U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a forceful and politically charged commencement speech at United States Military Academy, where he sharply criticized past military diversity initiatives and urged graduating cadets to focus solely on merit, discipline, and leadership.
Addressing future Army officers, Hegseth declared that the military must move away from what he described as “arbitrary quotas based on immutable characteristics.”
He emphasized that promotions and success within the armed forces should be earned strictly through performance and capability.
“You will not see color, and you will not try to meet arbitrary quotas based on immutable characteristics,” Hegseth told the graduating class, drawing loud reactions from the audience.
The Defense Secretary also took aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, criticizing what he called the military’s previous embrace of “DEI craze” and “anti-American ideologies.”
In one of the speech’s most controversial moments, he told cadets, “You do not have time to celebrate identity months.”
Hegseth insisted that the armed forces must remain focused on combat readiness, national defense, and unity rather than political or cultural agendas. “Success here is based on merit,” he added.