US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in an address to hundreds of generals and admirals on Tuesday that there should be no more “politically correct” rules of engagement for the US military as he presented his recently rebranded Department of War as a ruthless force that can produce overwhelming violence.
“We’re training warriors, not defenders. We fight wars to win, not to defend. Defense is something you do all the time, it’s inherently reactionary and can lead to overreach and mission creep. War is something you do sparingly,” Hegseth told the crowd of senior officers at the US Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.
“On our own terms, and with clear aims, we fight to win. We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don’t fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement. Just common sense, maximum lethality, and authority for warfighters,” he added.
After Trump came into office at the beginning of the year, he eased restrictions on US airstrikes and raids, giving lower-level military commanders more freedom of action. As a result of the policy, the US has launched a record number of airstrikes in Somalia this year.
The Trump administration also conducted a brutal bombing campaign in Yemen, which Hegseth dubbed Operation Rough Rider, from March 15 to May 6, that involved strikes on residential buildings, energy infrastructure, and a migrant detention facility. While the campaign was brutal and killed more than 250 civilians, it failed to stop Yemen’s Houthis from ending their blockade on Israeli shipping and attacks on Israel, which the group has vowed will continue until there’s a ceasefire in Gaza.
Elsewhere in his speech on Tuesday, Hegseth said his message to US “enemies” was “FAFO,” a slang term that stands for “F** around and find out.”
“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,” he said.
President Trump also addressed the generals and admirals in Quantico, who came from across the US and around the world to attend the meeting. In his speech, Trump stressed that the US military was expanding its role on the domestic front, saying the US was facing an invasion from “within” and that US cities should be used as a “training ground” for US troops.
“We’re under invasion from within. No different than a foreign enemy but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms,” the president said.
