concrete structural changes. He announced a plan to reduce the number of general and admiral positions by 20%, noting that a reduction of about 10% has already been achieved.[^1] He also detailed the establishment of a new four-star command for autonomous warfare, named Autonomous Warfare Command (AutoWarCom), and referenced Project Meridian, a 120-day research project led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich to examine future wars. The speech signals a deliberate break from recent Pentagon priorities, replacing a focus on inclusivity with a return to a more traditional, and exclusionary, warrior ethos. The question is whether this cultural shift will improve military readiness or create new institutional friction. [^1]: Israel Hayom report on Hegseth's speech Balad leader resigns, right-wing activist blocks Tibi — election day chaos — Balad chairman Sami Abu Shahadeh submitted his official resignation from the Central Elections Committee today (Friday), following the recommendation of Supreme Court justices.[^1] The move comes after the High Court indicated it would disqualify him from running for the Knesset, citing support for terrorism. The resignation sidesteps a formal ruling, but leaves open the question of how far the state can go in barring candidates without a clear legal framework — a tension Moshe Cohen-Eliya recently described as Israel's "dual defensive democracy."[^2] Meanwhile, Yiska Haimov, sister of Shin Bet chief David Zini and a candidate for the Noam for Israel party, was photographed yesterday (Thursday) with right-wing activist Mordechai David.[^3