[Photo Credit: Reuters]

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed “fat generals” and diversity initiatives that he said led to decades of decay in the military and told a rare gathering of commanders they should resign if they do not support his agenda.

Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, was joined by U.S. President Donald Trump, himself a former reality television host, for an on-camera event in Quantico, Virginia that had a made-for-TV character to it with generals and admirals assembled on short notice.

Addressing an auditorium full of top brass summoned from around the world without explanation last week, Hegseth defended his firings of flag officers, which include the top U.S. general, who is Black, and the Navy’s top admiral, who is a woman. He said the officers he relieved were part of a broken culture.

He promised sweeping changes to how discrimination complaints are handled and how accusations of wrongdoing are investigated at the Pentagon, saying the current system has top brass walking on “egg shells.”

Hegseth criticized the look of overweight troops, saying: “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”

He said all fitness tests would be set to male benchmarks only and emphasized the importance of grooming standards.

Trump, as he departed for the event from the White House, told reporters on Tuesday that he would fire military leaders on the spot if he did not like them.

Trump then opened with a joke as he took the stage for a speech that lasted more than an hour, saying: “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”

But he then spoke warmly of the military, in sometimes-wandering remarks that touched on issues like the prowess of U.S. nuclear submarines but also included fierce criticism of the media, former President Joe Biden and Venezuela.

He echoed Hegseth when he turned his attention to his opposition to diversity initiatives.

The auditorium was filled with uniformed officials, seated in front of a stage with a large American flag, a lectern and boards that read: “Strength. Service. America.”

As Trump spoke, several officers sat looking expressionless, and the room was far quieter than the crowds at Trump’s usual gatherings. A naval officer took notes.

After his speech, Trump departed the auditorium and there did not appear to be any one-on-one meeting with the assembled military leaders.

The U.S. military is meant to be apolitical, loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement. That creates pressure on the commanders to avoid reacting to overtly political comments, by Trump or Hegseth.

It is unclear how much the event cost. It required military leaders to fly in from around the world before a potential government shut down.

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