Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today warned a large crowd of top generals and admirals to ‘prepare for war’.

Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Hegseth warned that if America’s enemies decided to test the country’s military prowess, they would ‘FAFO’, a phrase meaning ‘f*** around and find out.’

Hegseth declared, ‘From this moment forward, the sole mission of the newly reinstated Department of War is this: engaging in war, preparing for battle, and striving for victory.’ He emphasized, however, that their goal is not to seek conflict, promoting their motto of ‘strength through peace.’

What started as a pep talk turned into a list of new directives.

The Secretary of War announced that all troops must meet a male standard of fitness, expressing frustration over the presence of ‘overweight troops.’ Hegseth clarified that these regulations are ‘not about excluding women from service.’

But he added that the physical standards needed to be gender neutral.

‘If women can make it, excellent, if they cannot — then so be it … it will also mean that weak men won’t qualify. This is combat.’ 

Hegseth slammed the political softening of the armed forces, including concerns over bullying and hazing, and wokeness. 

‘No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusion, no more debris. I’ve said before and will say again, we are done with that s***,’ the Secretary of War said. 

Hegseth continued to lay out other directives. Notably, that each service will require high-level physical requirements, adding a combat arms field test. Hegseth also issued new policies that would overhaul the IG, EO and MEO process, overhauling the inspector general process that he says has been ‘weaponized.’

‘No more anonymous complaints, no more repeat complaints, smearing reputations, no more endless waiting or side-tracking careers,’ Hegseth said.

Hegseth harped that the media has been obsessed over the number of firings the Secretary of War has made since taking over, adding that even more leadership changes will be made.

‘My approach has been simple. When in doubt, assess the situation, follow your gut, and if it’s best for the military, do it,’ Hegseth said.

Hegseth asked his fellow officers to resign if they do not agree with his new military rules laid out during today’s speech.

The secretive session has drawn concerns that pulling officers to one meeting could make the US vulnerable to a security threat.  

‘I think it is very concerning that you are pulling every single general and flag officer back to Quantico… that is a lot of people to pull from their duty stations,’ a former defense official said. ‘It would be very rare to have the combatant and deputy commander come into town and leave your station to be in town.’

A source close to Hegseth argued the Pentagon has taken safety precautions into account to ensure that their operations, like military bases, were not compromised.

‘We hand–picked who would be in attendance, but nobody is reporting that,’ the source close to Hegseth explained.

The order, first reported by the Washington Post, was sent to all of the military’s top leadership worldwide earlier this week.

It comes months after Hegseth’s Pentagon staff reported plans to slash the US military’s senior ranks, cutting jobs held by about 100 admirals and generals.

Hegseth called that move necessary to cut ‘redundant force structure’ and continue streamlining the Pentagon’s ‘red-tape jungle.’

Roughly 800 generals and admirals are stationed across the US and around the world, spanning numerous countries and time-zones.

The new directive comes after several significant changes Hegseth implemented, as he attempts to restructure the department.

This includes removing top-level officials, renaming the Defense Department as the Department of War and slashing the number of generals by about about a quarter.

The recent dismissals are part of a continuing sweep through the upper echelons of the country’s top defense leadership.

Hegseth has frequently slammed high-ranking military officials, expressing his views in podcasts last year. He has said that about one-third of the top brass are deliberately trying to turning the military into a political tool.

Sources tell Daily Mail that Hegseth reportedly fears for his safety after the Charlie Kirk assassination. Two insiders in the defense secretary’s department say their boss has been raging at staffers and obsessing over issues relating to his security.

Both sources spoke to Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity, saying they were worried they could lose their jobs at a time when Hegseth has been slashing the department roles, and firing Pentagon officials. 

This is a breaking news story that will be updated.