[On Sept. 30, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered an address at Marine Corps Base Quantico to an unprecedented gathering of hundreds of admirals, generals, and senior military leaders. This is the transcript in full. This is a turning point in America’s modern military history. TTP feels strongly that TTPers should consider reading it entire. The video of SecWar Hegseth’s 6,000 word/45 minute speech is here.]
Mr. Chairman, the Joint Chiefs, generals, admirals, commanders, officers, senior enlisted, NCOs, enlisted and every member of our American military, good morning. Good morning, and welcome to the War Department, because the era of the Department of Defense is over.
You see, the motto of my first platoon was, “Those who long for peace must prepare for war.” This is, of course, not a new idea. This crowd knows that. The origin dates to the fourth century Rome and has been repeated ever since, including by our first commander-in-chief, George Washington, the first leader of the War Department. It captures a simple yet profound truth; to ensure peace, we must prepare for war.
From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: warfighting, preparing for war and preparing to win, unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit. Not because we want war. No one here wants war. But it’s because we love peace. We love peace for our fellow citizens. They deserve peace, and they rightfully expect us to deliver it.
Our number one job, of course, is to be strong so that we can prevent war in the first place. The President talks about it all the time. It’s called “peace through strength,” and as history teaches us, the only people who actually deserve peace are those who are willing to wage war to defend it.
That’s why pacifism is so naïve and dangerous. It ignores human nature and it ignores human history. Either you protect your people and your sovereignty, or you will be subservient to something or someone. It’s a truth as old as time. And since waging war is so costly in blood and treasure, we owe our republic a military that will win any war we choose, or any war that is thrust upon us. Should our enemies choose foolishly to challenge us, they will be crushed by the violence, precision, and ferocity of the War Department.
In other words, to our enemies, FAFO. If necessary, our troops can translate that for you.
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