Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a State of the Force address Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, declaring that the Pentagon has completed a cultural transformation away from what he called the "woke department."

Hegseth told hundreds of junior officers and enlisted troops that the military is now focused solely on lethality and readiness. "We are no longer the woke department or the weak department," he said. "Simple translation of that: No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors, just tough, ready, committed troops."

The secretary doubled down on prior directives to reduce the number of general and flag officers by 20 percent, up from an earlier 10 percent target. He also announced the creation of a new autonomous warfare command to advance robotics and next-generation capabilities.

Hegseth criticized media coverage of the ongoing conflict with Iran and reiterated that promotions and standards would emphasize merit over identity considerations. He claimed retention and recruitment have improved under the new approach.

The speech marked the one-year anniversary of a similar address last September, in which Hegseth first outlined his vision for restoring traditional military standards. Wednesday's remarks extended those themes while highlighting technological modernization initiatives.

Pentagon officials described the changes as restoring the force's focus on core missions after years of distraction from social policies.