The Military Will Be Stronger for Pete Hegseth’s Commonsense Changes

The hysteria surrounding the news that the secretary of defense had summoned nearly all American general and flag officers and their senior enlisted advisers to Quantico, Va., was a sight to behold. Speculation in the press ranged, ludicrously, from the idea that Pete Hegseth would require the generals to swear a new loyalty oath to President Trump to that the secretary planned to use the opportunity to publicly fire disfavored officers.
The reality was more mundane, which is not to say that it was unimportant. Hegseth wanted to speak to his senior subordinates, in person, as he announced a renewed focus for the Pentagon: a merit-based culture and high standards of physical fitness and training in order to deter and, if necessary, win wars. While the ordering of these 800 senior...