Camilla Jessen
Ex-lieutenant general slams Trump for breaking unwritten rule while speaking to military leaders.
A rare gathering of hundreds of U.S. generals and admirals turned controversial after speeches from Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling says the meeting crossed a line that military leaders never should.
A Rare Assembly
On September 30, hundreds of U.S. generals and admirals from around the world were summoned to Quantico, Virginia, for what was described as an emergency meeting.
The unusual order forced senior officers from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to gather in one room.
Hegseth’s Vision for the Forces
When Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took the stage, his remarks quickly drew attention.
He railed against what he called “woke” practices in the military, criticizing everything from female service members in combat roles to Pentagon officials he described as “overweight generals and admirals.”
Ending Diversity
Hegseth called for an end to Biden-era diversity initiatives and stricter physical requirements, saying he did not want his son serving alongside women who could not meet male combat standards or troops who were out of shape.
According to Newsner, the rhetoric left many in the audience uneasy.
“Could Have Been an Email”
Some defense officials questioned the very purpose of the gathering.
One, speaking anonymously to Politico, said the event felt “more like a press conference than briefing the generals.”
Another dismissed it outright: “It’s a waste of time… It’s also an inexcusable strategic risk to concentrate so many leaders in the same place to convey an inane message of little merit.”
Trump’s Broadside Remarks
Donald Trump also addressed the audience, covering a wide range of topics in his trademark freewheeling style.
Among them was his now-notorious reference to “two N words”—one of them being “nuclear.”
According to retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, the former president appeared “rattled” by the tepid reaction from the assembled officers.
Hertling Speaks Out Publicly
Unlike many critics who spoke off the record, Hertling gave his assessment openly on MSNBC.
The former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe blasted both Trump and Hegseth’s remarks, saying the speeches crossed an “unwritten code” of military leadership.
A Violation of Professional Standards
Hertling argued that Hegseth’s words essentially asked officers to consider actions that would violate the oath they had sworn.
“There were soldiers… in that audience that said, wait a minute, we can’t do that, or we shouldn’t do that, or this is a true violation of what we are as professionals,” Hertling explained.
He added that many leaders felt embarrassed—not only personally, but for their entire branches of service.
Breaking the Rule of Military Leadership
For Hertling, the greatest offense was public humiliation of senior officers.
“There’s a saying in the military: you praise in public and you discipline in private,” he said.
“This was a disciplinary approach in public with cameras, so the whole nation could see. And it was an attempt at separating the military institution from the people that they defend.”
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, which may have used AI in the preparation
